Riley Carroll departs Fox40. What’s next for the Roseville native?
It’s a bittersweet goodbye at Fox40 as one of its reporters is departing a coveted job in her hometown region.
Riley Carroll, who anchors the 4 p.m. weekday newscast, announced Friday she’s departing for a new role in Los Angeles. She said the new gig is still in the news industry and an official announcement will be released at a later date.
“She’s on to bigger better things in LA,” her colleague Adam Epstein wrote in a Facebook post. “Please join me in wishing her the best of luck on her future endeavors. It’s been a fun run.”
Carroll’s departure also comes as she and her fiancé plan to get married next summer. She has been at the station for roughly three years.
Coming back to Sacramento was a dream come true for Carroll. She grew up in Roseville and became fascinated in journalism at a young age. Carroll recited the announcements while a student at Cooley Middle School, she said, and got into broadcast at Granite Bay High School.
“I’d always wanted to be a reporter and a journalist, and I just thought that coming back and making it in my hometown would be sort of the biggest accomplishment for me,” Carroll said.
She went on to get her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fullerton, and a master’s degree from the University of Denver.
In an industry where workers often find jobs away from home, a homecoming after stints in Eureka and Colorado Springs was a chance Carroll’s grateful for.
“In journalism, you move away for so long, and I was gone for basically 10 years between college and grad school and work and my first couple markets,” she said. “So to come back and be able to spend holidays with them and birthdays, that’s been really special. That’s probably the hardest part of leaving.”
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One of Carroll’s favorite stories was broadcast last summer, when she reported on a water bill hike for residents in Diablo Grande to more than $600 a month. The dilemma came amid financial woes at Western Hills Water District.
“No TV stations at the time had been reporting on it,” she said. “It was just print outlets.”
Carroll also enjoyed doing stories about Make a Wish and being part of their telethon to raise money. She said it reminded her of earlier days when she worked at Disneyland in the characters department.
While she said she’s not allowed to say specifically what Disney princess she was during her stint at the amusement park, she said the character is best friends with Flounder — a hint fans of “The Little Mermaid” can solve.
