KEEPING US INFORMED
Damali Keith
Anchor & Reporter for Fox 6
Houston, TX
Story: Amira Kidd
Photo: Donnie Moreland
This avid reader, who enjoys a little self-time
writing poetry and short stories, has a lot of
responsibility. Starting her career as a sports
anchor at Century Communications’ Cable 8 in
Owensboro, Kentucky, Keith planned a great
future for herself. Now weekend anchor and
general reporter for Fox 26 in Houston, Texas,
Keith tells us a little about herself and her love
for the job.
First of all, how long have you been a
reporter and anchor?
I’ve been
working for nineteen years now. I’ve actually
worked in Houston for eight years and for FOX
eleven years.
What’s the difference being a reporter
compared to an anchor?
First of all, a reporter is someone who works
out in the field, gathering information for one
story and then bringing it into the news room.
An anchor on the other hand, who sits at the
desk, shares many stories with the viewers.
Since you anchor as well as report, which
side of the business do you like most?
I love both. I love being out and about
gathering news and putting it together. I
especially like seeing the reactions on people’s
faces when they see the end results. In the
field we do live shots that come about quick,
and with little information we have to get on
air and know what we are talking about. Both
sides of the job get your adrenaline running.
What type of stories attract you more?
They would have to be the type where I
report on someone doing something good
for someone else. Actually, yesterday I was
working on a story on a youngster who was
a former gang member. Some special people
got involved in his life and because of it, he has
done a complete turnaround. Can you believe
he just received a scholarship to Wiley College?
What does it take for a person such as
yourself to land a job like this?
I have to give a hundred percent glory and
credit to God. It took a lot of hard work to get
where I am. The funny story is I got my first
job by being a pain and continuously calling
a news director until one day he just gave up
and said, you know I don’t know who you are,
but you’re hired, and that’s how I got my start.
Six years from now, what would be your
ideal position when it comes to working in
broadcast news?
I guess it would have to be any position where
I’m making a difference in people’s lives. As
I’ve gotten older, I realize that it’s not just
about me as an individual, but more about
what’s best for others and our society.
How important is teamwork in your field?
It is so important. Depending on how well
I do also depends on how well others who
work with me do. From camera to lighting, it
takes so many people to make sure we have a
finished product, and that takes more than a
dozen people.
What would you personally like to share
with our readers?
As a kid, I was cripplingly shy. It was so bad
that I didn’t even want to walk into a room full
of people. So in college, I decided that I wasn’t
going to be shy anymore. I would walk around
on campus saying “Hi” to everyone I could find.
Some people had to think I was crazy, but it
worked. I’m saying this because if I could do it,
then so can anyone else.
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