NYC news anchor Bill Ritter reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis, signs off
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Veteran New York news anchor Bill Ritter announced Friday that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, ending his more than two-decade run behind the WABC-TV anchor desk.
Ritter, 76, who has hosted the station’s 6 p.m. newscast in New York City since 2001, announced on Friday’s Eyewitness News broadcast that this will be his last night on the show.
“After a series of tests, my doctors told me I had Alzheimer’s disease,” Ritter said during the broadcast.
“It’s early stage Alzheimer’s and they say the treatments I’m getting are keeping it at bay for now,” he continued. “But there is no guarantee of this because there is no cure for Alzheimer’s yet.”
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Veteran New York news anchor Bill Ritter has announced that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and is stepping away from the WABC-TV anchor desk. (Linda Rosier/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
“So unless someone finds a great cure, and very soon, tonight will be the last newscast I’ll be reporting on,” he added.
According to ABC7, Ritter joined WABC-TV in 1998 after an extensive journalism career that included positions at the Los Angeles Times, local television stations in California and ABC News.
He began hosting the station’s 11 p.m. Eyewitness broadcast in 1999, and was added to the flagship 6 p.m. newscast in 2001. He also anchored the station’s 5 p.m. broadcast for several years.
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Bill Ritter has hosted WABC-TV’s 6 p.m. newscast in New York City since 2001. (Heidi Gutman/Disney via Getty Images)
ABC7 reported that Ritter will remain with the station in a new role focused in part on reporting on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions, as well as their impact on patients and families.
“For decades, Bill Ritter has told and guided New Yorkers on the stories that matter most,” WABC-TV General Manager Marilu Galvez said in a statement. he said.
“As a defining presence at ABC7, he has earned the love and respect of viewers and colleagues alike, doing so with extraordinary insight, integrity and, above all, heart,” he continued.
“As we step away from daily connections, ABC7 will continue to be an integral part of our family, including sharing personal updates and providing resources to help others affected by Alzheimer’s better understand the disease and the resources available to them.”
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WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News Anchor Bill Ritter speaks on stage at the ROAR Forward Summit at Hearst Tower on November 19, 2024 in New York City. (Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Hearst)
“Bill is strong, smart and resourceful, and we look forward to him continuing to report on Eyewitness News,” added Galvez.
Ritter also noted during the broadcast that his father died in 1998 after struggling with Alzheimer’s disease for years.
