Emily Forrester

About

I LOVE local television news! The crazy thing is - I've loved it most of my life. My parents had a huge wooden desk in our den when I was growing up in rural Alabama. I would transform it into my "news desk". I would write stories and even draw my own stock market line graphs. This business is such a huge part of my life and thankfully, I married a man who watches local news. Television and digital news offer me a chance to be creative. I transform raw videos and raw interviews into stories on-air and online. I'm in charge of informing viewers about events or things they do not know about before watching a newscast. Working at a local news station gives me the opportunity to share someone's story and potentially impact lives. I've worked on big news stories. Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Katrina taught me how local news stations are the lifelines to a community during emergencies. I've covered gubernatorial election nights and presidential rallies. I've created and executed plans for extensive back-to-school team coverage and local telethons to raise money for groups like the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama and the Boy Scouts. I have also written and produced 30-minute and 60-minute news specials on various topics including the GulfQuest Maritime Museum in Mobile, Hurricane Katrina 10th Anniversary special, Gulfstream 50th Anniversary Special, and the Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children's Hospital special for WTOC. Local news is more than just a job...it's who I am every, single, day.