NewsChannel 5 meteorologist Bree Smith leaves station after nine years

Popular NewsChannel 5 meteorologist Bree Smith has parted ways with WTVF after nine years there, the station manager and Smith confirmed Tuesday.

“We can confirm Bree Smith is no longer with NewsChannel 5,” station manager Richard Eller said in an email to The Tennessean.

“Bree has been an important member of our weather team for several years, and we truly appreciate all she has done to help keep our viewers safe and informed. We wish her well.”

Her last day on air was Friday.

Smith, 43, said in a brief phone interview that her contract came to an end and she no longer works at NewsChannel 5, but offered no details of any contract negotiations or her departure.

“I plan on being a mommy and a meteorologist,” Smith said, adding that she plans to stay in Nashville.

On her Facebook page, Smith acknowledged her last day was Friday, but again offered no details about her departure.

“Fun fact,” she wrote, “we had a massive snowstorm within the first couple weeks of me starting at Newschannel 5 way back in 2016… so it seems fitting to go out with more snow.

“For now, I’m hanging up my TV hat and getting ready to lean into my mom hat and enjoy more time with the family. Nashville is my home, and I’m proud to be raising my boys here. I hope we can stay connected online and that you’ll say ‘hi’ at the ballpark.”

Within 10 minutes of posting, her Facebook message had more than 300 supportive comments on it.

“we truly loved you and your broadcasting,” Facebook member Patti Stockton Tinch wrote, reflecting the tone of most of the comments.

“you were very thorough in your forecasts. thank you and enjoy your family!”

Smith built a strong connection to viewers with clear, concise easy-to-understand explanations of the weather. And Smith was known for her funny social media videos about the weather, holidays, behind-the-scenes moments at the station and scare pranks targeting anchor Rhori Johnston.

Smith is the third major news personality who has left NewsChannel 5 in the past two years. Longtime anchor Vicki Yates retired in spring 2023. And longtime morning anchor Amy Watson left in the fall to take care of her ailing mother.

Smith got a degree in theater performance from Southern Methodist University, but after three years as a professional actor in New York City, she went back to school to get a degree in meteorology, according to an online biography. She started working in television news in St. Louis in 2011, the job she had before coming to Nashville in 2016.

Four years ago, Smith shared with The Tennessean a story of her father’s alcoholism and subsequent death when she was 10. She told her story to mark National Recovery Month in September 2021, which promotes recovery from mental and substance use disorders.

Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bree Smith leaves NewsChannel 5 after nine years as main meteorologist

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