Veteran broadcast journalist Bill Ritter announced on ABC7 Eyewitness News that he would be stepping down as news anchor at the end of Friday’s broadcast after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“My life has taken a turn,” Ritter, 76, said. “After a series of tests, my doctors have told me I have Alzheimer’s. This is called early-stage Alzheimer’s, and they say the treatments I’m getting are keeping it at bay, at least for now. But there is no guarantee here, because there’s no cure yet for Alzheimer’s.”
“So, unless someone finds an amazing cure and really soon, tonight will be the last newscast I anchor.”
A nearly 40-year print and broadcast news veteran, Ritter joined ABC as co-anchor of “Good Morning America Sunday” in 1993. He was named co-anchor of the Eyewitness News 11 p.m. broadcast in Oct. 1999, and joined the 6 p.m. broadcast team in Feb. 2001.
Ritter said he would remain with Eyewitness News as a journalist covering Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
“This station wants to dig deeper into the rising tide of Alzheimer’s,” he said.
WABC-TV General Manager Marilu Galvez described Ritter as an “integral part” of ABC7 and said she looks forward to his continued reporting, ABC reported.
“For decades, Bill Ritter has covered and led New Yorkers through the stories that matter most,” Galvez said. “A defining presence at ABC7, he has done so with exceptional insight, integrity and, most of all — heart, earning the love and respect of viewers and colleagues alike.”