KWCH anchor Jenn Bates leaves broadcasting

KWCH morning anchor Jenn Bates announced Friday she is leaving the news station – and broadcasting in general.

In a Facebook post, Bates said she’s “on to a new adventure outside of TV,” after working for KWCH for 9 years.

Bates, a native of Pensacola, Fla., spent six years reporting and anchoring sports for the news station, for which she won accolades and popularity among her Wichita viewers.

In July of 2014, Bates moved to the morning anchor desk, where she’s worked until now.

She said that, despite having no relatives in Wichita, she’s felt she “has a family in Kansas, because of the community.”

“Everybody in TV always expects ... ‘I’ll spend my 2 to 3 years here (and move on), but I think anybody who stops in Wichita and spends any time here feels the difference,” Bates said when reached by phone Friday. “The station’s always been great to work for. I kind of fell in love with Wichita, and that’s easy to do.”

Bates said she plans on moving to Kansas City to pursue a new project with her brother. While she said details are not entirely clear yet, “it’ll still be in the public eye, but not in television.”

“The timing just felt right for me and for what I wanted to do,” she said Friday. “It’s terrifying going on to a new adventure. All I’ve ever done is television – I was doing it in middle school.”

Her last newscast was Friday at noon. KWCH reporter Rachel Skytta will temporarily join the morning news desk as the station looks to find a new morning anchor.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 11:05 AM with the headline "KWCH anchor Jenn Bates leaves broadcasting."