Ben Swann leaving Fox 19 News

(John Kiesewetter)   Anchor Ben Swann will leave WXIX-TV “to explore other opportunities” when his contract expires at the end of May. He says he’s close to announcing his new gig.

“After 2 ½ years at WXIX Fox 19, the time has come for me to explore other opportunities,” he said in the station announcement.

“I am incredibly thankful for the time I had at Fox19 and will always be grateful for the friends I have made here and for fond memories I will cherish forever. During my time at FOX 19 I had the privilege of being able to interview one-on-one President Barack Obama, Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Paul Ryan during the 2012 election, opportunities only made possible through working for the best news department in southern Ohio.

“I want to express my gratitude to management and staff, reporters and anchors who have pursued to live out our mantra of “Balanced News” and gave me the freedom and support needed to build the Reality Check franchise. I wish everyone at WXIX the very best moving forward.

“As for my plans moving forward, I am currently in talks for some very exciting projects. Over the next few weeks I look forward to sharing those details.”

Swann has developed a large following online for his Ben Swann – Full Disclosure Facebook videos (here), which are similar to his Fox 19 Reality Check reports. His national fan base has pushed him into the lead for both rounds of my TV Anchor Dream Team tourney here.  Voting ends at midnight tonight. (So leading my March TV Madness poll wasn’t enough to keep him in town??)

The Texas native came to Channel 19 from El Paso in 2010 to replace Dan Carroll as Tricia Macke’s co-anchor. Swann was only the third main co-anchor since Fox 19 started news in 1993 with Jack Atherton. The station will begin searching for a new main co-anchor for the 6:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. newscasts immediately, said Bill Lanesey, Fox 19 general manager.

“Ben has informed us he would like to take his career in a different direction,” said FOX19 General Manager Bill Lanesey. “We will miss Ben’s work ethic and intellect and appreciate him giving us enough notice so we can begin the search for his replacement as soon as possible.”

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE