This was posted on Friday, September 1, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Ross Cavitt, the veteran Channel 2 Action News reporter, is set to become the communications director for Cobb County later this month.
It's not 100 percent certain because the Cobb County Board of Commissioners has to vote him in on September 12. But Cavitt is not worried and the county sent out a press release confirming the news.
"I"m going to miss my Channel 2 family but I know the people in Cobb and am looking forward to working with them," he said in an interview today.
He's covered the county for much of the past decade, lives in East Cobb and already works off Marietta Square. "One thing that attracted me is that I don't have to cross the Chattahoochee," he said, only half joking.
Cavitt, 55, has been with WSB-TV for nearly 24 years. Before that, he spent four years at a Cox station in Florida.
His final day with WSB-TV is Friday, September 15. He starts with Cobb the following Monday.
"My youngest daughter is in college," he said. "My wife [Margaret] has a nice job here. When the job came open, friends started bending my ear about it. The more I looked into it, the more appealing it became. And it made sense. When I see myself now, I say, 'Who is that old dude on TV?' I just thought it was maybe time for a change."
He spoke with several people in similar roles, including former broadcasters such as Donna Lowry, who spent decades at 11Alive, became a spokeswoman for Cobb County Schools, then went to Fulton County recently.
Cavitt said he's been doing more or less the same job for 32, 33 years. "I tried to be an anchor and I tried weather but I didn't like those jobs," he said. "I kept going back in the field. But that's a tough existence to carry on long distance."
He has covered Desert Storm and flew with the National Guard to Honduras. He has also been on the front lines of dozens of hurricanes. "I'm famous for chasing tornadoes and storms and breaking news," Cavitt said. "Next time something happens, I don't know how I'm going to react. I'm always the first on the scene. One of my new coworkers said I'll still drive around with a police scanner blaring in my car - which is probably true."
County Manager Rob Hosack, in the press release, praised Cavitt as "a great asset to the county. He is an award-winning journalist and will bring a great amount of knowledge and expertise."
He will replace Sheri Kell, who left to pursue other opportunities.
WSB-TV and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.
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