Page 25 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2018

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LOCALBROADCASTER CONTINUESFAMILYTRADITION
story by Meaghan Chapman photos courtesy of WXXV
Reporting community news is a legacy for News 25’s Tanner Stewart. The family tradition began in the ‘60s, with his grandfather Dan Stewart, a (now retired) reporter and anchor for WHBQ in Memphis, Tennessee. Growing up, Tanner was regaled with stories of his grandfather’s days in broadcast —
including those of his father watching his grandfather anchor the news on their television at home.
“It has always fascinated me,” Stewart said. Having an experienced newsman in the family helped inspire Tanner’s career in television, and also helped to sharpen his on-air skills.
Tanner got his start at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro where he reported for his college television station before landing his first job in broadcast in July 2017 at WXXV NEWS 25. He credits his grandfather with paving the way for
his eventual path to the
anchor desk. “My grandfather obviously played a big role in my career choice; I knew it was in my blood. I have a couple
of VHS tapes of his work that
I used to watch in college, he was out of the business by my time, but I’ve seen plenty of his work.”
Now Stewart’s entire family, including his grandfather, watch him weeknights on NEWS 25’s live streamed 5:30 p.m. newscast
on wxxv25.com. Stewart is grateful that he hosts segments such as ‘Expert Talk’ and the Friday night weekly segment ‘This Week in the Headlines’ as they allow friends and family back home more opportunity to watch and critique his work.
“It always makes me happy to know my dad never misses a show, and my mom is probably sharing our show to social media right now. They are the biggest fans I have,” he said.
Stewart will continue to anchor the 9 p.m. newscast on FOX 25 and the 5:30 and 10 p.m. newscasts on NBC every weeknight,
but he said he has big plans for the future: “I grew up idolizing guys like (Tom) Brokaw. I continue to watch Lester Holt and other anchors when I can. It seems there isn’t a moment that goes by when I don’t think ...‘what if I have that chance one day?’”
TANNER STEWART
TANNER STEWART’S GRANDFATHER, Dan Stewart
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September 2018 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 25
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