NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Behind the scenes, a broadcast can be flawless. The writing can be smart, the stories compelling. But all the rest of that falls short without heart.
For the last 33 years, that's what Vicki Yates has brought to every newscast, a fact that pulses through our newsroom. But it should come as no surprise that fact looms large.
"Usually when I think of NewsChannel 5, I think of her," said Jordan Wilson, one of the many Middle Tennessee kids who grew up watching Vicki. "For a time, I wanted to be an anchor."
And now, his team at WVLN News at La Vergne High School attempts to emulate what they've learned.
"Thinking about what she does helps me enunciate my words and think about what I need to do to be an anchor," he said.
For Kirstin Ramsey, watching Vicki as a kid extended well beyond simple admiration.
"It’s just very important to see someone that looks like you. Like I said, growing up in a smaller town, you don’t see that very much," Ramsey said. "I would watch her, see how she carries herself, how she speaks on TV. Just, you know, practice in the mirror a little bit."
Vicki left such a mark that Kristin decided she'd explore following in her footsteps.
"I fan girled a little when I see her," she said.
That was through a summer internship here at NewsChannel 5. That included a few days where she literally got to follow her around.
"It made me appreciate journalism a lot more, because I was able to see all the work that actually goes into putting a story together," she said.
Kirstin is still considering a jump in journalism, and if that's the route she takes, she knows who will be her muse.
"Just to know that I could be there one day," she said. "May have to go get me some nice shoes, some nice heels or something. Step my game up a little bit on that."
It's tough to know we will be losing someone with so much heart in our newsroom. But there is comfort in knowing that because of Vicki, the future of journalism won't skip a beat.
