-== News Channel 12==-

To Schedule a Talent appearance send an email to:
Talent Bureau

Skip Waters
Chief Meteorologist

My television career actually started before I made a career choice to pursue broadcast meteorology. From fall 1970 through spring 1971, I was the science, geography and miscellaneous team representative on the WBBH-TV20 "High School Quiz Bowl" program in Fort Myers, Florida where I attended North High School. I was the blond kid who knew the answer to questions like "what fish has both eyes on one side of its head?.... North Fort Myers.... Waters.... the Flounder" and "what is the ugliest mammal on earth?.... The Warthog." Little did I know that to be the beginning of a fun and exciting career in television. After college at the University of South Florida in Tampa, I returned to Fort Myers and went to work as a television meteorologist at WEVU-TV26 the ABC affiliate in Southwest, Florida. I worked there from October 1976 through April 1982 when the opportunity to return home to my native North Carolina was made available to me at WCTI-TV12. It was a pleasure to move back to North Carolina where I was born (Greensboro) and where most of my family still lives.

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	Wes Goforth Anchor

Thanks for watching Newschannel 12 and for visiting our website. So much has happened in Eastern North Carolina since I began anchoring the weeknight 6 and 11 o'clock newscasts. As our beautiful area grows, so does the great quality of life here. Before coming to North Carolina in 1997, I worked in television news in Columbia and Kansas City, Missouri and in Buffalo, New York. I also worked in media relations in New York City. My media career actually began in my rural Missouri hometown, where my great-grandfather founded a weekly newspaper. I attended the University of Missouri at Columbia and the State University of New York at Buffalo. I'm active in volunteer work with several projects and agencies. My wife Kathy is a wonderful companion, a life-long educator and National Board Certified teacher, and a terrific Italian cook! We enjoy exercising, gardening, writing and playing with our two Yorkshire terriers, Scooter and Rocky. What a handful they are! ^BACK TO TOP^

	Brian North Sports Director

Brian was born and raised in upstate New York in the small town of Hartford where he grew up on a dairy farm. He played soccer, basketball, and baseball (we were so small we didn't have football) and graduated from Hartford Central School in 1988. Brian graduated from James Madison University in 1992 with honors. He majored in communications with a concentration in broadcasting and a minor in coaching. Brian's first job in television was at WHSV in Harrisonburg, Virginia from 1992-98 as the weekend sports anchor and sports reporter. He won the golden Viddy Award in 1997 for outstanding sports feature. He also anchored and produced the "VMI Sports Magazine" from 1994-98 which aired regionally on HTS and Sportssouth. Brian was hired at WCTI in September of 1998 as the sports director and he has won the award for best sportscast three times (2005, 2006, 2007). His favorite memories include covering the many high school state championship teams, ACC Tournaments, and Daytona 500's. Brian still get chills thinking about standing on the fringe of the 18th green at Pinehurst in 1999 and watching Payne Stewart hit the putt to win the U.S. Open, and covering the ECU football team's upset up Miami in Raleigh while all of eastern North Carolina was dealing with the floods from Hurricane Floyd. Brian also covered the Panthers trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004 and was also along for the ride when UNC won the 2005 NCAA basketball championship. He has also been to numerous college football bowl games involving teams from the state of North Carolina. One of Brian's toughest days at WCTI was at the 2001 Daytona 500. He was standing on the pit wall when Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the race. Brian is proud to bring all the big and little sports moments to the viewers of eastern North Carolina, and he will continue to put forth the great effort to make sure your team and sport gets the coverage it deserves. ^BACK TO TOP^

Annette Newell
Anchor

News has been my passion for my entire life; some of my earliest childhood memories are of watching my grandparents at work at a newspaper. They really inspired me.

I'm proud to call the East home and have lived in North Carolina for eight years covering news in New Bern, Greenville and the rest of the East, and previously I worked as a news anchor and reporter in Charlotte too. I have also worked in this business in Orlando, New York City, Mobile, Buffalo (where I worked with Wes Goforth!) and even Anchorage Alaska! But Eastern North Carolina has a special place in my heart and I love covering the diverse people and events here.

Some of my work has won state and national awards, "Best Newscast" and "Best News Operation" in the state, "Best Series," "Best Story." I had a lot of fun competing in the Triangle Business Journal's News Anchors Stock Derby, and ended up winning that! But it's not all about contests and competition: I want to help our viewers, and be an advocate for them, that is the greatest reward.

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	Les Still Meteorologist

I am a meteorologist that delivers the StormTrack12 forecast each weekday morning and noon. I bring with me over 10 years of TV weather forecasting experience. Before coming to North Carolina, I worked in television weather in Lancaster and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and in Hagerstown, Maryland. I was pleased my career began in my home state of Maryland. From the time I was in elementary school, I knew I wanted to be a television meteorologist. In 1997, I graduated from Millersville University with a degree in Meteorology. Some of my career highlights include the historic December 2006 Pennsylvania tornado outbreak, reporting live from the floods of Ivan in 2004 and the Presidents Day Blizzard of 2003, not to mention numerous severe weather and snow events. I hold the American Meteorological Society Television Seal of Approval for accurate and professional weather forecasting. My hobbies include being a huge train buff with a large collection of Lionel model trains. I also have been officiating high school basketball for over 8 years. I‘ve been married for over 10 years and have two children. ^BACK TO TOP^

Dominic Brown
Meteorologist

I am excited to be here in Eastern Carolina! I come from the Peach State, born and raised in suburban Atlanta in Locust Grove, Georgia. For as long as I can remember, weather has always been in me. In fact, since I was a kid, I have loved telling people about the weather. It was always a childhood dream of mine to become a meteorologist, even before I knew how to spell it! However, I never thought I’d finally be living out my dream.

I began my career at Newschannel 12 in January 2008 after spending two years in Starkville, Mississippi. That’s where I received my Master of Science in Geosciences/Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University. While there, I was a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Communication. I also had the opportunity to get a taste of all kinds of severe weather while chasing storms in Mississippi and all over the Great Plains as well as witnessing firsthand the destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Before arriving at MSU, I received my Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast News from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

While in school, I interned and learned from some of the most professional and respected journalists and meteorologists at WSB-TV in Atlanta and WCBS-TV in New York City. Both internships proved to be invaluable experiences, which helped me lay my foundation. I am also a member of the American Meteorological Society, the National Weather Association, and the National Association of Black Journalists.

So join me every weekend! I am up bright and early to give you your forecast and help you plan your day on Good Morning Eastern Carolina Weekend Edition. When I’m not working, you can often catch me spending time with family and friends, going to the movies, attempting to work out, watching sports, cheering on my Georgia and Mississippi State Bulldogs, and getting to know Eastern Carolina.

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	Kara Coleman Anchor

Having spent the majority of my life in the North, and the past two years in the Deep South, I'm happy now to be living in a happy medium of Eastern Carolina! My family vacationed here when I was growing up, and it's great to be back, and to now call it home! I was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania and at age 9 was performing live reports for my family and friends on vacations, and whenever else I could get in front of a camera! It's safe to say I was born to do news! I enjoy everything about the business, from meeting new people, to knowing a little about a lot, and learning something new every day. I've always wanted to be a part of a morning show, where I could start my day doing what I love. I am so happy to now be working on Good Morning Eastern Carolina, and waking up with such wonderful people every single day! I am blessed to be able to love coming to work each day. I attended St. Bonaventure University where I graduated with an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. During my schooling, I spent time in Washington, D.C., where I interned for MSNBC. It was a pleasure to work with network news, but the experience helped me to realize that local news is my passion. Two days after college graduation, I moved to Greenville, MS where I accepted my first job as a reporter and co-anchor of the 10 o'clock news at WXVT Channel 15, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. From there, I am here, making a home in Eastern Carolina! In my free time, I love keeping in touch with family, making new friends, reading, traveling, laughing, and drinking coffee! Please feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments, or suggestions about Good Morning Eastern Carolina! It's just as much your show, as it is ours! God Bless. ^BACK TO TOP^

	Mike Licquia Reporter

As a reporter I've seen it all in just a few years. I've covered everything from droughts to floods, blizzards to hurricanes, and even from the Pope to an execution. At Newschannel 12 I focus on stories in Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties, but the news has taken me all across eastern North Carolina. My nose for news caught its first whiffs of excitement before I ever reached my teens. As a paperboy in Champaign, Illinois I delivered The News Gazette and grew a love of the sports page and the Fighting Illini. After writting three years on my high school newspaper I took my talents to the University of Missouri. The day I squeaked into their journalism program I kissed one of the historic columns in the heart of campus. Before long my first stories started airing on KOMU-TV in Columbia and I decided to focus on news instead of sports. In 1999 I graduated with degrees in Broadcast News and History and found my first full-time news job in Abilene, Texas. In the next two years at KTXS in I covered crime and courts before taking a break from TV. I headed to Barcelona, Spain to help start a ministry there with Campus Crusade for Christ. That year held many frustrating moments but treasures as well in a rich and beautiful country. I'm still young but pretty much resigned that I'll never live in a cooler city than Barcelona. Back in the states I searched near and far for my next job and landed far, Fargo to be exact with WDAY. I found out first hand North Dakota's just as cold as advertised. I learned how to bundle up for live shots at -20 degrees. After a year and a half I traded the snow for the sand at the beaches near WCTI. Since October of 2004 I've enjoyed the people, places, and little pleasures Eastern North Carolina. Most of all I found a beautiful girl from Morehead City to make my bride. Kelly could have saved me years of wandering if I only knew about this Carolina girl long ago. Now she's helping out with the ratings by keeping all her friends and family tuned in to Channel 12. ^BACK TO TOP^

	Aisha Howard Reporter

I'm honored to be blessed with the tools to tell your story! I'm a northerner at heart. Born and raised in Flint, Michigan. I must admit, the weather in beautiful North Carolina has me hooked! I joined the News Channel 12 team in February 2008. I made my way to eastern North Carolina from the Peach State. While in Atlanta, Georgia I worked as an Assignment Editor and Reporter Trainee for WSB-TV. I had the chance to learn the daily operations of a fast paced newsroom. I contributed to the daily newscast, finding key information to get breaking news on the air. I had to take my passion for the news industry outside of the building. So I hit the streets of metro Atlanta on the overnight shift. Working the scene and sharpening my tools as a young growing reporter. I graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism. Go Spartans! While at MSU I worked as an Anchor and Reporter for an award winning news magazine, Focal Point. I'm a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. When I'm not telling the daily news I enjoy shopping and staying in shape. I love meeting new people so if you see me be sure to stop and say hello. Thanks for visiting our site. Come back and see us again soon! If you have story ideas feel free to email me ^BACK TO TOP^

	Derek Bayne Sports Anchor

I've been a sports fan ever since I can remember. One of my first memories is of my hometown Chicago Bears winning Super Bowl XX. I grew up just northwest of Chicago in Palatine, IL, then moved onto the University of Missouri where I majored in broadcast journalism and minored in Spanish and sociology. In Columbia, MO I worked as a sports anchor, reporter and producer for KOMU, the NBC affiliate in mid-Missouri. After a long search for a sports job after college, I decided to broaden my horizons and look for photographer jobs. That brought me out here to Eastern North Carolina, where I was a cameraman and weekend news reporter. This taught me the area and allowed me to meet countless great people. But my true passion is sports, and when the weekend sports job came open, there was my window. So now you will be catching me out at your local high school or college, helping to provide the widest ranging sports coverage in the area. I'm always open to talk sports, so feel free to come say hello. When I'm not working, of course I enjoy watching and playing sports, with basketball being my favorite. I get up to the rec center at least a few times a week, perfecting my jumper. I also love music and movies, but I have too many favorites to list here. I look forward to covering your local team, and telling your sports stories....READY, BREAK!! ^BACK TO TOP^

	Michael Craig Meteorologist

Hi! I've wanted to live on the coast my whole life, and finally things have worked out! I was raised in Knoxville, TN, which is where I went to high school and met the man who would spark my interest in meteorology. I was fascinated by the position, but didn't consider it seriously until I already had other plans. I moved to Starkville, MS, to start school at Mississippi State University as an industrial engineering student. It took me all of one semester to realize that this might not be the major for me. As it turns out, the Lord had a different plan in bringing me to MSU. I heard about the broadcast meteorology program and was hooked. I graduated in four years with a geoscience degree with an emphasis in broadcast meteorology. I worked for a roofing company in Mississippi until I got the offer from WCTI. I'm loving the area and look forward to becoming a part of this community. A little bit about my family: after my first year in college, they moved to Southeast Asia to be missionaries. My dad took his environmental engineering business, my mom, and my five younger brothers and sisters with him. I got saved as a child, and was raised in a great, loving home. I love God and thank Him for all His blessings. I love to read, watch movies, throw frisbees, play frisbee golf, ride my mountain bike, hike, and talk to my friends back home. I guess that about covers it. Thanks for reading up on me. ^BACK TO TOP^

Anna Bulszewicz
Reporter

Hello Eastern North Carolina! My name is Anna Bulszewicz and let me tell you, I'll take a Carolina winter over a Michigan winter any day of the week!

I come to you as a mid-western girl, born and raised in a suburb of Detroit. I'm simply delighted to be a part of your community!

As the oldest of four, and the daughter of two outstanding parents, I've learned that people are what make life beautiful, everyday people like you and me. I'm here to talk to you, deliver your story, and report the news that affects the Coastal Carolina region.

My story is this, I earned my Journalism and Mass Communication degree at St. Bonaventure University, and shortly after, grabbed my first on-camera job at WBKB-TV in Alpena, Michigan. There I worked as a news reporter, anchor, and talk show host on "Insights into Northeast Michigan."

Want to know my interests? I love the beach and the sun! I'm quite fond of music of many genres, preferably classic rock, and I enjoy a good romantic comedy. I know, typical right?

Folks, I can't wait to make an impact on your lives. Please don't let the spelling of my last name scare you off.

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Elitza Bizios
Reporter

Hello Eastern Carolina!

My name is Elitsa Bizios. I know the name my look a little strange but once you get it, you’ve got it…it’s pronounced, ee-lee-t-sa.

I am honored to share that cup of coffee with you on the weekend mornings and report on a variety of stories during the week. I am originally from the Chicago area, the city of big shoulders, the city that never sleeps and weather that never seems to surprise me, let me tell you one thing; the weather here in Eastern North Carolina is beautiful, even in the middle of winter!

I grew up in a Greek-American household; both of my parents emigrated from Greece leaving me with the proud status of being 100% Greek. I am the oldest of four girls, yes; we always had a busy and loud household, the joys of being ethnic!!! Growing up I went to Greek school and was always working at our family’s restaurant--typical Greek Gal with a typical non stop Greek work ethic. But the one thing I knew was different about myself is that I wanted to be a journalist, I've always wanted to search for knowledge and the truth. I’ve always loved chasing the story, I've always loved telling those stories and keeping people informed and educated, I think I was born to inform.

I really got into T.V. as a high school student. I interned at Naperville’s community television station (NCTV); this where that little spark inside me started to burn and become a small fire.

Once I graduated high school I went on to Columbia College Chicago where I really got a grasp on media and what it means to be a true journalist. While in school I continued working at NCTV as a reporter and producer and took on various internships throughout my 4-years. I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in broadcast journalism.

And now, here I am in North Carolina loving every minute of it; everyone in the east is just fantastic, warm and friendly, you've all made me feel right at home!

Please feel free to share any story ideas you may have. If you wonder why something is the way it is, if something is really bothering or if you know of someone going above and beyond, I’d love to hear from you. We as a TV news station are here to: share your stories, help get your voice heard and get problems solved!

Thanks so much for watching News Channel 12…see you on-air and around town!

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Carly Swain
Reporter

I am the Newschannel 12 and FOX Eastern Carolina bureau chief in Jacksonville.

Once my Mom heard I wanted to work in television news, she got that "I knew it!" look in her eye and reminded me of my second grade, crowning glory, book report in the style of a newscast. (Of course, it was filmed on those massive old camcorders that used VHS tapes!) The career choice was no surprise to her, but Mom's always have a hunch don't they? I've always enjoyed telling stories and hearing about other people's perspectives.

I'm originally a California girl, turned Carolina girl. I studied Journalism and Drama at UNC Chapel Hill (go Heels!) and spent the majority of my time either in the booth directing live student newscasts or on the desk anchoring them. During my time at Carolina, I also served as the Bureau Chief for the pilot year of ABC News On

Campus: a new extension of the network on college campuses. I am most proud of my work as a Co-Producer and Director for the special broadcast that won a first-place Emmy award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. During my good ole' college years, I won the Regional and National award from the Society of Professional Journalists for General TV News Reporting, honors from the Hearst program, and Collegiate Broadcasters Inc. Now I'm excited to be reporting in Eastern North Carolina!

Some of my favorite stories include the Tar Heel's 2008 NCAA Championship celebration, and a three part series "Dead Man Walking,"

when I had the opportunity to interview author Sister Helen Prejean and of course, a football passing and receiving tutorial with Herschel Walker when he made a visit to Camp Lejeune.

If there is one thing I've learned so far, it's that T.V. news is a team sport, and a team can't win with just one person playing. That includes viewers! So if you have an idea for a story or just an opinion you want to share-- shoot me an email! I'd love to hear about what's on your mind.

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Alize' Proisy
Reporter

I am so fortunate to be working my dream job here in beautiful Eastern North Carolina. My favorite thing to do is tell stories, and now I get the chance to tell yours! I am originally from Paris, France, but I have spent a good amount of time here in the United States.

I started out in Bar Harbor, Maine and then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota for high school and college at the University of Minnesota. There I majored in broadcast journalism and minored in golf. I also got a French degree at the Université de la Sorbonne in Paris.

I started my journalism career as a reporter and anchor in Great Falls, Montana. Although I've only lived in states that start with the letter M, I am very excited to live in one that starts with an N. When I'm not busy at work I try and stay out of trouble. I love going rollerblading and surfing at Emerald Isle with my dog Ava.

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