All About Me TV
/
Most often when you look at someone's online bio on a station website, you get some facts about the Reporter or Anchor.
It might say that Joe Blow is excited to be in Any Town after working 4 years in Podunk. It will then say that Joe loves to garden, and play with his dog Fido. Joe is married to a beautiful wife Jane and has a son named Bobby.
That is what you get in an online bio, but...the times are a changing.
Now, the world of TV news has become, "it's all about me TV."
Let's meet WCYB MMJ Greg Richards.
Greg takes his online bio to the next level and makes sure you guys all know why he is such a damn fine Reporter (at least in his mind).
Here's what Richards writes in his bio, if you haven't eaten recently, go ahead and give it a read. By the way, you have to love the little hint how he is tied to the Micheal Brown shooting in Ferguson.
One morning as a teenager, I watched TV with my older brother, Steve, in our home in the suburbs outside St. Louis, Missouri. He was watching one of those caught-on-camera shows proliferated by violent car wrecks & helicopter crashes. But I couldn’t help thinking those are real people. My brother caught me wincing & squirming. He said, “If you’re going to be a reporter, you’re going to see this stuff every day.” I thought for a moment and finally said, “I think a good journalist should be compassionate.”
Journalists have the best job in the world. We write the first drafts of history, stand up against injustice and throw stones at giants. I can think of no higher calling than to be a part of the proud fraternity called Journalism. But we are powerless without the people who participate in our coverage.
It takes a great deal of trust to allow us to share your stories. Journalists often meet people on the worst day of their lives. In my career, I have covered countless families devastated by natural disasters, nefarious conmen, drugs and gun violence. My heart aches for them and I like to think that vulnerability makes me a better journalist and a better human being. But what impresses me the most is when families pull together despite adversity and find strength in each other.
I am very blessed for the strength of my family and the support of those around us. My brother’s life was stolen in a plane crash in December, 2013. It’s the kind of tragedy that threatens to tear some families apart. Thankfully, through faith and love, we have managed to grow closer than ever.
A sibling’s grief is very unique and often overshadowed by that of parents, spouses and children. Steve was my best friend, my defender, my brother. However, I am thankful he went to the grave with nothing left unsaid between us, especially I love you.
This pain follows me as I tell the stories of families who have lost their loved ones, too. It makes me feel like I can relate to them better. Hopefully, it helps me to be more human in telling their stories.
I am currently a multi-media journalist at WCYB, the #1 station in the Tri-Cities of Tennessee and Virginia. When I started in 2015, I brought with me four years of experience working in television newsrooms. Additionally, I interned at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2010 with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies.
I grew up in a loving household in Florissant, Mo. We went to church in Ferguson. As a student journalist, I embarked to study the Middle East to better understand America’s international conflicts. I believe 9/11 was a day that redefined what it means to be an American. For my generation, it was a day that changed the world forever and stripped us of our invincibility.
In my career, I have been blessed to meet so many brave, passionate and fascinating people. It is impossible not to be inspired by their stories of courage and compassion. I like to think of these interpersonal connections as little torches we carry with us, fueling our drive with their fire. And it is often the people in the smallest towns that have the biggest hearts.
