Goodbye Buttitta | News channel 3-12
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The News Channel 3-12 team says goodbye to our iconic morning anchor and executive producer of “The Morning News,” Joey Buttitta.
Joey leaves the glamorous life of 2 a.m. alarms and three straight hours of newscasts to become the public information desk of the Ventura County District Attorney’s office.
He arrived at the station in 2012 and quickly rose through the ranks of TV Hill, covering everything from the Thomas Fire and Montecito mudslide to Fiesta celebrations and baseball World Series – and he even had time to win ‘The Amazing Race’ with his wife and News Channel 3-12’s chief meteorologist Kelsey Gerckens in between.
Joey has been a part of every inch of News Channel 3-12’s newsroom, from answering the phone to writing scripts, filming and editing video to producing, reporting from the field and posting on social media.
He brought a kind, welcoming and – at times – sarcastic energy like no other to the newsroom that will be incredibly hard to replace. His wit, wisdom and humor make him a unique, jack-of-all-trades journalist.
Joey was part of News Channel 3’s Emmy-winning Thomas Fire cover in 2017 and won three Golden Mike Awards.
Joey and Kelsey met, married, and welcomed their first child, Everett Gerckens Buttitta, and second child, Joseph Trey Buttitta, while on the News Channel crew.
The News Channel team wishes him well in his next chapter and can’t wait to see him succeed. Goodbye Buttitta!
