Jim Armstrong Leaving WBZ For Private Sector Job

Jim joined WBZ in 2010, and has spent the past five years as a general assignment reporter there. He said the following on his Facebook page:

"After a dozen (insert insufficient adjective here) years working in Boston television news, it’s with equal parts excitement and nervousness that I can announce … I’m leaving WBZ in mid-January.

If I had a reporter’s hat (open question: why did I never get one of those!?!?), I would also be hanging that up next month, too.

This incredibly difficult decision is a long time coming. I truly have one of the best jobs around – but it requires a balancing act of personal and professional lives that’s getting harder to maintain. Put simply: I want to be more available to my wife and to our sons.

I will be forever thankful for the experiences I have shared with so many talented people in this amazing city – both at FOX25 and at Channel 4. I could start listing the events we’ve covered... and the colleagues who were there... but that list would never do justice to the reality. And although most of them were surprised by my decision, my co-workers have been wonderfully supportive and encouraging. Thank you all!

I’m also incredibly indebted to the team at Headline Media Management and to my agent in particular: Carol Solomon Leff. She has been a constant and clear voice of reason during this time -- more than a fantastic and dedicated agent, Carol is a genuinely excellent person – and I’ve been lucky to work with her.

Up next: some really interesting and difficult work doing strategic communications for a Providence-based health insurer. It’s a chance to use my skills in a different and challenging way... and also to take that public policy master’s degree of mine out for a spin. Most important: my new job offers the work/life balance that I’m after.

I’m going to miss a lot about the news, no doubt. What will I do on an election night if I’m not in a hotel ballroom waiting for early returns? And what will I do during the next blizzard when I’m not standing waist-deep in a snow drift?

Oh, wait..."

Before joining WBZ, Jim spent almost 7 years as a special assignment reporter at WFXT-TV FOX 25. Prior to that, he was a reporter and anchor at WLNE-TV ABC 6 in Providence for two years.

Jim has also worked as an anchor and reporter at WPDE-TV ABC 15 in Myrtle Beach, SC; and at KGWC-TV CBS 14 in Casper, WY.

A native of Rhode Island, Jim is a 1997 graduate of Boston University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism. In 2008, he graduated from Harvard University with a Master's degree in international security & political economy, political advocacy and leadership.