STEUBENVILLE, Ohio/WHEELING, W.Va. -- WTOV9 announced Thursday that NEWS9 Tonight co-anchor Natalie Pasquarella will be leaving the station in the coming weeks. Pasquarella is being promoted within Cox Television, the parent company of WTOV9, to sister station WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina. She makes the 134-market jump to become the station’s weekday morning and noon co-anchor.

"The past 3+ years at WTOV9 have been simply amazing, and I leave feeling honored to have had the chance to be a part of the NEWS9 team. Growing up in Steubenville, I had always dreamed of working for NEWS9 and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. WTOV9 made me the journalist I am today and gave me the skills to start my next journey in Charlotte. I have many wonderful memories to take with me from covering the Ohio Valley, the place I call home. The people of the Valley will be hard to say good-bye to, but there is comfort in knowing my family will be here, and I will always be a hometown girl," said Pasquarella.

Upon joining the Ohio Valley’s #1 news team in December 2004, the Steubenville High School and Kent State University graduate held a variety of positions including: producer, weekend anchor, and, most recently, reporter and 11 p.m. anchor. She has been alongside Eric Minor co-anchoring the late-night newscast since March 2006. In addition to her reporting duties, she is routinely at the scene of breaking news and provides live reports for the early evening newscasts. Natalie’s reporting doesn’t stop with covering daily news stories; she has spent a great deal of time on in-depth special reports and investigations. During Pasquarella’s time at NEWS9, she was recognized by the West Virginia Associated Press for her investigative reporting.

“Natalie’s work as a journalist here in the Ohio Valley has been top-notch. While I’m very happy she has been given such a great opportunity to further her career, she will be missed not just here in the newsroom, but by our viewers too,” said News Director Brandon Gobel.

“I have known Natalie since she was a young girl growing up in Steubenville. I congratulate her on her great performance, work ethic and mastering so many skills while here at WTOV9. I am happy to know she is staying within the Cox-TV family and wish her only the best as her career continues to prosper,” said Vice President and General Manager Tim McCoy.

Pasquarella’s last day at NEWS9 will be July 24. A search is under way for her replacement.

WTOV-TV AND WSOC-TV are owned by Cox Television. Cox Television operates 15 television stations in 11 markets, three national television sales representation firms, one national digital sales company, and a Washington, D.C., news bureau. Cox Television is part of Cox Broadcasting, Inc., a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., one of the nation’s leading media companies and providers of automotive services.