I was the featured guest on Local News 24’s live noonday newscast on Tuesday, June 10th. The station, WANT-TV, is the ABC affiliate in Memphis (formerly WPTY). News Anchor Joy Lambert gave me a call on Monday, hoping I could weigh in on fun summer activities for families — as if!! Her request was perfectly timed, since our June issue highlights lots of fun places you can take your kids to get wet and play.
It turns out Joy and her husband are also new parents, they have an 8-month-old son, so we had to do a little baby talk before getting down to business. We also touched on the news team's move to the new station — which is gorgeous.
Once Joy introduced me, the interview went smoothly. Her relaxed manner really makes you feel at home. I also enjoy doing live television. It’s a great way to introduce the magazine to new readers. But there’s also something about the give and take with an anchor (knowing a redo is NOT possible) that makes it a lot of fun. • To see the five-minute interview, click here.
Here's the studio, just one day before the official ribbon cutting. It's spacious, and boasts several areas for shooting the newscast. We were actually seated at a small table for the interview (about where I snapped this pic). The news set is what you see here. And yes, that's Rodney Dunigan, Joy's co-anchor — totally cute. Below is what the newsroom looks like — very sleek and modern. They just moved in the week of June 3rd.
Finally, this is the weather team's set, complete with meteorologist Lauren Raymer. She forecasts the weather for the morning newscasts and is a graduate of Mississippi State. Don't you love her dark hair? So pretty. Thanks to the entire Local News 24 news crew for making my first visit such a memorable one. Let's do it again.