Barbara’s Refocusing!

NORFOLK

One of Hampton Roads’ most familiar and beloved faces on TV Broadcasting announced this week she is beginning a new phase of her life as she ends a 50-year journalism career.

Barbara Ciara, currently  WTKR News 3 Managing Editor, Evening Anchor and Hampton Roads news icon, plans to end her 50-year career in print and broadcast news in December. She said she is marking the milestone occasion by refocusing her life goals. Newly engaged, Barbara and her fiancé have plans for world travel.

Ciara completes a fulfilling career at WTKR News 3 where she started in 2000. She spent the last 43 years in the Hampton Roads spotlight, spending time at WVEC and WAVY before landing at WTKR.

“Not many people in this industry have the opportunity to work at three network affiliates without changing zip codes,” Ciara noted. “I consider myself blessed to have had a challenging career without sacrificing my connection to community.”

Ciara published her first news article in a college newspaper, which began her 50-year career in print and broadcast.

Her journalism spans the globe. She reported from Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center.

Nearly a decade earlier, Ciara covered Operations Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom from active military locations in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Ciara also provided coverage from GITMO after Cuban refugees escaped communist rule.

On the home front, Ciara’s reporting  includes investigative journalism and interviews with prominent figures like Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, not to mention, an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“Barbara’s leadership, presence and legacy will impact our community commitment for years to come,” said Adam

Chase, WTKR Vice President and General Manager. “Her panache, sharp wit and contagious laugh will be missed in our newsroom.”

Barbara Ciara served as President for the National Association of Black Journalists from 2007-2009 and she served a term as President of Unity Journalists of Color, representing Asian, Hispanic, Native American, and Black Journalists.

Ciara currently serves on the board of trustees for the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the NationalnAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Ciara said she is most proud of her journalism that gives a voice to the voiceless, and has been awarded several Capital Regional Emmys, and nominations. Her most recent Emmy win in 2020 was for the long form documentary “The New Canaan Experiment – Teaching Tolerance.”

Ciara’s last day with WTKR News 3 will be December 1, 2023. Starting December 4, News 3’s Jessica Larche will join Kurt Williams and Patrick Rockey in the afternoon. Blaine Stewart, Erin Miller, Jennifer Lewis, and Myles Henderson will continue to inform and inspire viewers on News 3 This Morning.

WTKR is a member of the The Scripps Networks.