SPECS GRAD GLENDA LEWIS COMES HOME TO WXYZ CHANNEL 7 DETROIT

When Glenda Lewis (pictured below left) took her place behind the news desk as the new co-anchor of Channel 7's "Action News Weekend," it seemed more like a homecoming than an actual debut.

Afterall, she's literally been following in her mother's footsteps at the station since she was a little girl. Her mother, Diana Lewis (pictured far right), started at WXYZ in 1977 and remains one of the most respected anchors in the Detroit market, co-hosting "Action News" at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

However, despite Glenda's connections at WXYZ-TV, she started her career in a small market just like any other Specs grad hoping to break into television news. After earning a degree in advertising from MSU and later graduating from Specs Howard School, Glenda's first job was at WBKB-TV in Alpena, where she was on her own following stories, shooting footage, reporting the news and editing it all together in time for the evening news.

From Alpena, she moved on to WLNS-TV in Lansing -- where thankfully they employed a staff of photographers, which meant no more lugging bulky camera equipment around by herself -- and finally to WJRT-TV 12 in Flint where she has enjoyed a successful five years as an anchor and reporter (pictured above left with co-anchor Bill Harris).

Now having paid her dues in the smaller markets around Michigan, Glenda is poised for a remarkable career in her own right at the same major-market station as her mother. In addition to anchoring the weekend news, Glenda will be back on the road reporting the news during the week so it's likely the two will have plenty of occasions to interact on-camera.

"It's like a dream come true," Glenda told Detroit News Reporter Susan Whitall. "I've been walking the halls of Channel 7 since I was a toddler, so to walk through the doors having worked hard and being a professional in my own right, earning a place there, that's a feeling I can't describe."

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SPOT ON GLENDA LEWIS

What have been some of the highlights of your career?
Covering stories and touching lives across the state

Who has influenced you the most in your career?
My mother (Diana Lewis, WXYZ-TV 7, Detroit)

What would you consider the largest challenge in the business today?
Hard work, lack of personal time. Simply put... there are a lot of sacrifices to be made for this business. You must work hard to get what you want. Holidays? What holidays? The positive, however, your hard work can eventually pay off.

What is the largest hurdle you had to face to get where you are now?
Moving around as you move up the market ladder. If you are a person that cannot be mobile in your first few years of the business, your challenges may be a bit greater.

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Links to MORE about Glenda Lewis:

Glenda's Bio
(WXYZ web site)