Brandy Lawrence had no intention of ever being on television when WOAY in Oak Hill
originally recruited her as a Social Media Manager.
It didn’t take long for Lawrence to be thrust into the spotlight. After being noticed for
her organizational skills and her work on the station’s website, Lawrence was asked if
she would like to work as an assignment editor. Lawrence accepted the offer, not
knowing another proposition would soon come her way.
“I was asked, ‘Do you want to be the assignment editor?’” Lawrence said, “And I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll try’. Then I started doing my own stories and it segued into the anchor
thing.”
When the need for an anchor presented itself, Lawrence stepped up to the task.
Lawrence said she only had a couple of weeks’ worth of anchor training before going on
air and that her grandmother had unfortunately passed away the night before her first broadcast.
“I was in a weird emotional state and also kind of nervous,” Lawrence said, “I thought I
was just going to sit in that newsroom and write stories for the website. It was a surreal
feeling.”
As Lawrence became more immersed in her new role, she also got more involved with
production, providing her more creative-control in her story-telling.
“I enjoy the freedom of deciding what stories I feature in my shows, Lawrence said.”
Lawrence is adamant about utilizing her platform to tell the Black stories that might
have otherwise gone untold. She references the story of a Mcdowell County woman who
reached out to inform the station that she and a group of other black adventurers
recently climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
“I thought it was something really powerful for our people to see,” Lawrence said, “It’s
one of my favorite stories so far.”
Lawrence hopes that people are more willing to watch the news because there is
someone that looks like them and provides the language they are looking for. She also hopes to prioritize stories that directly impact black people in the Bluefield, Beckley and Oak Hill area.
“As a native Southern West Virginian, it’s just nice to see someone that looks like you,”
Lawrence said, “We’re here. There’s not a whole lot of us but we’re here and we have a
rich history.”
Lawrence’s sister Janae Lawrence said she is immensely proud of her and attributes
much of her success to her childhood love of reading.
“She’s a breath of fresh air to Southern West Virginia news and media, “Janae said, “She
is very poised and full of elegance. I’m so glad that she found herself in this career. She
has brought great honor to our family and I love her so much.”
Lawrence is also happy to serve as a representation and inspiration for little black girls who may be interested in becoming journalists.
“If I can give them that just by being in this role and doing what I love, that’s more than
enough for me,” Lawrence said.
Connect With Brandy:
Facebook | Brandy Lawrence WOAY
Email | Blawrence@woay.com
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