Longtime WVUA 23 News Anchor Lynn Brooks Returning To The Air

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A familiar face will return to the airwaves Monday on WVUA 23 News.

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Longtime anchor and former WVUA news director Lynn Brooks announced Sunday that she will be anchoring the regular newscasts at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., beginning Monday.

She will fill in temporarily for veteran newsman and anchor Jabaree Prewitt, who is currently on medical leave.

"He's dealing with some health issues and we really hope that he continues to recover and have a full and speedy recovery," Brooks said in a video posted on Facebook. "And while he's away for the remainder of the time, then you'll be stuck with me."

As Patch previously reported, Brooks started at WVUA 23 in 2000 as a reporter and would go on to work her way up at the station, becoming a producer and anchor on the 10 p.m. broadcast and then being named the station's news director at the age of 30 — making her the youngest news director at a television station in Alabama and only the second woman statewide at the time

Brooks stepped down from her longtime dual roles as lead anchor and news director on May 19, 2021, after more than two decades on camera. She cited spending more time with her family as her main reason for leaving the business.

Brooks told Patch that she initially came back to the station during the last holiday season when she was asked to help produce WVUA's coverage of the West Alabama Christmas Parade.

Station leadership then asked her to sit in for Prewitt at the anchor desk for the time being, something she described as "keeping the chair warm" for her longtime colleague.

"It's been a while since I've joined you guys from the studio doing the news live, so I may be a little bit rusty," she said in her announcement. "You may have to just be patient with me, but we should all get through this together."

Brooks also praised the work of WVUA Sports Director Gary Harris, who has also been filling in at the anchor's desk while Prewitt has been away.

"[Harris has] been doing an amazing job of switching over from sports to news during this time to help out as well while Jabaree recovers at home," she said. "I know you guys have enjoyed Gary and I am looking forward to working with Gary again and also my good friend [WVUA Chief Meteorologist] Richard Scott back in this studio — the same studio that I worked in for many, many years. So it will be really interesting to have sort of the band back together."

Replays of the two newscasts will be broadcast at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

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