Mike Matthews, a local government reporter who joined WREG in 1997, has been let go from the Memphis CBS-affiliate.

“We’re not leaving because we want to,” Matthews wrote on Twitter. “The station felt it was in their best interest if they wouldn’t renew my contract.”

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that Matthews is the third reporter to leave WREG this month. The other two are Tom Powell, who started at WSJV in South Bend on September 26, and Omari Fleming, who will debut on WTXF in Philadelphia on November 1.

Matthews is known at WREG as “The Watchdog,” a nickname that grew out of the pledge he uses to end his reports: “I’ll be watching.”

“I wish I had good news, but I don’t,” he Tweeted last night. “Still, I want to stay in Memphis. I love this city and people. This is my home.”