It's been 7-years since newsman Derek Francis returned to television and joined the FOX 17 team, but the evening news anchor has decided that a change is in his future.

Many of us remember Derek as a reporter and anchorman on WZZM TV13 for many years. However, he left broadcasting several years ago to move in the Public Relations field. Broadcasting, however, was in his blood, and as many of us in the business know, never leaves. He left PR and joined FOX 17.

Fox 17 said Derek started his news career as a videotape editor/associate producer at KPNX TV in Phoenix, and eventually ended up moving to West Michigan, fell in love with the area and to our benefit, has never left.

Derek started on the morning show, anchoring on weekends and reporting during the week. Since then, he shifted to days, and then evenings, sharing the news desk with Janice Allen for the past several years.

But, as Derek says, "working nights and being a Dad “via text” grows old after a while. My goal has always been to have some type of normal schedule, but TV news simply doesn't provide that. A few months ago, I was presented an opportunity to do something that I always knew I would do later in life, and it just made too much sense to not pass it up now, despite it being sooner than I envisioned. I am excited about the future both professionally and as a Dad once again but will always cherish my time at FOX 17 and will continue to be a loyal supporter of the great work we/they do.”

 

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