WBZ Morning News Anchor Ed Walsh Retiring

BOSTON (CBS) - WBZ Morning News co-anchor Ed Walsh has announced his retirement.

He has anchored the morning drive newscast since 2006.

Ed Walsh talks about his future with WBZ's Greg Jensen

Here is the official statement from WBZ's Director of News and Programming Peter Casey:

WBZ News Radio listeners will say farewell to a trusted voice of news in the mornings as WBZ Morning News Anchor, Ed Walsh, announces his retirement from the Marconi award winning legendary radio station. Walsh will give up the morning drive news anchor position at the end of November to spend more time with his family, which now includes nine grandchildren. His last day on WBZ News Radio will be November 30th.

Walsh joined WBZ News Radio in 2006 from CBS RADIO sister station WCBS News Radio 880 in New York. He followed in the footsteps of long time news anchor Gary LaPierre, who retired after more than forty years at WBZ.

"This position at WBZ has been ideal for me and my wife," said Walsh this week. "Four years ago I returned home from New York to the city where I grew up and first worked. I'm very proud of the success we've had in both awards recognition and building the audience for what was already the highest-rated morning radio program in New England. For a guy who loves news and grew up in Boston, being able to finish my career at WBZ is quite special.

"There isn't a better news anchor job in the country than mornings at WBZ News Radio 1030. This team of professionals at WBZ has been great and I will miss them and the audience the most--but not the 3 o'clock wake up so much."

WBZ's Director of News and Programming, Peter Casey, said, "Ed was the perfect choice for WBZ to join our morning news team four years ago. I'm delighted for Ed and his family but obviously I will miss him as will the WBZ audience and his colleagues."

A search for Walsh's replacement is underway.

Walsh brought a tremendous amount of experience to the job at WBZ. He has been a morning drive anchor throughout his career and besides working at WCBS, has previously worked at 1010 WINS News Radio in New York, another CBS RADIO station, and at news talk station WOR there. In addition to his on-air experience, Walsh spent 10 years as a radio news director in Boston in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also vice president of news and programming for WOR, as well as morning news host and director of programming and news at KFYI radio in Phoenix, AZ.

Walsh has reported from major news events in the United States and Moscow, Rome, and Britain. He considers his most important assignment his continuous coverage of the 9-11 attack which occurred while he was on-air at WOR in New York and for which he was honored by the Associated Press. He has also received numerous national and regional journalism awards from major national news organizations at each of the stations he's worked at, including best newscast awards from AP, UPI, RTNDA, New York State Broadcasters Association, and New York Press Club. Walsh was also named to Talkers Magazine's list of the top 100 Talk Hosts in America. And this week Walsh anchored WBZ's election coverage again, just as he did at WCBS.

Born in Somerville, Walsh was raised in Natick and Wellesley and was graduated from Wellesley High School and Holy Cross College, with a degree in economics. He served in combat as a naval officer in Vietnam. Walsh and his wife, Chris, married for 41 years and the parents of a son and three daughters, will split their retirement time between Florida and Maine.