Story

James Brown

News Center 7 Anchor

BIO

I recently took on the role of anchoring the 5:30 p.m. newscasts with Cheryl McHenry and reporting on the 11 p.m. news. Prior to anchoring the 5:30 p.m. news, I spent six years anchoring the 5 a.m., 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. news with Natasha Williams and Jeff Porter. I also anchored the Noon news.

I am a Miami Valley Native. I was born in Wilmington and lived in Lebanon for part of my childhood. My parents eventually moved back to their native Colorado. With no choice but to follow along, I am sure glad I did. Years later I met a young lady in high school. That wonderful woman is now my wife. We have two fabulous children ages four and one. Boy do they keep us busy.

Before settling down in Dayton in 2002, my wife and I lived all over the country. I worked for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska, as the Anchor and Managing Editor. Before that, I was an Anchor/Reporter for WXII-TV in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Prior to that, I was KTUU-TV's Weekend Anchor and Reporter in the mid 1990's. I got my start in television news as a weekday morning anchor at WRDW-TV in Augusta, Georgia. I have a Bachelor's degree in Speech Communication from Colorado State University, and I also attended the University of Missouri-Columbia as part of a National Student Exchange Program.

When I am not doing the 5:30 p.m. news and reporting on the 11 p.m. news, I'm chasing my kids, changing diapers, doing lots of coloring with my daughter, and trying to find a free hour or two to ride my Harley Davidson. There is nothing quite like taking a pre-dawn ride to the Golden Nugget for Breakfast, then hitting the country roads in Preble and Darke counties. I’ll tell you, riding down a country road seeing the sun rise, seeing the green cornfields covered with morning dew, and seeing beautiful farm houses peppering the countryside is priceless. .

Looking at my life, my greatest accomplishment is my family. My worst fear is my daughter becoming a teenager! If you have any advice on how to prepare me for that one, I am all ears.

And remember, if you ever just want to call and chat about anything, I look forward to visiting with you.

Q & A

Where were you born?
Lebanon, Ohio

Where did you grow up?
Loveland, CO.

What was your favorite TV show then?
Wide World Of Sports

What was the first thing you ever wanted to be?
Howard Cosell and a sportscaster

How might someone have described you in high school?
A guy who did not miss any meals. I used to weigh 280-pounds. I blame it on being a football player and a guy who loved his steak and potatoes.

What was your first job?
Delivering papers.

What was your first job in television?
Ripped news scripts for anchors

What do you like about your job?
Getting to meet new people and being able to share their stories with thousands of people

What do you not like about your job?
Reporting on crimes where children are the victims

What might people be surprised to know about you?
I ride a Harley Davidson, wear all the leather to go along with it, and I wear a helmet.

What is the hardest thing you ever did?
Learn how to walk again after I was hurt during a high school football game.

What would be a perfect day for you?
I consider everyday perfect. I have a wonderful wife and two beautiful children.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to go into the business?

Don’t forget you put your pants on just like everyone else, one leg at a time.

Read as many newspapers, magazines, etc. as possible.

Don’t ever take your viewers for granted.

Don’t jeopardize your reputation, and always be honest. !

If you could only keep one 5-minute tape from your career what would be on it?
It would have to be my hurricane/flooding coverage back in 1999 in North Carolina. I had been on the road covering the disaster for almost a week. The flooding took our crew to a small community between Raleigh and the coast. This was a 500-year flood for the state.

All you could see were the roofs of homes. People lost everything they owned. Many did not have much to begin with. I saw then just how fortunate I was to have a change of clothes, a toothbrush, and a front yard to mow.

During my coverage of the disaster, I got emotional and conveyed this to thousands of viewers. They responded and they, along with countless others, helped raise thousands and thousands of dollars to help people who had nothing but the clothes on their backs.