WCPO reporter Madeline Ottilie said goodbye to the Cincinnati ABC affiliate after three years to take a job at KIRO in Seattle, Washington.
“I’m thrilled to accept a reporter position with KIRO 7 in Seattle! I can’t wait to work alongside a talented team of journalists to tell stories that make a difference. It’s a move that also brings me closer to my family in California,” Ottilie posted on Instagram.
Cincinnati media writer John Kiesewetter said she is the sixth on-air news personality to leave the station in two months.
The exodus started May 15 when weekend morning anchor Kristen Swilley left to join Wordsworth Communications.
She announced her departure after Jeff Brogan, vice president and general manager, revealed a newsroom restructuring plan to eliminate two anchors, hire five new multimedia journalists and record more newscasts.
A week later, Evan Millward and Jasmine Styles, co-anchors at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., accepted Brogan’s offer and left Channel 9.
By the end of May, reporter Jessica Hart had also left the ABC affiliate after two years. Traffic reporter and fill-in meteorologist Raven Richard left last month after five years with the station. She is now in New Orleans, where she does weather for NBC affiliate WDSU-TV.
In May, Brogan told TVSpy, he was eliminating two news anchor positions and hiring five additional reporters to respond to what viewers want.
“We feel it is imperative we must change, to keep up with their needs,” said Brogan. “It will be better for the audience and the business.”