Yetta Gibson

I'm gonna say my parents. You know, it was kind of a battle getting into this business. I wanted to be a dentist at first, and they were all good with that, and then when I changed my mind and pivoted to broadcasting, which is so different from most careers, and especially being from the South, it sounded like something that was not going to be sustainable. But once it started looking like it was going to become sustainable, when I started getting really successful in the business, everything changed and they became my biggest cheerleaders. You know, really encouraging me, even to this day. My mom has passed away a long time ago, it's been at least 11 years now, and I was thinking just this morning about something she told me as it pertains to my career, which is, you know, I can do anything. All I have to do is say I'm gonna do it, and all I have to do is act on it. And as simple as that sounds, it still encourages me, and it still motivates me to keep elevating and to think about new ways to do my craft and to get to the next level. So, I would say my parents, for sure. I mean, they are the ones who remember from the beginning when I was starting this and doing all kinds of internships, and moving to different states, coming home on the weekends because I was all alone in these new cities, so they supported that very shortly after I got into it, and I feel like I've done very well since that day.

For me, it's always been be yourself. Nobody can do that better than you. I think that's overall very good advice, but I think for me, in a world where we have to be a certain way as journalists, I believe that it can be a bit cookie cutter if you're not careful. And it's very easy to carve out who you are if you leave the aspects of yourself in place and not try to fit them into a box, you know? I'm a very conversational person. That's just how I am. I'm very casual. I break things down to discuss with people in a very casual way, and sometimes, you know, in the past, I have found - in the past, way in the past, I definitely don't do it anymore - I've found myself trying to build up language in such a way that it seems like a journalist would speak, right? Instead of just using my normal voice. So I think just being true to yourself on and off camera, being the same person who you are when you're not in front of a camera, is the key to success.

You know, being a woman is very hard in the workplace, and also, especially so in this industry, just because, you know, even though it's 2026, it's really hard for our voices to be heard over the men, and it's really hard for us to be one of the main fixtures in this business, even though it's happening, but it's a struggle to get there. I think that there are a lot of things that you have to let go, and don't let them be the end of the journey because of the experience. You kind of have to bulldoze through some moments to get to where you need to be. And even when you get there, it's a struggle, but you have to realize that you got there for a reason, you may not always get the accolades for it, you may not always be told that you did a great job. But, there is a reason why you are there, and there is a reason why you went to the next level, and went to the next level, although it has felt like a very hard journey. So, it's almost like, have faith in yourself. People don't get to rise in this industry very easily, and if you see yourself on the upswing in this business, you are doing well. You have to be your own cheerleader, and you have to get rid of the idea that you're going to be told that you're doing a good job. This industry doesn't promote a lot of people. And if you're being promoted, and if you're elevating and moving forward, you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing, and you're doing it well, and you are supposed to be there.

Well, the opportunities are how the industry is changing in terms of how people consume media and how people consume content. It is no longer just sitting down at the dinner table and watching the 5 o'clock news, or at night watching the 10 o'clock news. There are a lot of opportunities to get an audience on your own. There's a lot of opportunities in different channels to get to your audiences, so there's a lot of ways that you can create content, have your voice heard, rather than just linear on TV stations and things like that. And that is exciting, because even TV stations are taking advantage of those different spaces that we are now able to conquer. The challenge is, by the same token, it can be a challenge to figure out how to speak to those different areas, right? Like, there are people who - I would say 99% of people grab their phones when they wake up in the morning, and they don't turn on the TV, and they want to consume their news and whatever is happening in the world that way. So, how do you reach those people? Like, how do you know how to do that? There are places where people can teach you that, but a lot of it involves figuring that out. But once you figure that out, that kind of niche, you can be successful in a non-traditional space. So the challenge is getting out of this traditional news mindset and figuring out where you can still be relevant, because people still want to know what's going on, they just may not do it the way we've always done it. It's an adventure. I shouldn't say challenge, but it is, but it's a very healthy challenge. It's very stimulating to try and figure out, how do I reach more people? How do I do that? Because it's not just on TV, it's online, it's on social, it's on streaming, it can be anywhere, it can be any type of way, but how do you do it?

I have so many values, but you know, I am right now in the midst of trying to - and this is every woman's problem, I believe, who's a mom, especially - trying to balance it all. Sometimes we can get lost. We can say, oh, I'm trying to balance it all, and we still lean one way, which is always work. So right now, I would say, in the current day, my value is making sure that I'm not getting completely swallowed up in the issues and the news headlines and letting that consume me. I think my kids, I got 2 girls, I think making sure that I'm spending as much time as possible to impact them and to be an influence to them, versus getting swallowed up in work. I was very guilty of that in many years of my career. And I'm trying to really put focus on splitting the time, because my family is important, and I have two girls who are gonna probably be having interviews like this later on in life, and they need my impact, they need my lessons, they need my influence. And I just have to make sure that it's there. So, I guess the values in a word would be family. And making sure that I'm doing everything I can to nurture the relationship with my girls, and to nurture their upbringing, and make sure that I'm there for them as they understand what values are and what's important as they get older.