Bill Fitzgerald joins Melanie Sanders as Co-Anchor of NBC17’s 6, 7 and 11 p.m. News Monday thru Friday, along with Chief Meteorologist Wes Hohenstein.

Fitzgerald comes to NBC17 from MSNBC where he has been since July, 2004 anchoring Early Today, as well as covering breaking news and anchoring regular weekend news programming. Prior to his stint at MSNBC, Fitzgerald spent five years anchoring the morning news and reporting at NBC17’s sister station, WVTM in Birmingham, Alabama.

"Not only does Bill bring to NBC17 a great background in local news, he understands what it means to be part of a community… both internally and externally," said NBC17 Vice President of News, Nannette Wilson.

Before beginning a successful career in television news, Fitzgerald received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Harvard University and a Masters Degree in Journalism from Columbia University. Fitzgerald also spent time oversees as an English teacher in Italy and the UK, as well as studying French in Belgium. He is fluent in French, Italian and Spanish.

Fitzgerald, originally from suburban Philadelphia, moved to the Triangle with his wife and their two children and all look forward to being an active part of this community.

"My wife and I are thrilled to be bringing our family to the Triangle. It’s a dynamic, community-oriented and beautiful part of the world, and we can't think of a better place to raise our two children," says Fitzgerald.