Television meteorologist Greg Dee announced on air Thursday that he has accepted a position in Cleveland and will be leaving Little Rock at the end of the month.
Dee, a forecaster on KARK and Fox16, has been in Little Rock since 2008, starting as a weekend meteorologist but in recent years appearing on the channels' morning programs and KARK's midday show.
He announced his departure on air shortly after 5 a.m.
"It's very sad," Dee said. "We've been going through this for the last several days. Because as I've told many people, Arkansas has been the best place I've ever lived. And I can truly say that and I will miss the people and the city of Little Rock more than anything."
Dee's last day on air in Little Rock will be Jan. 30. He will then join WKYC in Cleveland as the "main fill-in meteorologist" behind Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling.
Dee said on air that the move brings him closer to family in Connecticut. It also puts him on air in a larger market; Cleveland is ranked 19th in the country compared with Little Rock at 56th.
Austin Kellerman, news director for the two stations, told staff at the stations of Dee's departure in an email Thursday, according to a news release posted on the Fox16 website.
"In his 6 years with us, Greg has grown tremendously," Kellerman wrote. "He started out as a role player and grew into the poster boy for our station’s morning shows. That’s a big role — and he earned it every step of the way. I’m not sure anyone works harder than Greg. He made our stations better and forced all of us to pick up our social media game.
"While I hate to lose Greg (and rest assured I tried to keep him), I’m glad he was with us for this long. There’s no doubt in my mind very big things are ahead for him."
Dee's departure marks the second long-term KARK/Fox16 on-air employee to leave this month. David Goins, a reporter and host of Capitol View, announced earlier this month that he had accepted a position in Dallas. Goins' last day is also Jan. 30.