Al Allen has announced his retirement from WJBK, the Fox O&O in Detroit. Allen was interviewed about his long career at WJBK by reporter Jason Carr (video above).

“No more overpasses, no more hats, scarves and gloves,” Allen said. “No more snow when the freeways are all messed up — you see me out there, my face turns white, my coat turns white. I’m going to be gone. I’ll just sit home and watch TV, and it’s warm, and drink my tea and be happy.”

Allen, who has worked at the station since 1984, will sign off from WJBK December 7.

After 44 years in the news business and 35 years as an anchor at WXYZ, Diana Lewis said her final goodnight last night.

There was a lot of love, and appreciation for Lewis, who announced her retirement in July. “Everyone has made me feel extra special,” she said in her 6pm sign-off. “And love, love, love you guys.”

“To everyone at home. God bless you thank you so much for loving me. I love you back.”

Many more pictures and videos are part of a Diana Lewis tribute page on the WXYZ website.

Mike Murri is stepping into the role of station manager at Detroit ABC-affiliate WXYZ.

In his new role, which is effective immediately, Murri will oversee all the day-to-day operations of the station. He joined WXYZ as account executive in 1983 and became local sales manager in 1996. Since 2001, he has been the station’s director of sales.

“Mike has tremendous knowledge of the Detroit market and a history of success with the organization,” WXYZ VP-GM Ed Fernandez said in a statement.  “More importantly, the passion and dedication he brings to his work makes him the ideal candidate to assume this role.”

Longtime WXYZ reporter Mary Conway is leaving the Detroit ABC-affiliate after 29 years. Conway, who has made her mark covering the auto industry over the past three decades, announced today that she is leaving WXYZ and moving to Colorado in order to be closer to family, including her new grandchildren.

“It’s been a remarkable ride, but it’s time for me to shift gears,” Conway said. “It’s an exciting time for me, but I’m going to miss the people who have been kind enough to invite me into their homes every night. They’ve really watched me grow up on the air here at 7 over the past thirty years.” Read more

Pulitzer Prize-winning Detroit Free Press reporter M.L. Elrick is leaving the newspaper to join Detroit Fox O&O WJBK as an investigative reporter.

“Elrick’s passion for exposing wrongdoing and standing up for our community fits perfectly with FOX 2’s problem solver team mantra,” WJBK vice president and news director Dana Hahn said, announcing the hiring.  “His experience, knowledge, and passion for Detroit will enhance our already powerful investigative unit.”

Elrick shared a 2009 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick‘s series of scandals. Read more

Diana Lewis, who has been an anchor at Detroit ABC-affiliate WXYZ since 1977, announced today she will retire this fall.

“I’ve had the most amazing career,” Lewis said in a statement.  “The people I’ve met, the lives I’ve touched, and every life I’ve touched has touched me as well.  The passion I felt the day I drove through the gates at Channel 7 is the same passion I still feel today.  I will always be involved in the community, I will always be part of the Channel 7 family … I’m just excited to start this new chapter in my life.”

Lewis, who is the mother of WXYZ weekend anchor Glenda Lewis, will be interviewed tonight on the 5 p.m. newscast about her retirement. She will continue to anchor the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts until she signs off on October 3. Read more

WJBK investigative reporter Charlie LeDuff says his favorite thing about golfing the length of Detroit is that the finished product is “anti-local TV.”

“It’s 11 minutes long. There’s no story there. No one was murdered, we’re not at the scene of an arson. It’s just taking a walk and trying to take a look at the city,” LeDuff told TVSpy in a recent interview. “I needed to take all that stuff I had been writing about — the fire department, the police department, municipal contracts, county corruption, that whole thing, and sort of put together a letter, some kind of commentary about who we are and how we live.”

The end result is what LeDuff calls a “sweet and sour” look at the Detroit — a trip through the city’s empty, dilapidated blocks, with some lighthearted moments along the way. Read more

WJBK’s Charlie LeDuff has made a career out of taking on difficult stories but the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter may have found his biggest challenge yet: golfing across the city of Detroit.

Literally golfing, shot-to-shot, across the length of Detroit.

“It’s one hundred degrees, I’m wearing black, and I can’t golf,” LeDuff says in the resulting report, which features WJBK sports anchor Dan Miller. “But I’m committed because they’re talking [about] reinventing this city. What does that mean with millions of budget cuts? What does the city even look like block-by-block?” (Video after the jump). Read more

WXYZ announced today that David Solano will be joining the Detroit ABC-affiliate in July as a weekend sports anchor and reporter.

Solano comes to Detroit from KIAH, the CW-affiliate in Houston.  Before KIAH, Solano spent three years working as the weekend sports anchor at WZZM in Grand Rapids.

“Fans in Detroit really know their sports,” Solano said. “I love storytelling, so being able to share the stories of pro, college and high school athletes with so many knowledgeable fans is really exciting. I have so much respect for WXYZ, and I’m honored to be a part of a station with so much tradition.” Read more

Tom Leyden has been promoted to sports director at WXYZ, the ABC-affiliate in Detroit.

Leyden replaces Don Shane, who retired in March after 23 years at the station. He has been a sports anchor at WXYZ since 2004. In his new role, Leyden plans to expand the delivery of sports content on web and mobile platforms.

“We need to continue to stay current and relevant,” Leyden said in a statement. “That means finding new ways to deliver sports information to our viewers when and where they want it. We want to be part of their lives.”