Tegna NBC affiliate WXIA Atlanta today appointed Denisha Thomas news director. She will start her new role on July 22 and report to Carol Fowler, 11Alive’s director of content.
Thomas is currently news director of Tegna’s WATN Memphis and has the distinction of being first Black woman to lead a newsroom in that city. Since joining WATN in 2020, she’s launched strategic efforts to reach more Memphians through solutions-focused storytelling about the region’s challenges and increasing digital and social media news content.
As a result, Tegna said, WATN “became the only station in the market with year-over-year growth in both aggregated broadcast share and across all digital platforms — exceeding its goals of increasing streaming hours watched and creating original digital and social content.”
While attending the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Thomas moved to Atlanta for a second time to intern at a local TV station. After graduation she worked as a producer in Jonesboro, Ark., Memphis, Tenn., and Cleveland, Ohio before being promoted to executive producer roles in Buffalo, N.Y. and again in Cleveland.
In addition to supervising daily news gathering, Tegna said Thomas will take a fresh look at workflows inside and outside the station to ensure journalists are covering what’s important to metro Atlantans. That includes aggressive reporting of the day’s major stories, weather, matters of safety, traffic and transportation, the cost of living, and community problems.
“Denisha’s reputation as a strong journalist and change leader is well known in the media industry. Her no-nonsense style is welcome in a business that needs more people who are both direct and empathetic,” said Carol Fowler, 11Alive director of content.
A seven-time Regional Edward R. Murrow Award recipient and three-time Emmy-nominated producer, Thomas is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
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