Cheryl McHenry has announced her retirement from Dayton, Ohio CBS affiliate WHIO, effective May 21, 2025.
McHenry joined WHIO in 1981.
“The decision to retire was not an easy one. There’s a part of me that could stay at WHIO because I enjoy the work so much,” McHenry said. “I love my coworkers, and I feel a responsibility to our viewers. However, I realize time is our most precious commodity and I’d like to use more of my time to do other things. I look forward to spending more time with family and friends, reading a zillion books, and spending more time in nature—walking and hiking.”
The station said she has reported on every important Miami Valley story to happen in the last four decades. Two of McHenry’s personal highlights were traveling from Wright Patterson Airforce Base with the 445th Airlift Wing on a 12,000-mile mission to Afghanistan, and to Los Angeles to report on the Cincinnati Bengals 2022 Super Bowl appearance.
“Cheryl is part of the fabric of WHIO-TV and the Miami Valley,” said Joe Cowan, WHIO news director. “Her generous spirit is reflected daily in our newsroom and in the community she serves. It is a privilege to call her a colleague. We look forward to celebrating her decades of dedication to WHIO-TV and our community as she prepares for her well-earned retirement.”
The station has named Gabrielle Enright as McHenry’s successor. Enright has been with WHIO since 1997.
“It’s very comforting to leave our viewers in the best of hands. My colleagues are so capable and caring, and they work hard every day to cover the news and issues that affect the people of our community,” McHenry said. “Gabby is not only a hard worker, she’s smart, energetic, and so kind. She does not consider any kind of work beneath her. She always gamely pitches in to help in any way she can to give our viewers the very best content. She often stops to shoot video because it’s on her way to work. She has more than earned her anchor spot.”
Enright will join co-anchor James Brown for News Center 7′s 90-minute newscast on weekdays beginning at 5 and again at 11 pm, where she has co-anchored since 2023.
“We are so fortunate to have the level of talented journalists that we have here at WHIO,” said Darren Moore, VP and general manager of WHIO-TV and WHIO Radio. “Cheryl McHenry helped lay the journalistic foundation upon which News Center 7 was built. She is the consummate professional and beloved in our community. Gabrielle Enright will carry on the tradition of excellence and high standard expected by our viewers in the Miami Valley.”
