Dennis House’s Departure from Channel 3 Shocks Connecticut

Some Connecticut residents say that news anchor Dennis House’s departure from Channel 3 on Sept. 1st was a huge mistake. 

Due to unknown circumstances, House and Channel 3 announced the departure only a few days after House celebrated his 28th year anniversary at the station.

  This left viewers of the station and Connecticut residents alike stunned. 

Lorna Donofrio, a longtime viewer of WFSB, was shocked by the news of House’s departure from her favorite local news station.

“I’m really sad about it,” she said. “ I really enjoyed watching him. Dennis was a very trustworthy voice in journalism.”

Though some viewers agree he was someone they could trust, Kate Molloy said House went above and beyond to support the community. 

Molloy, who had worked for House’s family and watched Channel 3 for nearly 15 years, reminisced about a story that showed how much House cared about Connecticut residents.

A few years ago, a friend of Molloy’s lost his gray macaw at the Jazz Festival in downtown Hartford. When House found out, he contacted Molloy and asked for pictures of the macaw. Once he had gotten photos of the macaw, he showed them on air and he ended up helping them find the bird.

“Some people think because they are TV stars that their head kind of explodes. Not him,” Molloy said. “He thinks of others. He doesn’t just think of himself or his family. I absolutely love him. He’s a really, really great guy. If we could clone him and make many more of him, it would be wonderful.”

Alex Carros, a Republican activist and a member of the Republican Town Committee in Bristol, watches Channel 3 occasionally and said he dislikes that the station is particularly biased in favor of left-wing politics. 

Carros said House was an exemption to the bias at Channel 3, especially when he hosted “Face the State”. 

“I thought Dennis played it pretty straight,” he said.

House said that he is fortunate to have a lot of support from viewers since he made his announcement of his departure from Channel 3. 

“I’ve been deeply humbled by the outpouring support from people across Connecticut. I’m very grateful to the people of Connecticut and WFSB for 28 great years,” he said. 

He is also grateful that his viewers saw him as a reliable voice in journalism.

“I think my high point was just gaining trust with the viewers,” he said. “I always tried to maintain integrity and trust. I wanted to make sure the viewers always trusted what I said.” 

During the start of the pandemic the Gov. Ned Lamont told the viewers of “Face the State” that they should contact House if they need help with their unemployment benefits. 

“I spent a lot of my free time helping people as best as I could get their unemployment benefits,” he said. “So, in many cases we got it for them.”

House is generous to all people because he said he is a believer in karma and truly just cares for all of the residents of Connecticut.

“This is our home,” he said. “ We want to make it a better place. I think that’s what fuels a lot of giving back to the community. I feel like we sort of serve people as journalists.”

Though unsure with where his career will take him next, House is adamant that he is not done serving the people of Connecticut.

By: Jessica Bravo