Another anchor departure triggers big changes for WRAL’s morning news lineup
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jeff Hogan leaves WRAL to anchor an evening news show at an Ohio station.
- Chris Lovingood steps into the co-anchor role on WRAL's weekday morning broadcast.
- Multiple journalists have left WRAL since January.
WRAL’s weekday morning news program will soon have a new anchor.
Jeff Hogan, who joined the station in 2018, is leaving WRAL for a new job in Ohio, the station announced in a social media post. Chris Lovingood will take Hogan’s place alongside Renee Chou on the anchor desk. His first day as co-anchor will be Aug. 14, WRAL news director Mike Friedrich told The News & Observer in an email.
The N&O has reached out to Hogan for more information.
Here’s what we know about the changes.
WRAL anchor/reporter Jeff Hogan leaves the station
Hogan, who anchors the morning and news programs, will leave the Triangle to take on a new role as the evening anchor at CBS affiliate WBNS in Columbus, Ohio.
“We’ll miss his energy, warmth, and passion here at WRAL, but we’re so proud of his next big move,” the station wrote in the Facebook post.
The “big move,” however, is a kind of homecoming for the Emmy- and Associated Press-award winning broadcast journalist. According to his WRAL bio, Hogan worked at the Ohio station from 1998 to 2018, transitioning from sports coverage to news anchoring during his time there.
His career began in 1992 at CBS affiliate KOSA in Odessa, Texas, where he worked as a sports anchor and reporter. In 1995, Hogan took a new job as sports anchor/reporter at CBS affiliate WTVR in Richmond, Virginia.
He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where he played football.
Just months after joining WRAL to replace longtime anchor Bill Leslie — who was retiring — Hogan had a bodysurfing accident near Wrightsville Beach that left him temporarily paralyzed.
Chris Lovingood becomes co-anchor of WRAL morning program
Lovingood is already a fixture on the station’s morning broadcast, but soon, he’ll have an expanded role.
“Incredibly excited to step into an expanded role as co-anchor with WRAL Renee Chou on WRAL TV and FOX50’s morning team from 5-8,” Lovingood shared in a Facebook post.
“I’ve had many people say their congratulations and I so appreciate it, but I’ll definitely miss Jeff’s guidance in-person, but that’s what phones are for! I wish him well returning to his old stomping grounds in such a prominent position,” Lovingood said in an email to The N&O.
“On my end of things, this is a fantastic opportunity to work toward ensuring the strong reputation of WRAL is maintained in the mornings.”
According to his WRAL bio, Lovingood has a degree in broadcast communication from Western Illinois University. He has won two AP awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing.
Before joining WRAL, the Illinois native worked at WEEK in Peoria, WBBH/WZVN in Fort Myers, Florida, and ABC affiliate WTAE in Pittsburgh.
Recent changes at WRAL
Hogan is the latest broadcast journalist to leave the station.
- Last week, The News & Observer reported that Aaron Thomas was taking a new job at a television station in another state. Thomas shared on social media on Wednesday, June 18, that he would start his new role as weekend evening anchor/reporter at WLWT in Cincinnati on July 21. Thomas, a native North Carolinian and graduate of N.C. State University, joined WRAL in 2019.
- Longtime Fayetteville reporter Gilbert Baez left the station in January, after WRAL did not renew his contract.
- Co-anchor Debra Morgan left the station in May. Morgan started working at WRAL in 1993.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Another anchor departure triggers big changes for WRAL’s morning news lineup."
