Former WGEM anchor takes new position at ABC affiliate in Fargo, N.D.

QUINCY — Makenzi Henderson has found a new home one month after leaving WGEM-TV.

Henderson has taken a position at WDAY, the ABC affiliate in Fargo, N.D. She will be an anchor and producer of the station’s 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts. Her first day in Fargo, 3½ hours from her hometown in Minneapolis, was Tuesday.

“This is a bigger market, close to home and an incredible opportunity to work at a multiple Emmy and national Edward R. Murrow award-winning station,” Henderson said in a prepared statement given to Muddy River News.

Henderson was an anchor on WGEM’s newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. She started her career there in October 2020. 

Ben Van Ness, vice president and general manager at WGEM in Quincy, confirmed Nov. 10 that the television station no longer employed Henderson. He did not elaborate on her departure in an email to Muddy River News.

“I’m so grateful to the Tri-State community for embracing me from the start and offering so much support after I left WGEM,” Henderson wrote. “I will miss the people of the Tri-States so much.

“I want to thank WGEM, especially Quincy Media, Inc., and former news director Chad Mahoney and general manager Carlos Fernandez. They fostered a healthy working environment, allowed me to be a leader in the newsroom and helped me grow as a journalist.”

Henderson jumps from the No. 174-ranked Designated Market Area in Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk to the No. 114-ranked DMA in Fargo.

“I’ll miss the people. I’ll miss my house. I’ll miss the Klingner Trail. I loved living in Quincy,” Henderson said in a video posted on her Instagram page Thursday night. “I want to thank everyone for embracing me from the very get-go and for their support after I left WGEM.”

Henderson’s career in television began in September 2007 in Rapid City, S.D., according to her LinkedIn page. She also previously worked in Duluth, Minn., Wilmington, N.C., and Corpus Christi, Texas. Before coming to Quincy, she left the journalism field briefly to deal with family health issues.

Her departure leaves WGEM with four news anchors: 

• Daniel Winn, who has co-anchored with Henderson since May 2022;
• Natalie Will, who has anchored WGEM News Today (the station’s morning newscast) since May 2006;
• Blake Sammann, who joined Will on WGEM News Today in February 2022. He has been with WGEM since June 2019;
• Rajah Maples, who joined WGEM in June and now is the weekend anchor. She previously worked at KHQA for 17 years.

Henderson is a Minnesota native and a 2007 graduate of the University of Minnesota.

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