ABC 7 News/WJLA anchor Alison Starling has announced that she will be stepping away from the anchor desk after 20 years at the station and 26 years as a broadcast journalist.
Alison is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning anchor currently anchoring the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts. In 2012, Alison won Emmys for Best Anchor and for Continuing Coverage for the 2011 Earthquake. She won again in 2013 for her role in the 7News special on Pope Francis, in 2015 for Continuing Coverage of the Baltimore Riots, in 2018 for Continuing Coverage of the Capital Gazette Shooting and in 2019 for her piece on military caregivers.
Alison has been with 7News since January 2004, covering major local and national news stories including Hurricane Isabel in 2003, the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007 and the Papal Mass in Washington live from the Nationals Ballpark in April 2008. She came to 7News from KIRO-TV in Seattle, where she spent three years as a reporter and anchor. While in the Pacific Northwest, she covered the Seattle Earthquake and the Tacoma connection to the D.C.-area sniper case. Alison also covered the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy live from Texas.
Prior to Seattle, Alison began her career as a reporter and morning anchor at WDEF in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Alison is a native Floridian, and like many of her family members, graduated from the University of Florida and is a proud Gator! After graduation, she earned a Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship from Rotary International to study in France in 1995.
Alison enjoys working with a number of charitable organizations in the metro area including the events benefiting Breast Cancer research, the National Foundation for Cancer Research and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has had three Little Sisters from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America during the last ten years. Alison is also a member of the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area. In 2009, Alison was named the National Capital Region’s Big Sister of the Year. Washingtonian Magazine named Alison one of the D.C. area’s rising stars in local television news in June of 2005 and in 2013 Washingtonian readers named her one of their favorites in the Best of Local News.
In November 2006, Alison took over the long-running and popular series “Working Woman,” profiling accomplished, respected women in the Washington area who contribute to the community in unique ways. Alison and her husband Peter reside in Northern Virginia with their two daughters Ava and Emma. Her full announcement can be seen below:
“I have some exciting personal and professional news to share with you. After 20 years at WJLA-TV and 26 years as a broadcast journalist, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from the anchor desk to spend more time with my beautiful family. As you can imagine, this was a really difficult decision. 7 News is where I have grown up and where I’ve found friends who now feel like family members. Most importantly, I want to thank you – our viewers. For years, you have welcomed me into your homes and made me part of this community. I will always be grateful for your kindness and trust in me.
Working in TV news is an exhilarating, but demanding job and I’m looking forward to focusing more of my attention on my family – and our girls. Going forward, I’m eager to find new ways to use my skill set to continue my commitment to this community.
My last day on air is Wednesday, November 22nd. Thank you for making my time at WJLA an experience I will cherish forever.”
Bio courtesy of ABC 7 News