NASHVILLE CONNECTION
1974 — WLAC-TV hired Oprah Winfrey, first female co-anchor in Nashville.
I got chills, even shed a few tears watching THE speech re-broadcast from the Golden Globes. The whole night was pretty emotional in so many ways, at so many levels. Oprah Winfrey is amazing and articulate and strong! I thought about that triumphant night when I ran across a quotation from her today.
The Oprah Winfrey — Nashville connection is a strong one. She was still in high school (East High School) when she was hired at WVOL (1470 AM), eventually becoming a news anchor. She won a high school oratory contest; the prizes included a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. Only a little later, in 1974, she was hired at WLAC-TV — Channel 5, Nashville’s CBS affiliate. She was the first woman television co-anchor in Nashville; she was also the youngest ever.
The first . . . the best . . . the strongest . . . All this could not have happened by accident. She is a survivor, an achiever, a force. We know only a little of how this came to be, but no one can deny the result!
“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” Oprah Winfrey
