TMJ4 News is happy to announce that Adriana Mendez will serve as the station’s new morning anchor.
Adriana will co-anchor TMJ4 News Today alongside Tom Durian, filling the vacancy recently created by Symone Woolridge.
Watch: A highlight reel of some of Adriana's best moments over the years.
Adriana’s journey to anchor is an inspiring one. She started at the station in reception more than a decade ago, commuting each day from Kenosha.
“It’s been an emotional whirlwind, and as I am ready to embark on this new journey I can't help but reflect on those early days when I would drive from Kenosha to Milwaukee to work as a part-time receptionist at TMJ4,” Adriana said. “Back then, many people questioned why I would make a 50-minute trip just to work a few hours a day, however; deep down, I believed it would be the first stepping stone to something greater.”
Adriana grew up in Kenosha and attended the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Watch: Adriana Mendez named next co-anchor of TMJ4 News Today:
After interning in the TMJ4 News and Sports departments and graduating from college, she worked in Waco, Texas as a general assignment reporter. She then traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan and Asheville, North Carolina, where she worked as a traffic anchor and multimedia journalist, before returning to TMJ4 in 2018.
“I look at the TMJ4 greats like Carole Meekins and Susan Kim and the impact they have had on the community. They are both talented, strong, and smart women who have helped lead our TMJ4 News team with grace and compassion,” Adriana said. “I hope to follow in their footsteps.”
“Adriana is one of the hardest working people I know,” said Tim Vetscher, news director at TMJ4. “She’s also the first person to recognize other coworkers for good work. So, not only is she a strong journalist, she is a great teammate. We could not be more thrilled that Adriana is taking this next step with TMJ4 News.”
“For the past six years, I’ve called TMJ4 my second family. I met so many incredible and wonderful viewers who have also felt like extended family and friends,” Adriana added. “I’m so honored that we all can take this next journey together.”
Adriana will make her debut as anchor on Monday, December 9.
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