ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham’s Longtime Eyewitness News Anchor Tisha Powell Retiring From Broadcasting To Return Home to Louisiana

Photo courtesy ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh Durham

Longtime Eyewitness News evening anchor Tisha Powell announced she is retiring from broadcasting to return home to Louisiana. Her last day on air will be June 30, 2021.

Powell shared the following message to the ABC11 staff:

A little over 16 years ago, I arrived at RDU airport with my mom by my side and a 3-year-old toddler in tow. My husband, James, an Army captain at the time, was serving a year-long deployment to Iraq. I had no idea what our journey to North Carolina would bring or how long our time here would last. James and I were just looking for a home for our family that was military friendly and would allow both our careers to flourish. That’s exactly what we were lucky enough to find here in the Triangle and so much more … I just want to say “thank you” to my wonderful coworkers who have always been there to see me through the tough times and have also helped to celebrate the many happy milestones over the years. And to the loyal ABC11 viewers who have welcomed me into their homes every night, I couldn’t be more grateful. In June, I will be rounding out a 25-year career in TV news. I will continue serving our viewing area until my time here ends this summer.

Powell joined the Eyewitness News team in 2004. She has co-anchored Eyewitness News at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. with Steve Daniels as well as the 10:00 p.m. newscast on CW22.

“I remember how excited I was to recruit Tisha in 2004, and I am so grateful that our community and our news team shared 17 great years with her. She represents the best of ABC11,” said Rob Elmore, president and general manager, WTVD. “We have always known that Louisiana has a special place in Tisha’s heart, and we will miss her daily presence in our lives. While we are sad to see her go, we understand and wish Tisha and her family good health and happiness always.”

During her time at ABC 11, Powell traveled back to New Orleans in 2005 to cover Hurricane Katrina. She reported on the pope’s visit to Philadelphia, the Carolina Panthers’ trip to Super Bowl 50 and has interviewed influential people like first lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey. She has also jumped with the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team in Laurinburg, North Carolina. When Powell was not on the anchor desk, she spent many hours supporting community organizations and events and working on special reports for Eyewitness News.

Throughout the month of June, ABC 11 plans to celebrate Powell’s 17 years, with a final send-off on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

About ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham
The only local news station with three downtown newsrooms (Raleigh/Fayetteville/Durham), ABC11 Eyewitness News provides 47.5 hours of local news every week, serving more than 1 million households in a 23-county area in North Carolina and Virginia. Eyewitness News also provides news, weather and sports information 24 hours a day on ABC11.com, the ABC11 mobile news app and the new connected TV app available on Roku, Fire, Apple, and Android TVs. ABC11 WTVD is one of eight ABC Owned Stations as part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution division. For more information, go to http://www.abc11.com.

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