I am an award-winning veteran broadcaster, journalist, anchor, and writer with more than 20 years of professional experience.
But more importantly, I’m from Detroit.
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I knew when I was a little boy that I wanted to do something on radio and TV. I thought that there were little people inside the “box,” as I called it back then.
And the one channel that was on the most in the house was Channel 4. Whether it was watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy or The A-Team and Miami Vice, or Tigers baseball with George Kell and Al Kaline on the mic, WDIV was a big part of my house.
I grew up on Mort, Carmen, Bernie, and Chuck (and later, Devin Scillian). I still remember the names of the reporters and anchors. And the words “Go 4 It!” are etched in my head.
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I grew up in Rosedale Park — Schoolcraft & Artesian. My mother taught in the Detroit Public Schools for almost 40 years, while my dad was a Detroit Police officer for 33.
I graduated from Renaissance High School (Carmen Harlan was the commencement speaker at my graduation), Michigan State University, and later received my Master’s Degree in Journalism from Wayne State University. I also attended the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts.
I’m an experienced news and sports journalist. I’ve covered major events such as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Democratic National Convention, the Daytona 500, the 2017 NFL Draft, three Super Bowls, and two World Series.
I took the scenic route to get here. I got my first taste of newsroom life as a member of the Detroit Free Press High School Apprentice program in 1996.
I began my radio career in 2005 at WQHH-FM in Lansing, and my career has included stops at The Detroit News, WDET, MLive.com, and TheGrio — then a division of NBC News — in 2011. While there, I covered major stories in the Midwest including Chicago’s issues with housing discrimination and gun violence, as well as Detroit’s historic 2012 bankruptcy.
I even managed to make a couple of cameo appearances here on Channel 4 in 2011.
After leaving MLive in Lansing in 2014, I moved East — first to New Jersey and later to Philadelphia.
I spent three years at Philadelphia’s NPR station WHYY, where I won Best Newscast and two Best Sports Feature Awards from the PA Associated Press in 2016 and 2017.
I then moved to KYW Newsradio in 2019.
In 2021, I won a pair of Edward R. Murrow Awards for Breaking News coverage of the civil unrest in Philadelphia following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, and for the radio special we did on the riots called Witness to Change.
I would then, after 18 years in radio, move over to the television side of things — first at WPHL in Philadelphia and WGAL in Lancaster, PA.
It was while I was in Lancaster that I received my first two Emmy nominations for our coverage of the devastating Baltimore bridge collapse.
But now, the journey has brought me home. I consider it an honor to do this in Detroit. And if you grew up in this city, Channel 4 is part of your DNA.
I want to help tell the stories of this city — whether it’s a compelling person, a music artist, athlete, school, or newsmaker.
Feel free to reach out to me at jsmith@wdiv.com.
