For more than three decades, the faces of David Carroll and Cindy Sexton have been synonymous with trust, reliability, and local news in the Tennessee Valley. Today, Local 3 News marks the end of an era as the station celebrates the final broadcast featuring the region’s longest-running news anchor team.
The milestone is bittersweet for viewers and staff alike. The broadcast serves as a farewell for Cindy Sexton, who is stepping away from the anchor desk to undergo and recover from scoliosis surgery. Her departure precedes the upcoming retirement of David Carroll, who is set to sign off for the final time in one month.
The chemistry between the two began in 1992, when they were first paired on the 5:30 p.m. newscast. At the time, Sexton was already an established presence at the station. When Carroll—then transitioning from a career in radio—was offered his first television opportunity, he admitted to feeling uncertain about making the leap. He turned to his future partner for advice. Her encouragement was immediate and decisive: “Of course you can do it,” she told him. “You’ll love it.”
That conversation sparked a partnership that would span 34 years, during which the duo anchored numerous broadcasts, including the 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. slots. In an industry notoriously plagued by ego and professional tension, Carroll and Sexton were widely regarded as an anomaly. They remained a unified team, characterized by a genuine friendship and a shared sense of humor.
In a 2017 reflection on their 25-year milestone, Carroll famously deflected praise for their longevity. “There’s been no such drama with Cindy,” he wrote. “She’s my grammar expert, she loves bad 1980s pop songs like I do, and makes me look good each evening. When people ask me, ‘Where’s Cindy?’ I often reply, ‘She has back problems. She’s been carrying me for 25 years.’”
The admiration was mutual. As the pair prepared for their final broadcast together this week, Sexton reflected on their long journey with characteristic warmth. “How could I ever be so fortunate to work with someone like David Carroll?” she said. “He’s a treasure.”
As the lights dim on the set they shared for over a generation, Local 3 News expressed deep gratitude for the duo’s contributions. The station thanked both anchors for decades of steadfast commitment, noting that their presence in Tennessee Valley homes helped define the local community. While the broadcast marks the end of their on-air partnership, the legacy of their rapport and the standard they set for local journalism remain a lasting gift to the viewers they served for so many years.
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