Photo by Tom Jenz
Sachelle Reed
Sachelle Reed
Milwaukee area residents have been getting their TV news from the traditional Channels 4, 6, 12 and 58. But there is a fifth source, Spectrum News 1, available on channel 1 and the Spectrum News App for Spectrum customers. Owned by Charter Communications, Spectrum News 1 lays low on crime stories, focusing more on positive human interest.
Sachelle Reed is a Spectrum News 1 morning anchor. A veteran TV news journalist, she employs video and the power of words to make a difference. She told me, “My storytelling as a reporter has empowered victims, held leaders accountable, and cleaned up neighborhoods. On the anchor desk, I continue to tell the stories that matter, beyond the details.”
A native of Rockford, Illinois, Sachelle Reed was born smart, and through her formative years, she used her intelligence in productive ways. Her dad worked in a factory, and her mom worked secretarial jobs. Sachelle Reed attended a Montessori school, then a gifted school, and then public Flynn Middle and Auburn High Schools where she focused on the Gifted and Performing Arts programs. “I was in dance and theater,” she said. “I sang and did spoken work like poetry. I always loved reading and writing. And I was involved in church activities. My faith was important.”
I met her at a Fifth Ward downtown coffee shop, and we got acquainted. She has a powerful personality that trades on sincerity. She never struck me as a programmed “TV personality.”
What was your hometown, Rockford, Illinois, like? Was it a segregated city?
Mostly segregated, kind of like Milwaukee, the majority of Black people living on the west side of town. But part of my school years included forced busing, and I attended fairly diverse schools.
After you graduated from high school, did you go right to college? Take me through your career path and how your journey led you to your morning anchor job at Spectrum News in Milwaukee.
I earned a full ride scholarship to Alabama A&M in Huntsville. I wanted to be in television work. I eventually transferred to Columbia College, Chicago, and graduated from there with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.
After college, did you get into your TV news career right away?
Pretty much. In 2010, I got a job at FOX 39 News in Rockford as a multimedia journalist where I shot, wrote and edited my own stories. Eventually, I took on Anchor roles at FOX 39. I was the first morning anchor who was Black. I received a lot of support because Rockford was my hometown. Worked there for three years, then got a weekend anchor position at CBS 58 in Milwaukee and held that position for three years. Next, I worked as an anchor and reporter at the CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida for a few years. Then, I came back to Milwaukee to take this job as the morning anchor at Spectrum News 1. Been here in Milwaukee for almost six years.
What exactly is broadcast Spectrum News 1 and who is your audience?
We are a statewide news station, covering stories all over Wisconsin. We have bureaus in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison. We call ourselves “the storytelling station.” We don’t chase crimes or fires. We try to stay away from negative stories like criminal acts and accident scenes.
I’ve done a lot of stories on Black residents and leaders in the inner city. The complaint I get from those residents is that the local news tends to cover the inner city only when there are crimes. They feel they are not getting fair coverage of what life is like for the majority of residents. I find that these people are law abiding citizens and dislike criminal activities in their neighborhoods.
I do agree that most Black people feel that the media does not cover them fairly. What Spectrum News 1 is attempting to do is to go into the inner city communities and tell the good stories that are important to those citizens. As a Black woman reporter, I want to be fair and honest but also bring in the Black perspective.
Speaking of that, you are an active member of The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). What does the NABJ do?
The NABJ is a watchdog group that makes sure things are fair for journalists of color. It also supports networking and education. I was the Chair of their Awards program, honoring outstanding Black journalists. An arm of NABJ is the Wisconsin Black Media Association (WBMA) where I was the vice president.
Is there a Black journalist in the country you most admire?
Oprah Winfrey. The work she’s done in her entire career has helped Black women journalists be more authentic and to learn ways to connect with people in storytelling. Oprah has built an amazing media empire.
You are an advocate for mental health, and you have done stories on mental health. What are the current mental health issues that need attention?
In the social media space, we are now having more conversations about mental health. Citizens in the Black community are getting help with mental health issues, having someone to talk to and process trauma. I see more Black men, women, and families, getting therapy. For generations, Black people have been taught to “go to God” if you are depressed or suffering from mental health issues. Currently, the messaging is to still “go to God,” but God made the doctors and therapists as well, and they can help you, too. In the rough Black neighborhoods, the young people are hearing gunshots, witnessing shootings, reckless driving, drug abuse, domestic abuse, and street fights. This affects their mental health. A few years ago, I did a story on 10-year-old Sierra Guyton, a Black girl who was shot and killed while playing on the playground. She was caught in the crossfire of young men shooting at each other. The next day, there was still her blood on the playground where kids were playing. I also saw two boys who had fashioned sticks to pretend they were shooting each other. Mental health experts say this is something to cope with the trauma.
I’ve had some Black teenage boys tell me that they are living as if they won’t make it to 20 years old because they will probably be killed in some way.
Yes. Why wouldn’t you think that? If you see your friends, neighbors and family members being killed or injured, then you won’t care about living a responsible life where there is hope.
You once wrote, “I know breaking news and I know how to make a filler story 'pop' in the newscast.” How do you make a story pop?
When I do a story, I want my viewers to feel what I felt and the emotion of my subjects in the story. I try to find a unique way of telling the story. Words are magical, and I am always trying to figure out how words can be used to give viewers more.
Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in the country. Thirty-nine percent of its citizens are Black, mainly located in the North Side where poverty and criminal activity are causing a burden to most residents living there. Do you have an opinion on what can be done to help inner city residents improve their lives?
Isolating the majority of Black people in segregated communities in urban areas is by design. It is not by defect of Black people. If you don’t give these people hope, good educational resources, access to healthy food, transportation, good jobs, and decent healthcare, then they don’t interact with people who are successful. This can breed crime and loss of hope. What can be done? There are many city and nonprofit programs working to combat the problems. But the condition is systemic and has to be dismantled from the top, and that won’t happen in the near future.
As a news anchor and reporter, you seem to have a natural and trusting personality. How did you develop your style?
I am a naturally trusting person (laughing). I am also naturally authentic. I am kind of an introvert, but as a reporter and TV news anchor, I try to be my real self. I am also active on social media and share stories about my personal life.
