If you tuned into ABC 6 News one evening and noticed a familiar face was missing, you’re not alone. Viewers across Columbus have been asking the same question — where did Stacia Naquin go?
It’s a fair thing to wonder. When someone you’ve watched anchor the news for years suddenly isn’t there anymore, it catches your attention. So let’s walk through exactly what happened, what the reporting says about her next steps, and where she’s working now.
Who Stacia Naquin Is and What She Did at WSYX
Stacia Naquin was a longtime news anchor based right here in Columbus, Ohio. She anchored ABC 6 News at 5, 6, 7, and 11 p.m., and also anchored FOX 28 News at 10 p.m. — all under the WSYX/WTTE umbrella.
She held those roles for about eight years. That’s a long time in local TV news, and it’s exactly why her absence stood out to so many viewers.
To understand why that matters, think about what anchoring multiple newscasts each day actually means. She wasn’t just filling a seat. She was the consistent face central Ohio viewers came home to every evening. You saw her at dinner. You saw her before bed. Over eight years, that kind of presence adds up.
So when she was suddenly gone, people noticed — and they wanted to know why.
How She Left — A Planned Sign-Off, Not a Sudden Exit
The first thing worth knowing: this was not a firing. It was not a scandal. There’s no drama hidden behind the scenes, at least not based on anything that’s been publicly reported.
WSYX itself published a formal farewell piece titled “Stacia Naquin signs off at ABC 6/FOX28,” confirming she stepped down from the anchor desk. There was also an on-air goodbye segment — a real, planned sign-off that aired on the station.
The tone of that farewell was professional and positive. The station acknowledged her service and her years of work. Nothing in the official coverage suggested any kind of conflict or falling out.
If you’re someone who assumed something must have gone wrong because she disappeared — you can set that aside. This was a career transition, handled professionally, with a proper goodbye from the station and her colleagues.
The Career Move Behind Her Departure
So if she wasn’t pushed out, why did she leave? The short answer is: she made a move for a new opportunity.
Earlier in 2025, the industry site FTVLive reported that Naquin was leaving WSYX — which is owned by Sinclair — and that she had said she was taking a reporting job at WKYC in Cleveland. WKYC is a Tegna-owned station, which means a different company, a different market, and a different kind of role.
That’s worth noting, but it’s also not the end of the story. That WKYC chapter appears to have been a transitional step rather than her final landing spot. More on that in just a moment.
What you should take away from this piece of the puzzle is simple: she left WSYX because she chose to. It was a career move, not a forced exit.
Anchors make these kinds of moves all the time — chasing a better role, a different ownership group, more growth, or just a change of scenery. That’s the norm in local TV, not the exception. We don’t have her personal reasons on record, and it wouldn’t be fair to guess. But the pattern itself is completely normal for someone at her level.
What a Non-Compete Clause Has to Do With All of This
Here’s where it gets a little more interesting — especially if you noticed a gap between her WSYX farewell and any new on-screen appearances.
FTVLive specifically noted that Naquin’s non-compete period needed to expire before she could join another Columbus station. And that non-compete clause is probably the key to understanding the whole timeline.
So what is a non-compete clause, exactly? In plain terms, it’s a contract condition that prevents an anchor from working at a competing station in the same market for a set period after they leave. It’s common in local TV news, and it exists to protect the station’s investment in building an anchor’s on-air profile.
Think of it like a star athlete who signs with a new team but has to sit out a stretch of games before they can actually play. The deal is done. The move is real. But the rules say they have to wait. That’s not their choice — it’s just how the contract works.
For viewers, this plays out as confusion. You see the goodbye, you wait for her to show up somewhere else, and… nothing for a while. That gap isn’t mysterious. It’s just a non-compete doing what it’s designed to do.
Where Stacia Naquin Is Working Now
Once her non-compete period expired, Naquin landed at WBNS 10TV — another Columbus station — as an anchor.
So she didn’t leave Columbus. She didn’t leave local TV news. She made a move within the same city, to a competing station, after her contract restrictions lifted.
Her own words on joining 10TV said it well: “I am both grateful and excited to join the 10TV team. What an honor to work alongside incredible journalists in a legacy newsroom that is devoted to and cares for this community.”
That quote tells you a lot. She’s not stepping back — she’s stepping forward. The focus on community, legacy, and the quality of the team around her suggests this is someone genuinely excited about what comes next.
For Columbus viewers, it means you haven’t lost her — you just have to find her on a different channel now.
The Bigger Picture: How These Transitions Work in Local TV
Stacia Naquin‘s path — long tenure at one station, a move that involved another market initially, then a landing spot back in Columbus at a rival station — is actually a pretty textbook example of how local TV news careers evolve.
Anchors build their following at one station. Contracts end or aren’t renewed on the same terms. A new opportunity opens up. Non-competes create a quiet period. Then the anchor resurfaces somewhere else in the same market.
It happens in cities all over the country. Ownership groups matter (Sinclair vs. Tegna, for example), contract terms matter, and sometimes a new role is simply a better fit at a certain point in someone’s career. None of that is unusual, and none of it requires any drama to explain.
For anyone keeping up with Columbus media or local news transitions more broadly, resources like Flock Business track stories like this across industries — useful if you like staying informed about how careers and companies shift over time.
A Quick Recap if You Want the Short Version
- Stacia Naquin anchored multiple evening newscasts at WSYX/ABC 6 and FOX 28 for about eight years.
- She stepped down voluntarily and received a formal on-air farewell from the station.
- There is no publicly reported scandal, firing, or controversy behind her departure.
- Earlier reporting said she was heading to WKYC in Cleveland; her current confirmed role is at WBNS 10TV in Columbus as an anchor.
- A non-compete clause created a gap between her WSYX goodbye and her next on-screen appearance — which is completely standard in local TV.
- She expressed genuine excitement about joining 10TV and its newsroom.
Final Thoughts
Losing a familiar face on the evening news can feel oddly personal, especially when you’ve watched that same person for years. Stacia Naquin was a real constant for central Ohio viewers, and it makes sense that people wanted to understand what happened.
The answer turns out to be pretty straightforward: she made a career move, navigated a non-compete, and landed at a new anchor desk right back in Columbus. No scandal. No forced exit. Just a TV news professional doing what experienced journalists do — moving toward the next opportunity.
If you want to keep watching her work, tune into WBNS 10TV. She’s still covering the community she clearly cares about. Just from a different desk.
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