Dustin Nolan said goodbye on air at KWQC-TV6 in Davenport, announcing that he is leaving the station and stepping away from the news industry after several years on the morning news for Quad Cities viewers.
Nolan delivered his final message during a Friday broadcast. He thanked viewers for letting him be part of their mornings and said he had tried to do the job with transparency and a commitment to the facts.
KWQC-TV6 is based in Davenport, Iowa, and serves the Quad Cities region, which includes Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, as well as Rock Island and Moline in Illinois.
Nolan spoke about “sanitized news” in his farewell
During the sign-off, Nolan said he had decided to leave the news industry.
“I hope every one of you that’s allowed me to be a part of your mornings knows just how important that I have taken this job,” Nolan said in the goodbye video shared by KWQC.
He also spoke about what local stations owe their audiences.
“I’ve always believed that we, as a local news station, owe you, the viewers, the best that we can do,” Nolan said.
Nolan said local stations have to be “more than trends or sanitized news” when facts make people uncomfortable. He also said journalists have a responsibility to take people out of their bubbles and comfort zones and make them think about the world they live in.
His message reached beyond the Quad Cities
Nolan’s farewell was picked up by national media over the weekend. Much of the attention focused on his comments about local journalism, his defense of fact-based reporting and his criticism of news coverage that avoids making audiences uncomfortable.
Nolan was a morning anchor at KWQC-TV6. According to national reports, he had been with the station since 2022.
In his message, Nolan said he had never tried to be perfect or to fit someone else’s idea of what a news anchor should be. He said he had tried to be transparent and bring viewers the facts.
He also described local journalism as a public service to the Quad Cities.
KWQC has not announced a replacement in the morning slot
Nolan’s public goodbye did not include a specific explanation for why he is leaving.
Available information about his departure also did not immediately identify who will take his place on KWQC-TV6’s morning newscast or whether viewers in the Quad Cities should expect any programming changes.
Nolan also thanked Jenna, his wife and co-anchor at KWQC. He said one of the hardest parts of leaving the job was knowing he would no longer work with her on the morning news.
He described her as a great co-anchor at the news desk and in life.
KWQC shared the goodbye video
KWQC posted the video of Nolan’s farewell, showing him visibly emotional as he announced that it was his final day at the station.
At the end of his message, Nolan thanked his colleagues and the viewers who had spent their mornings with him in the Quad Cities.
The video was later shared by national outlets that highlighted Nolan’s comments about local news and the role journalists play in serving their audiences.
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