KARK’s Jessica Dean Taking Job In Philadelphia

KARK Ch. 4 news anchor Jessica Dean is leaving her Little Rock post and moving to Philadelphia.

Dean will become weekday evening co-anchor at CBS 3 in Philadelphia beginning in September. Dean will appear on the 5 pm, 6 pm and 11 pm newscasts on CBS 3 and on The CW Philly’s 10 pm newscast.

Philadelphia is the fourth largest media market in the U.S.  Her final Little Rock newscast will be Sunday, September 8 following the premiere of NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

“It has been a joy to tell the stories of my home state,” said Dean, who joined KARK as evening news anchor in 2011. “During my time here, I’ve seen how many big-hearted, kind people make up Arkansas. Together we’ve seen the best and the worst of life. It’s been my honor to share these experiences with our viewers.”

Dean has also worked at KATV in Little Rock and KNWA/KFTA in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

“KARK gave me the opportunities that led to this next step in my career,” added Dean. “Without KARK and the support from the people within it, this would not be possible. It’s a wonderful place filled with wonderful people committed to producing the best local newscast in the state. I’m proud to have been a part of that team.”

“Though we hate to lose Jessica, we couldn’t be more excited about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her to serve nearly 3 million viewers in Philadelphia,” said KARK News Director Austin Kellerman. “Jessica has worked extremely hard and we celebrate this move with her.”

Dean is a 2006 Cum Laude graduate of the University of Southern California at Los Angeles where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism. She is also a graduate of Little Rock’s Pulaski Academy.

KARK Ch. 4 is a content partner with Talk Business Arkansas.