Jessica Kartalija leaves 6abc’s ‘Action News’ for a ‘dream’ job

That was quick.

Jessica Kartalija is leaving 6abc’s Action News after less than a year, giving up Philadelphia to move up the TV news ladder for a network correspondent position in New York City.

“My dream has always been to go to New York,” Kartalija told The Inquirer. “It took a lot of paying my dues and traveling, and here we are.”

Kartalija had been freelancing for 6abc since December 2024 following her sudden exit from CBS3 a few months earlier, when she was the victim of companywide cutbacks ahead of the recently approved merger between parent company Paramount Global and Skydance Media.

“It was heartbreaking,” Kartalija said.

But her exit from 6abc is a completely different situation. In fact, she would’ve happily stayed in Philadelphia if the station had an open position, and is leaving Action News on good terms.

“I loved them. I loved them,” Kartalija said. “They could not have treated me better... they are just a class-act organization.”

» READ MORE: Longtime 6abc leader makes the ‘difficult decision’ to step down

The move to New York means Kartalija is also giving up her teaching job at Villanova University, where she’s served as an adjunct instructor for journalism and public speaking since 2023. But she hopes to get some interns from the school up to New York once she settles into her new role. She hasn’t publicly said what network she will be joining.

Kartalija is a San Diego native, but she has a number of ties to the Philadelphia region. While her parents live in California, her mother grew up in the Philly area and graduated from Cheltenham High School, while her father has a master’s degree from Drexel University. Kartalija is also a Pennsylvania State University grad, and despite the move to New York, she’ll still be repping green and white on Sundays.

“We will always be Birds fans,” Kartalija said. “It doesn’t matter where we go, we are roped in.”