Four new anchors have been selected for the FAMU News 20 at Five live newscast. The newscast will air at 5 p.m. every Monday through Thursday on Comcast 20 and on the web at www.FAMUTVNews.com.The anchors are Paige Moore (weather), Chelsi McDonald (sports), Jasmine Harris and Lenneia Batiste (co-anchors on the main news desk). Students enrolled in the Advanced TV News class offered in the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC) will also produce a live webcast airing Fridays at 12:30 p.m. During the live newscasts, viewers will be able to tweet their favorite news personalities to ask questions or to simply offer comment.
“I feel ecstatic about being selected as a News 20 at Five anchor,” said Moore, News 20 at Five weather personality from Atlanta, Ga. “I am so delighted to have received the opportunity to present the weather to our viewers.”
McDonald, a mass media/communications studies major from Florida State University and journalism minor from Atlanta, plans to work for ESPN as a sports reporter following graduation.
“Florida State University doesn’t have a daily, live newscast, so I'm very excited to put my heart into News 20 at Five,” said McDonald.
Batiste, a FAMU graduate student, brings experience to the newscast, having served as a reporter in Mississippi after graduating from Spelman College in Atlanta.
“I admire the talent that’s developed here and I’m honored to be a part of this legacy,” said the Atlanta native. “This is truly an opportunity to reach my peers and let them know what’s going on at FAMU.”
Harris, a broadcast journalism student from West Palm Beach, Fla., plans on working her way up from a local news station and ultimately working in entertainment news.
“I was genuinely shocked after being selected as an anchor for News 20 at Five. I feel as though this will offer me the best learning experience for the path I have set for myself,” said Harris.
FAMU-TV 20 is an educational access channel operated by the SJGC. It reaches more than 80,000 households via Comcast.