Dustin Nolan said on Friday morning that it was his last day at KWQC 6 and that he has chosen to step away from the news industry. In an on-air farewell, the KWQC 6 morning anchor told viewers he was leaving after trying to give them the facts.
He said, “Today is my last day here at KWQC 6. I have chosen to step away from the news industry.” Nolan also said, “I’ve always done my best to be transparent, bring you the facts, and I’ve always been myself.”
Quad Cities viewers hear goodbye
Nolan framed the departure as the end of a public role he said he valued in Iowa and the Quad Cities. He said, “I’ve loved being able to provide a public service to this place we all call home, the Quad Cities.”
He also tied the exit to a view of local TV journalism that goes beyond easy watching. Nolan said, “I also believe that, as a local news station, we have to be more than trends or sanitized news because it makes people feel uncomfortable.” He added, “That’s why the facts matter, and that’s why we do what we do here.”
Jenna Jackson on the desk
The hardest part of leaving, Nolan said, was that he would no longer work with his co-anchor wife Jenna Jackson. “Because she isn’t just the greatest co-anchor on the news desk, but she is the greatest co-anchor in life as well,” he said. He added, “And if you don’t have a Jenna in your life, I suggest you find one, because she makes dreams come true in every way another human can.”
Nolan ended with, “This is a bittersweet goodbye. Yes, I’m looking forward to my next chapter in life, but it’s not easy to say goodbye,” before signing off, “Good day and goodbye.”
His departure follows earlier shared recognition with Jackson: in October, the two won a local Emmy Award for their coverage of the Davenport Hotel partial collapse in Davenport, Iowa. That collapse happened on May 28, 2023, and killed three people.
What Dustin Nolan did not say
Nolan did not outline a new job or a specific plan for what comes next. For viewers in the Quad Cities, the immediate change is that one of KWQC 6’s familiar morning voices has left the station and says he is leaving journalism altogether.
