A WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) fixture is leaving the station.
Singer-turned-longtime anchor Shannon Sims’ last day with TMJ4 News will be Nov. 5, the Milwaukee NBC affiliate announced Oct. 28. Sims — who worked her way up at the TV station — anchors “Milwaukee Tonight” and “TMJ4 News” at 10 p.m. on weekdays, according to her bio on WTMJ’s website.
“Shannon’s passion for journalism and her commitment to our community have made a lasting impact on TMJ4 and the viewers we serve,” the station’s news director, Tim Vetscher, said in the announcement. “She has been a true advocate for those whose stories need to be told. We are grateful for her contributions and wish her all the best.”
Those contributions of Sims, highlighted in the announcement, included launching TMJ4’s public affairs program, “414WARD”; moderating political debates; leading Project: Drive Sober, which won an Emmy; hosting the first broadcast of the city’s Juneteenth parade; creating “Beyond the Bullet,” a special on Milwaukee gun violence; hosting the 2024 Positively Milwaukee Awards; producing the “PozCast” podcast; and being instrumental in the formation of the station’s diversity and volunteer teams.
“The titles and time slots were never what mattered most — it was the trust people placed in me to tell their stories, to ask tough questions, and to be there during the moments that mattered,” Sims said in the announcement. “What a ride it’s been!”
Before joining WTMJ in 2013 as a reporter and weekend news anchor, Sims was a radio announcer for 92.3 WTTS in Bloomington, Indiana; an intern, then production assistant at KGO 7 in San Francisco; and a general assignment reporter for KREM 2 in Spokane, Washington. She also spent time with WVEC in Norfolk, Virginia; WKEF in Dayton, Ohio; and FOX19 in Cincinnati, her station bio said.
Before pursuing broadcasting, Sims — who has a bachelor of arts from the Manhattan School of Music — was a classically trained singer with aspirations of being an opera performer, per her station bio.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Longtime anchor Shannon Sims is leaving Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV (Channel 4)
Reporting by Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
