Who's On The News

We have reached the conclusion of an era that will never be forgotten. These are the last words spoken on season 1 of Who's On The News. Billy takes the time to open up in a way he's never publicly done before. He shares an extremely detailed story that will show you why he's exactly where he is today. If you're a sucker for love and relationships, this is a tale that you're going to want to listen to. The purpose of this outro is to show you that you have to trust your gut at all costs and pain is an integral part of the journey to the top. There is no other way to live. Enjoy the final chapter of this legendary period of time.

The final episode of season 1 features arguably the most personable person on the planet. Addie Weaver is a phenomenal young talent who blessed Billy with her presence on Who's On The News. Addie is the weekday morning traffic anchor for CBS 42 in Birmingham, Alabama. She's on the same AM program as Jack Royer, episode 13's special guest. This is without a doubt the most genuine overall conversation in WOTN's first season. Addie dives deep into what it's like being a traffic anchor, how she deals with traffic herself, the importance of working with the best possible people, trusting the process, learning from legends, being a dominant force and plenty more. The discussion flows so many different ways. All listeners will be obsessed with how real Addie is. Check out Pt. 2 of the Finale to listen to Billy's final outro.

The penultimate episode of season 1 features an incredible individual who lives in the trenches. She's someone that you cannot miss and that's because she works like an absolute savage every day in order to succeed. Ya'Lisha Gatewood reports on air for KTAL in her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. When she's not on your television screen telling you what's what, she's physically and mentally preparing for her next opportunity to flex on the stage. Our extremely versatile guest is not just a relentless reporter, she's also a standout bikini athlete. During episode 17, Ya'Lisha details her life in both worlds of work and you're going to be wildly impressed how she makes it all look so easy. If you have been relying on excuses to evade the real grind, those days will be behind you once you listen to this force talk about how she moves. After Billy and Ya'Lisha chop it up, Billy gets back on the microphone to explain how his conversation with Ya'Lisha changed his life. He highlights how you can only lead by example when you're trying to make a difference and when you're sprinting your marathon to the top, you must stay in your lane at all times.

Episode 16 most definitely features a fantastic tale that is 100% worth listening to. The story of Eddie Dowd is certainly something you cannot make up. Eddie was born and raised in New York City. He began his television career in Lincoln, Nebraska and had a tremendous time telling stories while connecting with the community. After eventually being fed up with the frigid weather, Eddie decided to move all the way to Hawaii before securing a position there with a local news station. He now reports for KITV Island News in Honolulu and it's pretty safe to say he is living his best life. Eddie is a true savage for trusting his gut and fully believing in himself. At the conclusion of Billy and Eddie's conversation about his journey and what it's like doing the news while basically being on vacation the whole time, Billy hops back on the microphone to explain the immense importance of never having expectations for anything.

The 15th episode of Who's On the News features a true local legend, Marvin James. The sports guru has been with WMAZ in Macon, Georgia for over 20 years! He moved to Georgia 30 years ago after living all over the world while his father fought for our country. Before covering sports became his career, he crushed dudes on the gridiron as a lineman for Georgia Southern University. The proud military brat and Billy discussed covering local sports, the connections in the community, the lasting impacts on people, working side by side with a young stud sports reporter, how he's still learning so much in the business and plenty more! After Billy and Marvin break everything down (34:57), Billy speaks on sports from a personal perspective. He details how competing and watching played one of the greatest roles in his life growing up, but now it's time to put sports consumption on a brief pause.

Episode 14 features a woman in the industry who makes everything look easy. Ciara Lucas joined Billy this week to discuss her nonstop life as both a morning news reporter for ABC 6 in Columbus, Ohio and a fitness trainer & certified nutrition coach. Our extremely talented guest also volunteers as a coach for the non profit ‘Girls on the Run' and has her own platform called ‘Fit For a Queen' that serves as a community of women who put their passion first so they can live the life they were destined to live. Yeah… she literally does it all. Billy and Ciara discuss balancing her two different lives, how she uses the same skills for both fields, making an impact on many different people, how to get started on a new fitness journey and much more! Once the interview concludes (36:20), Billy talks about a special conversation he had with a friend last week. The story he shares should inspire you to go chase your passion as soon as you're done listening to the episode.

If you have followed Billy's journey and the absolute blast he's had hosting WOTN, you would know that his father has been an evening news anchor in Albany, NY for his entire life. This episode was extra special to Billy because he got to sit down with another bright young man who also followed in his fathers footsteps. On episode 13 of Who's On The News, CBS 42's Jack Royer breaks down how he literally grew up in a newsroom with his father Mike Royer, who was in the television industry for over 40 years. The Birmingham, Alabama native goes into detail about his extremely exceptional relationship with his dad, how he was able to learn everything it took to be on the news so early on, what it was like growing up with his father on TV, how to build incredible connections and much more. At the conclusion of the conversation (35:46), Billy gets back on the microphone to describe how his path to getting on-air was completely different than Jack's. He highlights what he learned from three of the most valuable people in his life and how those teachings made him who he is today.

Billy was honored to be joined by one of television's most prolific young stars for episode 12 of Who's On The News. Rachael O'Neil landed an exceptional reporting position out of college in New Orleans, Louisiana for WGNO. After two standout years in The Big Easy, she made her way to Dallas, Texas to continue her impressive career for CBS 11. Billy and Rachael break down all things social media during their conversation. Rachael was the perfect person to discuss this topic with — she has over 536 thousand TikTok followers and over 41 thousand Instagram followers. Her content absolutely slays. They talk about the positives and negatives of social media, posting for work vs. posting for yourself, connecting with people, building and maintaining a following and much more. At the conclusion of the interview (27:22), Billy dives deep into his new outlook on social media and how it is now his most vital tool. He also applies the pressure to everyone listening to this episode.

Billy is joined by WBAL's Bobby Trosset to discuss life as a broadcaster for a professional sports team. Bobby does an exceptional job as the lead anchor for the flagship radio stations of the Baltimore Ravens. In episode 11, Bobby breaks down how he got into sports broadcasting, the joys of covering an electric football team, the challenges of the pandemic, some of his favorite memories, predictions for the Ravens this season and plenty more. After the interview (37:22), Billy gets back on the microphone to discuss how unfortunate events quite often end up being blessings in disguise.

Episode 10 of WOTN features the extremely talented Giuliana Bruno of WTEN in Albany, New York. The young morning reporter sat down with Billy this week to discuss her wonderful experience working as a news personality in her hometown. Giuliana graduated from Catholic Central High School in 2016 and then went on to study journalism at one of the best communications schools in the country, Emerson College. She began her career in Albany after graduating college early as a 20 year old and now she's known for being one of the most exceptional talents in the Capital Region. At the conclusion of their discussion (27:17), Billy hops back on the mic to discuss the importance of reflection and seizing adversity.

In the first ever bonus episode of WOTN, Billy sits down with news legend, Gene Kirkconnell to discuss the fine details of what it takes to secure a job in TV news. Gene has been in the game for several decades, displaying his talents for radio stations, newspapers, websites, and television stations all throughout the Southeastern United States. The current News Director at WRBL in Columbus, Georgia breaks down every important aspect that goes into the process of finding the right news job. He talks about perfecting the craft, constructing the proper reel, connecting, where to look for jobs, sacrifices one might have to make, and literally everything else someone might question about getting into the news industry. This is an exceptional listen for anyone who has a passion for this business and knows they have a serious interest in being on television screens one day. Be sure to also check out Gene's YouTube channel “iTrustGene” to watch full videos on everything you could imagine when it comes to working in news.

On episode 9 of Who's On The News, Billy sits down with one of the most high-spirited humans to ever grace this world. Drew Dees is at the tail end of his college career and once he's done, he will begin his journey in television. One day, he will be your favorite on-air personality and that's because he 100% knows that's the truth. Our incredible guest was born with Cerebral Palsy and he wants to be on your TV screen because he always wished he could watch someone who was like him when he was growing up. Listening to Drew will make you dump every excuse you have down the drain. Once the conversation wraps up (27:04), Billy talks about a defining moment of his life, which took place during his first week on-air as an anchor on Good Morning Wyoming. Also, be sure to follow Drew on Instagram @drewdeesreports & check out his podcast “Drew's News”

Billy sits down with KPLC's magnificent morning news duo for episode 8 of WOTN. Marcello Cuadra & Madison Glaser became best friends while studying at the University of Florida and now they work for the same news station in Lake Charles, Louisiana. After Marcello's voice cracked on live television, he made a viral video of the clip to turn the negative into an extreme positive. Billy and the two superstar talents discuss the blunder, reading the teleprompter, having a young on-air look, their special relationship and more. After the interview (33:38), Billy breaks down one very specific bad habit and the importance of dropping it completely from your life.

Billy welcomes one of the most accurate and likable forecasters on television to talk about the truths of being a meteorologist. Scot Pilié is a NOLA native and now he delivers the AM weather for Good Morning New Orleans on WGNO. Billy and Scot discuss how Scot dealt with hurricane Katrina as a young kid, how he fell in love with meteorology, what you have to study in college to become a meteorologist, how the job is done on live television, his experience as a gay man in the industry, and plenty more. After the meteorology mingle (27:32), Billy gets back on the track to discuss the importance of acknowledging your positive moments, trying new things as often as possible, and other enlightening points as the journey continues.

On episode 6 of WOTN, Olivia Young joined Billy to discuss her experience of starting her career in TV news during a global pandemic. Olivia is a reporter for KVAL/KMTR in Eugene, Oregon. She also anchors the morning news on KMTR because the former morning anchor (WOTN host Billy Floyd) left the business in February. This talented budding star expressed the challenges of reporting during the shutdowns, what she learned about herself during her first year in the business, how she always makes the most of every situation, and much more. After the conversation (24:24), Billy hops on the track by himself to talk about the importance of cutting out negative people, surrounding yourself around greatness, and doing whatever it takes to level up so you can get to exactly where you want to be in the future.

Billy was honored to be joined by Emmy-Award winning journalist, Julia Yarbough on episode 5 of WOTN. Julia entered the news industry in the late 1980s and her talents have graced television stations in Louisville, Tampa, Miami, Los Angeles, and more. This deep dive gives us a full breakdown of what it was like for Julia as she began her career and how much different it is for new reporters coming onto the scene.  Billy and Julia also discuss the progression of technology & social media, how the news is told, the fact that more young people are trusting their heart when it comes to career aspirations, and how you can truly learn something from literally anyone. At the conclusion of Billy and Julia's conversation (32:47), the Back 9 Show's Brian Rhatigan joins Billy to banter about the birth of WOTN and what it's like to fully follow your dream.

Billy Floyd was elated to be joined by Elizabeth VanMetre for episode 4 of WOTN. Elizabeth is a spectacular Springfield, Missouri anchor/reporter who changed her life drastically over the last year. After a lengthy span of her weight holding her back in her career, she decided to commit to transforming herself. In just one year, she lost over 100 lbs. In this episode, Elizabeth details the journey, how she was treated in the community when she was obese compared to when she lost the weight, how she handled the hate, and much more, as you could imagine. After Billy chats with Elizabeth (29:46), he's joined by the Back 9 Show's Brian Rhatigan for Sendoff SOTs. Billy details his daily schedule as a podcaster compared to his life as a morning news anchor, his strict tips on handling on social media after a breakup, and the top 3 experiences on his bucket list. Follow WOTN on IG: https://www.instagram.com/whosonthenews/ Follow Billy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/1billyfloyd/ Follow Billy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1BillyFloyd

Malik Wilson joins Billy Floyd for episode 3 of WOTN to discuss his life path and how his positive mindset allows him to trust the process.  Minot, North Dakota's finest details how he always knew he wanted to be a television personality and he couldn't have made up his path to get to where he is right now. His story highlights the message of staying present, stay patient and grateful through every opportunity, and know that it will all pay off when the timing is right. After the chat with Malik (27:28), the Back 9's Brian Rhatigan joins Billy for Send Off SOTs. Billy will break down how to be a successful communicator, ways to make healthier changes to your lifestyle, and how he got national attention while doing the morning news in Casper, Wyoming.

Billy is joined by his great pal, Carmine Gemei on the second ever episode of Who's On The News. Carmine currently delivers the evening news every weekday for KTVL in Medford, Oregon. Before making his way to the west coast, Carmine began his on-air career at KTWO in Casper, WY as the Sports Director.  This episode gives us an in-depth look at what it's like to start a television journey working for a small market and how Carmine became a beloved staple in the community by making the sports about the people, connecting with others in the most genuine fashion, and being himself at all times. The Back 9's Brian Rhatigan joins the program at the conclusion of the interview (45:27) to ask Billy a short list of questions sent in by our listeners. LINKS BELOW Follow WOTN on IG: https://www.instagram.com/whosonthenews/ Follow Billy Floyd on IG: https://www.instagram.com/1billyfloyd/ Follow Billy Floyd on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1BillyFloyd Follow Carmine Gemei on IG: https://www.instagram.com/carmine_gemei/ Follow Carmine Gemei on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarmineKTVL

KHSL's Amy Lanski joins Billy Floyd for the inaugural episode of Who's On The News. Amy dives deep into overcoming adversity and dealing with stressful situations the news life presents. Excellent tips are also dished out for the young aspiring journalists who are looking to succeed in the news industry. After the interview (33:26), The Back 9's Brian Rhatigan asks Billy several questions about his news experience sent in by fans of the program.  LINKS BELOW Follow WOTN on IG: https://www.instagram.com/whosonthenews/ Follow Billy Floyd on IG: https://www.instagram.com/1billyfloyd/ Follow Billy Floyd on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1BillyFloyd Follow Amy Lanski on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amylanski/ Follow Amy Lanski on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyLanskiTV

Who's On The News is a podcast focused on highlighting the personal stories and journeys of broadcast news professionals. WOTN is hosted by a former morning anchor himself, Billy Floyd.