Channel 13's Diane Larson announces her retirement

A face familiar to TV viewers in Toledo is retiring after a 40-year career in broadcast journalism.

Diane Larson announced her retirement from 13 Action News in a WTVG story posted late Wednesday afternoon.

“This was the hardest, easiest decision I’ve ever made. The timing feels right,” Ms. Larson said in the article about her retirement. “I’ll be forever grateful for my bosses and co-workers who supported me and pretty much let me orchestrate my retirement. But I’m mostly grateful for the people who’ve trusted me to tell their stories for nearly half a century and the viewers who trusted me to tell them the news.”

Ms. Larson anchors the noon news and co-anchors Action News at Five and Six with Lee Conklin.

“She could work in any market in the country. We’ve been so fortunate to have her here for 40 years — an unbelievable accomplishment,” Mr. Conklin told WTVG.

In a 2022 article in The Blade, Ms. Larson and Mr. Conklin were described as “ the longest-running nightly news anchor duo in Ohio .” That distinction came via research WTVG-13 did on Ohio’s eight TV markets.

The award-winning journalist earned a degree in broadcast journalism and began her career at WNWO-TV 24.

She will sign off at Channel 13 during the 6 p.m. Nov. 14 broadcast.