Scripps Alumna Earns Emmy Honors

Content warning: This story includes references to childhood abuse and domestic violence issues.

In journalism, understanding one’s community is vital, as is having the vulnerability to create and share stories that demonstrate and foster personal connections. It takes patience and empathy to tell these stories openly on a local, regional or national level.

For Terra Brantley, BSC ’86, evening news anchor at WFFT Fox 55 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, growing up in Cleveland and its suburbs taught her that anything is possible. Cleveland’s mayor, Carl Stokes, had just made history by becoming the first Black mayor of a major U.S. city, and seeing figures like him inspired Brantley to find the confidence and drive to become a storyteller, as well as a person who gives back to her community.

“There was always a can-do attitude, there was never a ‘Can’t do this, it’s not going to be possible’ [mentality],” Brantley says. “In my family, there was strong leadership, strong work ethic. Plus, my love of theater and involvement in the Karamu House [Theatre] further exposed me to possibilities and took me outside of the realm of self. It nurtured my love of theater, public speaking and communication.”

Though she initially joined OHIO as a dance major, Brantley eventually changed her major to communications for its wider post-graduation opportunity pool and beefed up her collegiate resume by joining WOUB Public Media and the Black Student Communications Caucus. 

Brantley says WOUB allowed her to combine her creative side with her producing side, giving her a voice and platform. Under the guidance of station advisor and OHIO professor Maisha Hazzard, Brantley began producing and hosting her own television show, Sauti, focusing on topics impacting minority students on campus.

Hosting Sauti allowed for Brantley’s personal experiences to inform her reporting and foster connections with both her community and her sources. She brought that approach into her professional career, too, emphasizing the importance of being vulnerable with her audience in the interest of serving her community. As a survivor of domestic violence, Brantley aims to earn trust by being open about her experience both on and off the air.

“I’ve been able to use my personal struggles with domestic violence in my first marriage to inspire others to break the cycle,” she says. “I have shared my personal story at many events; I’ve helped women and men seek help. Being on television … as a journalist who they trust has helped me champion that cause very much. I’m very candid about the struggles that both my children and I face, and many people know my story.”

This openness even facilitated one of Brantley’s most memorable stories, which involved the reinvestigation of a woman’s childhood abduction and abuse and highlighted the importance of DNA testing and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

As an active storyteller in her community, Brantley’s packed schedule at WFFT further illustrates her commitment to being a support system for others. On a typical day, you’ll find her writing and reviewing scripts, helping produce segments for the show, mentoring young staff and anchoring the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. 

Thanks to her work ethic, Brantley was inducted to the Indiana Associated Press Hall of Fame in 2019 after earning multiple awards from the Indiana Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists. Today, she is the longest-serving Black news anchor in the state’s history, according to her former station, WANE 15, and has been in the field for nearly 40 years.

This year, Brantley’s many accolades and dedicated service to her community were recognized with the Silver Circle Lifetime Achievement Emmy from the Great Lakes Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

“It’s the culmination of a lifetime of work, and I am humbled,” Brantley says. “I am also very grateful for a supportive family and extended family, such as friends, and for my husband and my two children, who have been beyond patient and beyond loving. They inspire me with this ‘you've got this, Mom’ attitude.”

Reflecting on her achievements, Brantley credits OHIO for giving her a solid educational foundation, the space to grow as a journalist and exposure to diverse populations.

“I do believe that OU helped me grow up,” Brantley says. “It helped me learn to better appreciate the gifts that individuals bring to the table. I was exposed to people from different cultures, these different countries, and it made me curious. It helped me realize how truly alike and similar we all are, and that we are all truly linked together in a huge human chain, and each of us impacts the other. I know that OU was an integral part of that.”