Natasha Williams is now an anchor for Louisiana Public Broadcasting in Baton Rouge,La.
*** ORIGINAL REPORT April 07, 2017 ***
A dream deferred is still a dream.
Natasha Williams, a well-known face on Dayton television, says she knows that personally.
“It has always been my dream to be a main anchor,” Williams told this news organization. “When you get in the business you aspire to get the top job... Sometimes it takes a little longer.”
Williams is preparing to leave the Dayton for the main anchor spot at NBC affiliate KTVE in Monroe, La.
A native of Marion Station, Md., Williams is leaving her position as breaking new anchor and reporter at
WKEF ABC 22/ WRGT Fox 45.
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She was a reporter and morning anchor for WHIO-TV for nearly 20 years before a brief stint with WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.
Williams’ youngest son and husband, Dayton City Commission Joey D. Williams Sr., will remain in Dayton.
Commissioner Williams is seeking reelection.
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“My husband is very committed to this community,” she said. “It’s where he was born.”
Williams earned an undergraduate degree at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. and holds a Master of Arts degree from Ohio State University. She received an honorary doctorate from Wilberforce University in 2008.
She plans to return to Dayton frequently.
Credit: Photo: submitted
Credit: Photo: submitted
She said the decision to leave town did not come easily, because Dayton has been good to her and became her hometown.
“This is an incredible opportunity. We talked about it. We prayed about it,” the member of Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church said. “We could not pass up the opportunity to take my career to where it wants to be.”
Williams says she will replace an anchor of 18 years in Monroe, and looks forward to helping and learning from younger journalists.
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“We are going to do our darndest to skyrocket that station to the top,” said the award-winning journalist, who is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Greater Dayton Association of Black Journalists and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
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She said she is particularly proud of work she did at WHIO, where she said she cut her teeth on news after working at stations in Jackson, Tenn and Rockford, Ill.
Points of pride included stories on homelessness and her long-time adoption series “A Child is Waiting.”
She said there was an 85 percent adoption rate for the children featured.
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Williams was the first in her family to take an interest in journalism. Others have followed in her footprints and she has worked with local aspiring journalists.
In her youth, Williams said she dreamed of being an network correspondent who traveled the world.
She said she found plenty to cover and love in Dayton.
“I still got to do what I love doing, which is telling people’s stories and anchor the news,” she said. “Now it time for me to really spread my wings.”
KTVE is a Nexstar Media Group company. The Irving, Texas company owns nearly 200 TV stations around the nation.
She said she has loved her time in Dayton and did her best to help make it a better place through her work and community involvement, which included emceeing events causes ranging from Alzheimer's to arthritis and heart disease.
“Dayton has so many good organizations that really help a lot of people,” she said. “It really is about caring, and I care about this community and I always will.”
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