Valentina Wilson

Valentina Wilson anchors NewsChannel 12 at 5, 6 and 11. Val loves the beauty of Eastern Carolina. A Southerner at heart, she is enchanted with the people and places that make the East so popular. The award-winning broadcaster got her first break in TV news as an anchor/reporter at WAFB TV9 in Baton Rouge, where she was a hometown favorite co-anchoring the weekend morning show and covering various beats including education, crime and general assignment. Her ambition and talent took her from the swamp to the desert in 2001, when she landed a position as weekend news anchor in Las Vegas, Nevada. She interviewed celebrities like boxing champ Laila Ali and co-hosted a live three-hour New Year's Eve broadcast on the roof of the famed Caesar's Palace. Val went on to become weekend weathercaster and reporter for KVVU Fox 5 in Las Vegas. After spending nearly two years out West, she returned to Louisiana to accept the 10 p.m. anchor slot at KLFY TV 10 in Lafayette. She was most recently the main anchor for WVLA NBC 33 in Baton Rouge, at 5, 6, & 10 p.m., and medical reporter for her daily franchise segment, 33 MD.

The multi-talented Wilson loves to write and is currently finishing up her first novel. While working as a TV journalist, she also served as a freelance writer and/or editor for various publications including ESSENCE magazine, The Las Vegas Sentinel Voice and The (Baton Rouge) Advocate.

Val has earned national and local recognition for her work including a first place Excellence in Medical Reporting Award from the Louisiana State Medical Society, first place Associated Press Award for Best Spot News and two School Bell awards for education reporting. The Louisiana Association of Broadcasters awarded Val with a Community Service Award for her year-long series on stroke prevention and awareness.

Val has received journalism fellowships from Families USA, the California Endowment, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the Casey Journalism Center. Another fellowship from the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation sent Val to Germany and Belgium, where she interviewed political and religious leaders and stood before the remnants of the Berlin Wall.

Born and raised in Pride, La., about 40 miles outside Baton Rouge, Val received a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Louisiana State University (summa cum laude) with a minor in Political Science. She was named an LSU Woman of Distinction in 2001. She would normally be yelling "Geaux Tigers" but will definitely enjoy taking in some ECU, UNC and Duke games.

Val was formerly a member of the LSU Student Media Advisory Board and volunteered with various mentoring groups. She loves genealogy, antiques, shopping for clothes and shoes, and working out several days a week. If you see her around town, she'll always greet you with a smile and a wave!