Jessica Dean leaving CBS3 anchor desk
Dean, who anchored the 5, 6, and 11 p.m. newscasts for the station with Ukee Washington, announced that she was leaving for an unspecified "new opportunity."
CBS3's Jessica Dean is leaving her post.
In a Friday evening post on Twitter, the anchor, who joined the station five years ago this month, announced that she was "leaving the anchor desk for a new opportunity."
"I'll be able to share more about that soon," Dean wrote. Her final day at the desk where she coanchors the news with Ukee Washington at 5, 6, and 11 on CBS3, and at 10 p.m. on sister station CW Philly 57, will be Wednesday, Sept. 26.
Dean's statement, directed toward the station's viewers, did not mention Washington, who became her coanchor in 2015, but he tweeted a few hours later that he would "miss her dearly," and there was a hint that he knew what her plans might be. Both have on occasion guest-hosted the CBS's daytime show The Talk, Dean most recently in June.
Coincidentally or not, one of the show's hosts, Julie Chen, has left The Talk in the wake of the departure from the company of her husband, Leslie Moonves, amid allegations that he was responsible for sexual harassment and abuse.
Dean, who also anchored The Digital Brief, a daily update that appeared on CBS3's website, joined the station in September 2013 after two years as an anchor at the NBC affiliate in Little Rock, Ark. In Philadelphia, she replaced Susan Barnett, a Levittown, Bucks County, native who also spent five years as a CBS3 anchor, sharing the desk with Chris May. She left in April 2013, after deciding not to renew her contract.
Here's what Dean's station bio says about her time in Philadelphia:
"Jessica has made her mark by anchoring live from some of the region's most significant events in decades such as the 2016 Democratic National Convention and Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families She also anchored live from Cleveland during the 2016 Republican National Convention and conducted numerous one-on-one interviews with top candidates during the 2016 political season. … Since joining Channel 3, Jessica has also dedicated her free time to CB 3's community outreach efforts and causes including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Alex's Lemonade Stand."