Fox 29 sports anchor Kristen Rodgers is leaving Philly
In a Facebook post on Monday, the San Francisco native announced that she is “moving back to the West Coast to be closer to family.”
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Fox 29 sports anchor Kristen Rodgers is leaving the station and Philadelphia.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the San Francisco native, who joined Fox 29 in October 2017 from KEZI-TV in Eugene, Ore., announced that she is “moving back to the West Coast to be closer to family.” Her last day on the air in Philadelphia will be April 8.
“Nothing makes you homesick like a pandemic,” Rodgers said in an interview Tuesday. It “makes us think about what we want to do, and who we want to be around.”
Philadelphia shouldn’t take it personally. “It’s been a place that has embraced me with open arms that I have fallen into,” she said. She plans to keep following Philly sports, and “probably rage-tweeting at some points.”
And though she said she may get some pushback from her family in San Francisco, “Philadelphia is hand down the best sports town in America,” Rodgers said. “It’s been a joy to cover.”
Rodgers confirmed that she has a new job, one she won’t be able to discuss until after she’s left Fox 29. She described it as “sports media news” and said it will involve some on-air work.
She couldn’t say who would be replacing her, but “I know that the Fox 29 team is a phenomenal family and they are walking into a great situation.”
In a note shared with The Inquirer that was sent to Fox 29 staff in late February, news director Jim Driscoll wrote, “a big shout out, and thank you to our Kristen Rodgers for an amazing four years at our station. ... Kristen came to us from Eugene, Oregon back in 2017. It was there she covered Chip Kelly before he landed in Philly. No doubt Kristen’s time in our town was much more successful than Chip’s, including her outstanding coverage of the Eagles’ march to a Super Bowl. Kristen has been a bright light in our room, and our town. Her presence on the field, in the locker rooms, and in the studio garnered her high praise and respect. She was never afraid to hold teams or players accountable, remembering that her job was to bring Philly sports fans the best possible coverage of our teams.”