How opportunities for women have changed in television and at NBC4

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – As NBC4 celebrates 75 years in 2024, so much has changed in the television industry for women in the newsroom.

Anchor Colleen Marshall said, “When I was a kid and you watched television news, you saw old white men anchoring.”

She reached out to Diann Burns, who worked at WCMH in 1983 and ’84 before working the next 25 years in Chicago. Marshall said Burns taught her how to apply makeup for TV cameras.

“Columbus and Channel 4 were my opportunity to get my first steps in this business, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity and for my time there,” Burns said.

And Marshall got together with three current NBC4 anchors who rarely overlap: herself, NBC4 Today anchor Monica Day, and First at 4 and NBC4 at 5 anchor Jennifer Bullock. Together, they shared their experiences on what life was and is like for women in the industry.

You can watch the full interview in the video player below:

“Up until the last three, maybe four years, I was constantly trying to prove myself and trying to prove that I could do the job and that I belonged, that I had stories to tell and that I was capable of telling those stories,” Bullock said.

“It’s such a blessing to have this job,” Day said. “I'm so lucky to have this job and so lucky to have the opportunity to help all of these organizations in central Ohio. Shame on me if I don’t.”