The end of Oprah at 4pm today on Atlanta’s WSB coincides with longtime anchor Monica Pearson‘s sign-off from the 11 o’clock news tonight.

“I can’t wait for Jovita [Moore] to take over at 11 so I can take my brown butt home at night!,” Kaufman tells Atlanta magazine. Starting tomorrow, Pearson will anchor the new 4pm newscast as well as the 6.

“It’s finally here. It feels strange to say this but I began to wonder if it was ever going to happen. I’ve been doing the 11 o’clock newscast for 35 years.”

After three and a half decades of rushing back to the newsroom each weeknight at 9:30 p.m., Pearson is looking forward to experiencing the simple things we all take for granted each evening. Says Pearson: “A glass of wine with dinner. I will actually be able to have dinner with my husband and not have to rush back to work. I will be able to go to plays without having to leave at intermission. I can actually go to a movie during the week! John Pruitt told me when he came off the 11 o’clock it was like gaining a second life. His wife said the same thing. I’m excited.”