Editor's note: Longtime WTOC TV anchor Jody Chapin is retiring, it was announced Thursday. Here's the press release from WTOC:

This Thursday, WTOC’s Jody Chapin, Savannah’s longest serving television journalist and this year’s inductee to the NATAS Southeast Chapter’s Silver Circle, announces her retirement. “Jody’s contribution to the overall excellence of WTOC will be missed both on camera and off. Her commitment to journalism and quality local programming is unrivaled in this market, and we at the station, along with the viewers at home, have benefitted immensely,” praises Larry Silbermann, WTOC’s Vice President/General Manager.

For more than 30 years, Jody has been a staple at WTOC. Initially working at the station as a Marketing Production assistant, Jody would peer into the studio via a window in the door dreaming of the opportunity to sit behind the anchor desk. Through hard work, perseverance, and a strong commitment to journalistic excellence, she realized that dream. It began with an idea for an entertainment segment for THE News. When she pitched it to Anchor/VP of News, Doug Weathers, he agreed to give her a slot once a week. She was a natural on camera, and the segment led to her joining the WTOC Weather team. Soon she would be broadcasting more than weather; Jody co-hosted The News at Daybreak alongside Johnny Cole and became an even greater fixture on the Savannah media scene. The rise of Jody’s career coincided with WTOC’s News expansion, first in the afternoons and more recently in the mornings. Eventually, she co-anchored Savannah’s most watched news, THE News at 6.

Jody expanded WTOC’s reach into the community by broadcasting stories of charities and events through Mid-Morning Live, which she not only co-anchored but also produced. There her efforts to further the arts as well as her dedication to protecting animals became well known.

“Jody is one of the pillars of WTOC and is part of the reason this station has seen the success that it has,” commends Scott Galloway, WTOC’s News Director. “She’s one of the hardest working, most dedicated and passionate journalists I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

This September, Jody joins a prestigious group of television professionals who shaped the broadcast industry. She will be inducted into the NATAS Southeast Chapter’s prestigious Silver Circle, an honor reserved only for dedicated broadcasters who have left their mark.

“She’s mentored hundreds of young journalists through the years, and she’s a friend to everyone she meets,” says Galloway.

Silbermann continues, “Beyond being a co-worker, I’ve considered Jody a great friend for more than 17 years now, and what I will miss most is our daily conversations about our kids, our families, our pets and life in general.”

Jody’s career has been tireless and always in service to the community and WTOC, both of which will miss her long into the future. Her final broadcast will be Mid-Morning Live on Friday, July 14.