NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Our very own Tuwanda Coleman announced last week that after 41 years, she will be retiring from NewsChannel 5 and Talk of the Town.
She joined the NC5 family in 1981.
“I had no idea when I started how long I'd be here and I certainly didn't believe I'd be here 41 years! But I did know growing up I always wanted to work here,” she said. “This would like be my dream job because not only was it an hour and 30 minutes from my mom and dad, but we grew up watching channel 5.”
Then, a young reporter just starting her television career at NewsChannel 5 provided even more inspiration for a young Tuwanda Coleman.
“Oprah Winfrey came on tv. She was the first African American anchor that I had ever seen. My English teacher -- my speech and debate coach -- she said 'have you seen oprah the new girl on NewsChannel 5?' She said, 'I think that you could be the next Oprah Winfrey,'” Tuwanda said.
Tuwanda grew up in Cadiz, Kentucky, and majored in Broadcasting with an emphasis in news reporting at Western Kentucky. That's where she got an early brush with NewsChannel 5 legend and retired anchor Chris Clark, who, just a few years earlier had hired Oprah for her first job in TV. Tuwanda was one of just a few students selected to be in a class taught by Clark.
“I can truthfully say I have known Tuwanda longer than anybody else at Channel 5!” Clark said. “It started when I was teaching a journalism class at WKU and Tuwanda was a student of mine. She was the same person you see today, I swear she even looked then like she does today! I mean I don't think that woman has aged a day.”
Tuwanda remembers Clark’s instruction before she ever worked with him.
“I had Chris Clark as a teacher! Liong before I even got the chance to work with him, I had him as an instructor which was like a dream come true, I was so starstruck but I knew this was my teacher,” she said.
After graduating from Western, Tuwanda was offered a job at NewsChannel 5.
Jim Norton was the production manager at the time, and says Tuwanda was one of the first women hired by the station to work in the production department, and the first woman to run a studio camera here.
“Tuwanda made me understand right off the bat that she was willing to work. She didn't expect any special treatment because she was female. I might not outta say that but at that time, there weren’t many women working in production,” Norton said.
Tuwanda was truly a trailblazer. Her hard work opened the door for other women to join our production department.
“Back in those days, you had to set up sets and tear down sets and all this. Cameras were big, they weren't these little bitty things they were big cameras,” Norton said. ”She got in there and you didn't see any letdown on her part of whatever to be done. If it was to set up a set, if it was to work on the lighting…whatever it was, she could do it.”
Tuwanda's work ethic was noticed by management, and two women at the station helped her make important career moves. The late MayDean Eberling, an executive producer & station community affairs director, was instrumental in moving her into a producer position on Talk of the Town.
Years later, former station General Manager, Debbie Turner, helped her make the transition to being on air when she noticed Tuwanda's camera appeal from a video she had taped for the station's annual service awards.
At the time, Tuwanda was on assignment at a conference for the Children's Miracle Network telethon which she produced for NewsChannel 5 for many years. She was once named national producer of the year for the telethon, which raised millions of dollars locally for Monroe Carrell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
She has loved her time producing on what is now one of the most successful locally produced talk shows in the country.
“Oh gosh, I love so much about working in TOTT, I guess the best part about it -- I love being able to allow people to tell their story,” she said. “I love being able to bring the viewers information that they may not know about, and at the same time - help people promote whatever it is they're promoting.”
As a producer, she knows Talk of the Town is a show designed to help inform and entertain our viewers.
“Over the years we've done research and focus groups, and viewers tell us that talk of the town is the bright spot in their day…and that is what I think about when I book guests,” Tuwanda said.
That focus helped earn two Emmy nominations for her work. She is leaving behind several current jobs. Since Meryll Rose's retirement from NewsChannel 5 last year January, she has done the weekly segments with Ms. Cheap. Meanwhile, on NewsChannel 5 PLUS, she's been the host of The Plus Side of Nashville for the last 17 years. It's a showcase for positive events and organizations within our community. She also hosts Taste of the Town, a spin-off of Talk of the Town featuring recipes.
In the past, she led the intern program for the show for many years....mentoring countless college students as they started careers in broadcasting and related fields. She also mentored through the YMCA's Black Achiever Program. As she prepares for retirement, Tuwanda says she's been blessed.
“My career at channel 5 has been everything I ever dreamed of and more,” she said.
She is now planning to do more volunteer work. Throughout her career, she has worked with several non-profits including Oasis Center, Children's Hospital and the Nashville Chapter for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
She also wants to spend more time with her husband Charles, who is a retired veteran and now a Sergeant with Metro Nashville Police.
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
