Liz Walker Plants a Seed
It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about my soulful connection to Liz Walker.
I’m not one of those journalists who KNEW that they wanted to be on TV from the time that they were little. I love those stories, but it’s not my story.
I came to my broadcasting career more organically and I know exactly where the first seed was planted.
WBZ’s Liz Walker captivated me from the moment I saw her in my living room!
My parents moved from Boston to Vermont in 1978, but they kept watching WBZ. So, from around 6-years-old on up, this dynamic woman was a part of my daily life.
I loved her way! Liz Walker laughed easily, always had a twinkle in her eye as she teased her co-anchors and was serious when she needed to be. She was my idol.
Julie Kelley, Founder Truly Jude
The Broadcasting Route
When I finally decided to go to Syracuse University and study broadcast journalism, I still didn’t realize how much Liz Walker would shape my future.
It wasn’t until I got my first chance to anchor a newscast, at WWNY-TV in Watertown, New York, that I felt her presence again.
Back then, Anchors were still expected to be “serious” and demand respect through a “voice of God” approach.
The chatty, personable stuff really didn’t become the norm until the last decade. Sure, weathermen and Katie Couric did it with flair (and much success!), but in local news the expectation was different.
That’s what made Liz Walker my idol and role model – she showed me how to really connect with an audience – long before that authentic approach was the gold standard.
Julie Kelley, Truly Jude Founder
For the last ten years of my anchoring career, TV stations paid consultants to teach anchors how to “be yourself”. Thanks to Liz Walker, I had that down.
I’ll never forget my first night anchoring the news. There I was in this tiny Northern NY town – a nervous newbie on a Saturday night.
When it was time to “toss to weather and sports”, as we say in TV news, I channeled Liz Walker and all her positive, fun energy.
Liz Walker is my Role Model
Years later, when viewers would say, “When I’m watching you it’s like I’m having coffee with an old friend,” I’d smile. It really was the best compliment and I know who to thank!
Liz Walker broke barriers – a lot of them – and she did it by being true to herself.
(Read about how These 7 Words helped me be true to my young son.)
What I Didn’t Know
When I started thinking about this blog, almost a year ago, I decided to Google Liz Walker. Like me, she is a woman of strong faith!
Today, she is Reverend Liz Walker, a senior pastor at Roxbury Presbyterian Church.
How I smile thinking that I continue to follow her lead – a soulful connection made even stronger through faith.
Truly,
Julie
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