Kelly McCullen

I'm a native of Clinton, North Carolina where I learned that life's good fortunes fall sometimes fall into your lap and you never realize it. My career began when my technology education teacher forced me (well, encouraged heavily) to publicly speak at high school function in which I was participating. That led to another school speaking gig, which was a holiday talent show and then helped me land a part-time, weekend radio job at Clinton's WRRZ-AM. WRRZ-AM allowed me on the air and gave me freedom to play music within the genre, which was country and Southern gospel. The only rule was told to me this way, "If you don't come to work one day, don't come back." That simple sentence was more defining than I would ever know.

After trying my hand at studying engineering at North Carolina State for one semester, I walked to the Communications Department and transferred into the Communication major, emphasizing on mass communication. It was what "felt right" in spite of my head telling me that engineering degrees paid more money in life. A brief, 1994 summer job at Clinton's WCLN-AM gave me a taste of all the different and rather low-paying roles that exist in a small town radio station, an experience worth its weight in proverbial gold. Sales, script writing, helping the station owner dig a trench for installing the transmission tower's copper ground - I did it all.

During my junior year at NC State, my lecturer in audio production, a fellow named Vance Elderkin, read an announcement from UNC-TV soliciting college students to apply for a job as a TV audio mixer. After running by the mall to buy a belt, I interviewed and got the $5.65/hour job for about 20 hours of work per week. Once again, a little of this and little of that paid off in making that part-time job my full time job upon graduation.

In 2000, I moved to local TV news at WXVT in Greenville, MS. It was a fascinating tour lasting under 2005. By attrition and hard work, I moved from weekend reporter to Assistant News Director and weekday evening anchor. I learned to love local politics and when it's eventually time to tackle new challenges. In 2005, I returned to UNC-TV as a reporter, show host and producer. What a great team with which to interact on a daily basis. I've hosted a North Carolina gubernatorial debate, anchored a long-running political show cover state politics and covered the 2008 GOP national convention.

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