New WTVO/FOX 39 anchor to make Rockford debut Monday
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our free e-newsletter
ROCKFORD — WTVO 17 and FOX 39 have announced a new evening anchor joining their broadcast team.
Wendell Edwards joins Mimi Murphy, meteorologist Candice King and sports anchor Scott Leber on the nightly news desk. He’s slated to debut on Monday.
“I’m honored to join the Eyewitness News family, and I look forward to connecting with the viewers and bringing them the news they need on a nightly basis,” Edwards said Wednesday in a news release. “The brief encounters I’ve already had while in Rockford has me excited for the future.”
More news: Here are the plans for the former Kmart on East State Street in Rockford
The hiring of Edwards comes after veteran news anchor Eric Wilson was taken off the air in late February when his contract with Nexstar Media Group, the parent company of WTVO 17 and FOX 39, was not renewed. Wilson spent nearly 30 years in television news, including eight on the anchor desk at WTVO 17 and FOX 39. He’s now the director of the Crusader Community Health Foundation.
Edwards comes to Rockford from Hartford, Connecticut, where he was a morning anchor on WFSB TV for more than three years. Before that, he spent nearly six years as a morning anchor with the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama. He also had stops in New York, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Houston, and Oklahoma City during a journalism career that spans more than 25 years.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Wendell to our team,” said Michael Silecchia, vice president and general manager of WTVO 17 and FOX 39, in a news release. “His expertise and dedication to storytelling aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver trusted and informative news to the Stateline.”
More news: ‘Half about music and half about food’: Here’s what to expect when Disco Chicken opens in Rockford
Edwards earned a bachelor’s degree in 1992 from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, where he ran track on a full athletic scholarship. He is a former two-time Division II national champion hurdler, a seven-time NCAA All-American and two-time GTE Academic All-American. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1992, making it to the quarterfinal round.
Edwards went on to earn his master’s degree in 1997 from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
He is the father of two daughters, Kennedy and Kendall.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
