CBS New York anchor Dana Tyler emotionally signs off in final broadcast after 34 years: ‘I’m so honored’

Longtime WCBS-TV evening news anchor Dana Tyler bade farewell in an emotional, tear-filled sign-off during her final newscast after more than 30 years.

“This is my last newscast, my last 6 o’clock news with you here at Channel 2, it’s my last day at Channel 2, 34 years I’ve been here,” Tyler said Wednesday alongside her co-anchor Dick Brennan.

Tyler, 65, began her career with the network in 1990, serving as a weekend co-anchor and general assignment reporter. She and Reggie Harris became the first black anchor team in New York, according to the outlet.

Tyler, in a pre-recorded message, thanked her co-workers and the viewers after a video tribute celebrated the longtime journalist’s illustrious career.

“I’m so honored to be here, so honored to say thank you to my several thousand co-workers in every department here, who over the past 34 years, and to this very second have collaborated with me, challenged and taught me, given me valuable, constructive criticism and encouragement.

“We’ve laughed, we’ve cried together, we’ve tried to do our best for you, and my heart is full of gratitude and respect for my co-workers.”

Tyler said she was proud to have shared the truth with the New York metro area while “enacting change for the people for whom we work.”

“I say thank you, Channel 2 viewers, you’re loyal, you’re kind, you keep us on our toes,” Tyler said. “I’ve always felt privileged for these 34 years that you’ve invited me, us, into your homes, your firehouses, your bodegas, so many places.”

The longtime anchor admitted having reported plenty of “bad news” but said it’s because every story is important to different individuals.

“There is bad news, violence, disease, abuse, drugs,” she admitted. “Oh, we’ve endured tragedies, haven’t we, in the New York area?

“I’ve always tried to be respectful and compassionate and bear witness to what’s happening because I know every story is an individual, a family, a community.”

A self-described “grammar nerd,” Tyler said she was always proud to cover the good news of heroics, parades, good grades and good people.

“You raise our spirits.”

Tyler has won six Emmy Awards for her coverage of breaking news events in and around New York City, including her 2009 coverage of “Flight 1549 Lands in the Hudson River.”

She also received several Emmy nominations, which include her reporting on the 1994 World Trade Center bombing.

Tyler was presented with the New York Association of Black Journalists’ 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award and has been honored by the Friars Club and McDonald’s.

Tyler was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2022.

She shared one of the most important aspects that has affected her personally, and how the CBS affiliate has worked to improve it.

“One of the biggest changes, and yeah it took a while, is diversity, here where I work on our air, a reflection of who our audience is and in our coverage.

“Still a lot of work to be done, but we’ve done a lot of work on it and I’m so, so proud to be a part of that history.”

When the cameras returned to Tyler at the anchor desk, she appeared emotional and gave an acknowledgment to her family before remembering her late uncle, David Harris, who had recently died.

Harris was the first black pilot for a major US airline, Tyler shared. He died on March 8.

Tyler isn’t the only one giving up their chair on the 6 p.m. newscasts, as Dick Brennan is also set to be leaving the time slot.

The two anchors will be replaced by Maurice DuBois and Kristine Johnson, who co-anchor the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts, and will expand their air time through 6:30 p.m.

Tyler, the longest-tenured anchor in the history of the CBS affiliate, will contribute stories and interviews on the channel’s over-the-air broadcast as well as its streaming platform, according to an internal memo circulated by the station earlier this month.