Kim Lemon, the longest serving anchor in WGAL history, to retire after 42 years at the station (2024)

• READ MORE: Kim Lemon, who will retire after 42 years, reflects on her time at WGAL ‘You had to wait until the film was developed’

A longtime WGAL reporter and anchor is retiring.

Kim Lemon announced on Facebook that she will retire from the TV station.

“Forty-two years ago to the day, I walked into WGAL as the Sunday Night Weather Girl to replace television pioneer Marijane Landis,” Lemon said. “Since then I have had a lot of jobs at WGAL: a reporter, a co-host of PM Magazine and most recently, the station’s Senior News Anchor.”

Lemon said she will retire on Nov. 24.

“In the Susquehanna Valley, Kim Lemon’s name is synonymous with journalistic integrity, hard work, and excellence,” WGAL 8 president and general manager Justin Antoniotti said in a news release. “During her tremendous career she’s been a trusted voice for our viewers and a shining example of truth in journalism. She is truly one of a kind and while we will miss her dearly, we couldn’t be prouder of the incredible legacy she leaves behind.”

Lemon was born and raised in Lancaster and graduated from Manheim Township High School and Clarion University. During a series of reports exploring genealogy and heritage, she discovered that she is tenth-generation Lancastrian on both sides of her family, with both Amish and Mennonite lineage.

She was hired in 1979 as a weekend weather reporter. After nine months as a reporter and Morning News Anchor she was named the first WGAL co-host of the nationally syndicated show “PM Magazine.” During that time she also anchored the weekend news. In 1985, she moved back permanently into the News Department and was named as co-anchor for News8 at 6. It is a position she has held since that time. She is the longest serving anchor in WGAL history.

Lemon has interviewed everybody from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and boxer, Muhammad Ali as well as music legends like Julio Iglesias and Huey Lewis, but she is most proud of her work on WGAL 8′s Chronicle: ‘the Power of Prayer’, in which she interviewed leaders of different faiths including cloistered nuns and an Iman. According to Lemon, “this special was important to me because it stretched my boundaries personally and professionally.”

“During her 42-year career Kim had a front row seat to landmark Susquehanna Valley stories including the Camp Hill State Prison Riots, the Amish School Shooting, the Jerry Sandusky scandal, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic during which she broadcast live from her home using a cell phone,” WGAL said in a news release. “In addition to her duties as a news anchor, Lemon also served as an emcee for countless Susquehanna Valley events, introducing the likes of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, William F. Buckley Jr, Colin Powell, and Walter Cronkite. When the state had its official day of remembrance one year after the September 11th terrorist attacks, she was asked by then Governor Mark Schweiker to emcee the ceremony.”

Friday marks the anniversary of her 42nd year at the TV station. Lemon will also make her retirement announcement on Friday night at the end of WGAL News 8 6 p.m. broadcast. And she recorded a video as well.

“In the coming weeks, I hope to better express my thanks to the Hearst Corporation, my beloved family and friends, and most of all YOU!,” she said. “It’s been a splendid career and I am delighted now to begin the NEXT half of my life.”

This is the second straight year that a longtime journalist will retire from WGAL on the day before Thanksgiving. Last year, Ron Martin retired on Nov. 25.

Lemon has worked as an adjunct professor at Elizabethtown College in the Communications Department and is a strong advocate for families struggling with dementia and the long-term care of loved ones. She is an advocate and care partner to her husband, John, who has Lewy body dementia. They have two daughters.

She is currently the anchor for WGAL News 8 weekday evenings at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

“It was my lifelong dream to work at WGAL 8,” Lemon said. This is the TV station I grew up watching and it’s been a privilege to come to work every day with a servant’s heart for a community I love. I want to say ‘thank you’ to our loyal viewers. It has been an honor to bring you the news for the past four decades.”