WSOC-TV anchor-reporter departs her hometown station. Where’s she going?
Brittney Johnson, an anchor and reporter for her hometown WSOC-TV since 2015, became on Friday the latest big name in Charlotte media circles to say goodbye to Queen City viewers.
Friday was Johnson’s last day on-air at the top-rated Charlotte station, as she prepares to join NBC affiliate KXAS in the larger Dallas-Fort Worth market as an anchor and reporter.
She will co-anchor the weekday 10 p.m. news on KXAS beginning on Sept. 22, KXAS announced earlier this month.
Dallas-Fort Worth is the No. 5 TV market in the country, according to the 2020-21 Nielsen rankings. Charlotte is No. 21.
“Leaving home is bittersweet,” Johnson told The Charlotte Observer in a text.
“I love being able to stop to see my grandparents after work,” she said. “It’s always special to run into a fellow Dub C Lion or member of Mount Carmel. I’ve cherished this time and appreciate knowing how much it’s meant to locals to see a home town girl on the news.”
New adventure
Johnson said she’s grateful for her time in the city where she was raised and thrilled about what awaits her.
“A new city, later wake up call, it’s going to be an adventure,” she said in the text. “I’m ready!”
WSOC-TV colleagues tweeted their well-wishes beginning Friday morning, as Johnson made her final appearance on the station’s morning news show.
“Well, the cat’s out of the bag now,” morning show colleague Keith Monday tweeted. “We will miss @BrittneyWSOC9 here on the morning show. She’s taking her talents to Dallas, TX. There is no one to keep @TrafficTeam9, @JPaulWSOC9 and me inline. Good luck Brit!!!!”
In tweeting about Johnson’s last day at the station, Elsa Gillis, WSOC-TV reporter and host @Your704, described her as “such a bright light in our newsroom, hard worker, with a kind & generous heart. Dallas is getting a such a star.”
“I’ll miss you guys,” Johnson tweeted back. “Thanks for being the best early morning crew a girl could ask for. And yes, don’t worry, you’re stuck w/ me, I’ll definitely be in touch.”
‘I love how God works’
Johnson graduated from West Charlotte High School and then Howard University, before earning a master’s degree in journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
Johnson joined WSOC-TV after working at KARK, the Fox affiliate in Little Rock, Ark., and Monroe, La. She spent four years with the station in Little Rock, her parents’ hometown, she said.
Her reporting over the years has earned an Emmy nomination and recognition from community groups and The Associated Press, according to her WSOC-TV bio.
“TV News can be a tough business,” she told the Observer. “But I’ve had so many wonderful stops along the way ... And now I’m looking forward to joining the incredible team at NBC5 in DFW, where I was born! I love how God works.’’
Among other media names announcing plans to leave their Charlotte stations this year:
▪ WBTV meteorologist Eric Thomas, who covered the biggest weather stories in Charlotte’s history during a 33-year career, told viewers in July that he plans to retire by the end of the year.
▪ In May, Jonathan Stacey, co-host of WBTV’s “QC Morning” show, announced his departure from the station. He joined the Fox affliliate in Atlanta.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 2:58 PM.