Jim Donovan, CBS Philadelphia’s longtime morning show anchor, is retiring at the end of the year, the station announced Wednesday. 

Donovan has worked for CBS in various roles for more than two decades. On Wednesday’s broadcast, he said his retirement was his decision and that the early morning hours required for the show had taken a toll over the years. His final broadcast will be Friday, Dec. 19. 

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“After 39 years in broadcast news, 22 of those years spent here at CBS, it’s time for me to jump off the TV news rollercoaster and observe the world from a different vantage point,” Donovan said.

Donovan anchors the weekday morning newscast, which airs from 4:30-8 a.m. and the 12-12:30 p.m. show. He joined the station as a consumer reporter in 2004 and covered Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia in 2015. He moved to the anchor’s seat in 2016, when the station revised its morning show. 

The Staten Island native started his career as an intern at WWOR-TV in Secaucus, New Jersey. At that time, he also worked as an international and domestic flight attendant for People Express Airlines, later Continental Airlines. He later held roles at CNBC in New York City, WGHP in North Carolina and WBNS in Ohio before coming to Philadelphia. Over his career, he has won 15 Emmys for his reporting and received 20 additional nominations. 

“Jim Donovan is a Philadelphia institution,” Kelly Frank, president of CBS Philadelphia, said in the station’s announcement. “His passion for advocacy, his commitment to our viewers and his ability to connect with the community have made him a trusted voice in homes across the region. We are grateful for his leadership, his heart and the legacy he leaves behind.”

Donovan said he wrote his retirement date on a Post-It note during the Great Recession in 2008 as something to work toward and stuck to that plan, even having a countdown on his phone. He did not reveal any retirement plans, although he said he will be “throwing away his alarm clock.” 

“I’m looking forward to a new chapter in life with normal-people hours,” Donovan said. “It has been an honor to bring you the news each morning. I hope that you know that I took this very seriously, this responsibility.” 

CBS Philadelphia plans to will honor Donovan with on-air tributes during the week of Dec. 15-19.