Channel 2 Action News anchor Monica Pearson announces she will retire at the end of July.  This will end a 37 year run with the station.

Pearson will officially sign off her last 6 p.m. newscast July 25 2012.

“Wow!” said Pearson. “Thirty-seven years is a long time to have gone by so quickly. I am thankful for this job every day and for the supreme good fortune to have been allowed to pursue my life’s calling in such an honorable place as Channel 2. It’s my home away from home and this team of journalists is my family. Believe me when I say, I’m deeply honored to have served the viewers and this community in which we all make our home.”

When she joined the Channel 2 Action News staff in 1975, Pearson became Atlanta's first woman, and, first minority to anchor the 6 p.m. news.

“Joining Channel 2 Action News was an almost impossible dream come true for me when I came here from Louisville’s WHAS-TV,” said Pearson.  “It took a great deal of courage on the part of WSB-TV’s management team at the time to hire me, a black woman, to co-anchor the nightly news in Atlanta, Georgia in 1975. With that one hire they broke the color and gender barrier in local news in a major Southern city. I worked hard to repay that support every day and night over these 37 years. I’m honored to have played a role on the number one local news team in the country covering the news of this remarkable city and surrounding communities.”

“It’s been my honor to work with Monica,” said Marian Pittman, station manager and former news director for Channel 2. “In many ways, she’s the heart and soul of this newsroom. She’s a team player, and her sources and community connections open doors to stories that might go untold otherwise. She’s taught us all about giving back, reporting with care, concern and staying true to the viewers. She’s been an invaluable leader, coach and friend to everyone in the newsroom and she will be missed!”

Jovita Moore, a 14 year Channel 2 veteran reporter and current co-anchor for Channel 2 Action News at 5 and 11 p.m., has gradually taken on some of Monica’s duties. Starting July 26th, she will temporarily co-anchor with John Bachman at 4 p.m. and Justin Farmer at 6 p.m. “We are taking some time to decide who will take on which shows,” said Pittman. “We have a great team of anchors and a lot of newscasts. That gives us multiple options for consideration.”

In speaking of her colleague’s growth from weekend anchor to one of Channel 2’s mainstay anchors, Monica said, “Talking about Jovita is easy, starting with how she jumped right into working in the community her first years here, a commitment she’s maintained and increased over the years. I saw that and knew she was special and for real.

“She’s smart, earned her master’s degree from Columbia University. Still, she’s one of those people you find so easy to talk to. Jovita can talk to anyone about anything.

“She works hard. I watched her develop from weekend anchor and reporting during the week. I remember when she was named to the 5 p.m. she cried in the newsroom. That was a special moment for all of us. Jovita is her own person on the air. She doesn’t try to be anybody else.”

“Monica blazed the trail that opened the doors for women and for people of color in local news,” said Moore. “Her success inspired other stations to make the same leap. I don’t forget for a moment that I am following in very important and courageous footsteps. She’s been an inspiration and mentor over my 14 years here. I’m proud to have worked alongside her for more than a decade.”

Pearson is a native of Louisville, KY, growing up in what is known as “Smoketown” and graduating from an all-girl Catholic High School, Presentation Academy, where she has established a scholarship in her name. The University of Louisville graduate reported for The Louisville Times for five years, then worked in public relations before joining WHAS-TV in Louisville, her last stop before moving up to WSB-TV.

Monica is married to John E. Pearson, Sr. She has a daughter, Claire Deveaux, and a stepson, John E. Pearson, II. Her 88 year old mother, Hattie Edmonson, also resides in Atlanta.