In 39 years of working diligently as a TV journalist for WESH 2 News, Claire Metz has seen it all.
“We’re here to share important stories and get as many sides as possible and balance it as well as you can,” Metz, 67, said in a phone interview. “People feel comfortable with me because I’m a very familiar face. That’s a real joy; it’s a real pleasure.”
“She’ll call me and let me know that we’re having a major call or a major event before I even know it’s happening,” said Deputy Chief Tammy Malphurs of Volusia County Beach Patrol in the piece. “Everyone loves Claire; everyone knows Claire. She’s the best at what she does. Everyone trusts her as well.”
Metz’s first story for WESH 2 aired on Sept. 22, 1984, focusing on a citrus disease that devastated crops that year. Several years later, she began hosting “2’s Company,” a public affairs program centered on health and well-being, before transitioning to the anchor desk. Metz was witness to the opening of Universal Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
“I like to dip my hand everywhere. You learn a little bit about everything and a lot about nothing,” she said. “I have been lucky and blessed to survive in a business like this as long as I have.”
In her retirement, Metz hopes to travel to spend time with her four children and two grandchildren while also finding a way to maintain writing and speaking.
“I’ve been really lucky that doors have opened for me and stayed open all these years,” she said. “Thank you to the wonderful people I’ve encountered during these crazy decades, for opening their hearts and televisions to us. That’s been really special.”
