
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Nearly five years ago, Whitney Martin left a news anchor job in Milwaukee to return to broadcast journalism in her hometown.
In her next role, she’ll be tasked with convincing others to call Rockford home.
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The longtime television broadcast journalist has accepted a job as the director of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau‘s Made for Rockford program. She’ll leave her role as a morning anchor on WTVO 17 and FOX 39 to begin with the visitors bureau on July 1.
She will be the face of the Made for Rockford program, which started in 2020 as a way to promote Rockford as a place to live and is now intended to grow in a new phase under Martin.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the warm welcome I received when I returned from Milwaukee to Rockford,” she said. “I hope to extend that same hospitality to those deciding to call our city home.”
Martin’s experience as a boomerang resident positions her to succeed in the role, said John Groh, president and CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“She herself not only is from Rockford, but moved away and chose to come back,” Groh said. “She has lived the value proposition. She can explain why living in Rockford was a better choice for her and her family, for her career.”
Martin will also work on the bureau’s national public relations efforts, telling the story of Rockford’s turnaround to organizations around the country.
“Think about the excitement you feel each time you share your favorite pizza place or park with someone new to our community,” Martin said. “That’s how I view this opportunity. It’s a chance to showcase our pride and passion surrounding all the wonderful things that make our city special.”
Martin will work with large employers such as Woodward Inc., Collins Aerospace, Rockford Public Schools, local health care systems and others to promote Rockford to prospective workers.
“Transitioning from news to leading this collaboration feels like a natural progression for me,” she said. “Having closely observed our city’s achievements and hurdles as a journalist, I’m eager to shift from reporting on the challenges to actively becoming part of the solution.”
There are practical benefits for the change from the demanding hours of morning news, too.
“On a personal note, I’ve been waking up at 2 a.m. as a morning news anchor since before my 6-year-old son was born,” she said. “We often joke that we share the same bedtime. I’m looking forward to taking him to school and watching him grow in the community where I was born and raised.”
The visitors bureau’s mission is to promote the community to tourists, and with Made for Rockford it delivers a similar messages to prospective future residents. Groh said Martin is a great fit for that role.
“She so, clearly, blatantly loves the community,” Groh said. “Whatever you’re selling — whether you’re selling popcorn, or cars or the community — you have to love it, and she clearly does.”
Martin, an East High School graduate, has worked in broadcast journalism for 17 years, including nearly the last half-decade as a morning news anchor for the local ABC and FOX affiliates.
“I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a newsroom,” Martin said. “While leaving is bittersweet, I don’t look at this opportunity as a retirement from journalism, instead, it’s chance to tell Rockford’s story to a new audience.”
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