NBC Anchor to Retire After 37 Years

Lori Burkholder is retiring from NBC after 37 years at Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s WGAL 8 News, mostly as an anchor.

Burkholder has publicly stated that her last day anchoring the news will be on Friday, November 20, 2026. She began her career at WGAL as a camera operator before transitioning into on-air talent and producing.

Of her pending retirement, Burkholder told the news station: “Deciding when to step away from a career you spent so many years cultivating is always a difficult decision but one I was ready to make after much thought and conversations with my family. Sometimes you just know when it’s time, and this is my time to close one chapter and open the next.”

Burkholder co-hosted WGAL News 8 Today for more than a decade and in recent years co-anchored WGAL News 8 at 6 and WGAL News 8 at 11. She further looked back on her career by telling WGAL.com, “Spending an entire career at WGAL in a place where I grew up has been nothing short of special and a true privilege. I have learned so much through my time with WGAL reporting and sharing stories of our viewers, some of whom have become lifelong friends.”

Throughout her career, Burkholder, who turns 60 in a few weeks, has won several Emmy and Associated Press awards. She’s been recognized for both morning and evening broadcasts.

On Monday, Burkholder told PennLive.com how viewership has changed since she started in the industry. “I think the younger generation, they didn’t grow up sitting there watching TV, like my parents did,” Burkholder said. “Now there’s so much, there’s so much out there for people to obtain their information. In fact, my son the other day said, ‘Mom, you popped up on my Instagram feed.’ That’s where they get their information.

“So we try to be accessible to that generation, because that’s where they’re getting their news from. So in that respect, yes, I think the younger generation doesn’t necessarily know or look at me and say, Oh, that’s that TV lady, but a lot of them do.”

In other words, retirement likely won’t include any Instagram reels for Burkholder.