Dustin Nolan left KWQC-TV6 in Davenport on June 19, ending his time on the station’s morning news and stepping away from the news industry after working at KWQC since 2022.
Nolan delivered his final message during a Friday broadcast. He thanked viewers for allowing him to be part of their mornings and said he had approached 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.
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.
Nolan said his departure had been planned for months
After his farewell drew national attention, Nolan clarified that he had not suddenly resigned during the broadcast.
Nolan said he and his wife had made the decision months earlier and that the station had already posted the position. He also said he was not fired, forced out or pressured to leave KWQC.
He rejected descriptions of the farewell as an attack on KWQC or the news industry. Nolan said his comments were intended to describe his approach to journalism and remind viewers why fact-based local reporting matters.
At the time of the clarification, Nolan had not publicly disclosed his next professional move, saying only that the decision would allow him to pursue a longtime goal.
His message reached beyond the Quad Cities
Nolan’s farewell attracted national attention during the weekend after his final broadcast. Much of the coverage focused on his comments about local journalism, his defense of fact-based reporting and his criticism of news coverage that avoids uncomfortable subjects.
Some reports described the departure as an abrupt on-air resignation or a protest against the station. Nolan later disputed those characterizations and said the circumstances surrounding his exit had been misrepresented.
Nolan had worked as a morning anchor at KWQC-TV6 since 2022. He and Jenna Jackson received a Mid-America Emmy in 2025 for their work on the station’s morning newscast.
In his final message, Nolan said he had never tried to be perfect or fit someone else’s idea of what a news anchor should be. He said his goal was to remain transparent and bring viewers the facts.
He also described local journalism as a public service to the Quad Cities.
Related: Former KWQC reporter Montse Ricossa moves to Telemundo Wisconsin
Sheridan Hurtig joins the KWQC morning news team
Sheridan Hurtig has joined KWQC-TV6 as a morning anchor and reporter for Quad Cities Today.
Hurtig also anchors Quad Cities Today at 11. She joined the station in 2026 after nearly a decade working in television news in Peoria, Illinois, where her roles included digital reporter, nightside reporter and morning anchor.
Jenna Jackson remains an anchor on Quad Cities Today. KWQC’s current morning team also includes meteorologist Kevin Phelps.
Nolan thanked his family, colleagues and Quad Cities viewers
Nolan thanked Jenna, his wife and former co-anchor at KWQC. He said one of the hardest parts of leaving the station was knowing they would no longer work together on the morning news.
He described her as a great co-anchor at the news desk and in life.
Nolan was visibly emotional during his final broadcast as he thanked his colleagues and the viewers who had spent their mornings with him in the Quad Cities.
He ended his final appearance on KWQC with the sign-off, “Good day and goodbye.”
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