WPTV anchor Shannon Cake announced today on her Facebook page that she asked for and received a reduction of her duties at the station. Cake signed a new contract with Newschannel 5 that takes her off the WFLX 10pm newscast, but she will stay on as co-anchor of the station’s early evening newscasts alongside Jay Cashmere, and will also report on special projects.
Around the time WPTV started to produce the WFLX shows, we heard rumors that Cake wasn’t too keen on taking up anchor duties for WFLX’s 10pm newscast so soon after having a child but she says a family health scare last year forced her to seriously re-examine her work life balance and priorities. According to Cake, WPTV managemers “were more like mentors” during her family’s ordeal and agreed to let her go part-time.
Shannon Cake is one of the long-timers on WPB television having joined Newschannel 5 way back in 1996 as reporter and worked her way up to weekday anchor and investigative reporter.
Her full statement below:
Shannon is phenomenal. You don’t let talent like that walk away.
I think she wanted out and they convinced her to stay.
It’s possible that’s what happened G. Regardless she’s a very good storyteller.
It took me awhile to realize Shannon was no longer on tv at 10 pm. I couldn’t imagine where she went. Googling her I found out that she cut her hours because of family health issues. I was sorry to hear it because she’s wonderful. I hope to still see her sometime on the news.