Bill Ritter Leaves ‘Eyewitness News’ Anchor Desk Following Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

News anchor Bill Ritter, the longtime evening news anchor for WABC-TV (ABC7) in New York City, is leaving the Eyewitness News anchor desk after being diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s. On Friday, June 12, Ritter announced that the 6 pm newscast would be his last as an anchor.

“I would like to share a personal message with you,” said Ritter during the broadcast. “You remember the last year — least somebody will — I turned 75, and thought it was time to cut back a bit. After so many years, I stopped anchoring the 11 o’clock news, then later, the 5 o’clock news. My goal was to spend more time with my family. Well, a year ago, I became a grandfather thanks to my oldest daughter. And later this summer, I’ll have a second grandchild, thanks to my son. And in a year from now, my youngest daughter will graduate from high school. But spending more time with my family has become even more important, because my life has taken a turn.”

“After a series of tests, my doctors have told me I have Alzheimer’s,” Ritter said during Friday’s newscast, according to WABC. “It’s early-stage Alzheimer’s, and they say the treatments I’m getting are keeping it at bay. For now. But there is no guarantee, because there’s no cure yet for Alzheimer’s. So, unless someone finds an amazing cure, and soon, tonight will be the last newscast I anchor.”

Ritter will continue to work at Eyewitness News, but with a primary focus on health issues, which he said will include “the rising tide of Alzheimer’s, and other similar diseases, including how it’s affecting patients and their families, how the price of treatment and the price of caring for patients is simply unaffordable, and how this country might begin to change that.”

Ritter is well-known for his decades of coverage through major local and national news stories, ranging from the September 11 attacks to the Los Angeles riots. He joined WABC-TV in 1998, first anchoring the news desk on weekends before taking over the 11 p.m. broadcast in 1999. In 2001, Ritter was assigned to the 6 p.m. anchor desk, a position he held for decades.

“For decades, Bill Ritter has covered and led New Yorkers through the stories that matter most,” said WABC-TV general manager Marilu Galvez in a statement to Variety. “A defining presence at ABC7, he has done so with exceptional insight, integrity, and, most of all, heart, earning the love and respect of viewers and colleagues alike. While he is stepping away from daily anchoring, he will continue to be an integral part of our ABC7 family, including sharing personal updates and providing resources to help others impacted by Alzheimer’s better understand the disease and the resources available to them. Bill is strong, brilliant, and resourceful, and we look forward to his continued reporting on Eyewitness News.”