Candyce Clifft, Bolivar Native and Award-winning News Anchor, Reflects on Years at Tennessee Tech

By Jonathan Frank

BOLIVAR, Tenn. – West Tennessee native Candyce Clifft is among the most celebrated and enduring local news anchors anywhere in the southeast.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist, who grew up in Bolivar but now resides in Louisville, Kentucky, has been making her way into viewers’ hearts and homes for more than 25 years at WDRB News – Louisville’s FOX affiliate and top-rated local station – including more than 20 years as morning show anchor.

Before the Hardeman County local became a household name among our neighbors to the north, she was a Tennessee Tech University Golden Eagle – co-editing the yearbook, writing for The Oracle student newspaper and even serving as student body president.

Recently, Clifft joined Tech’s “College Town Talk” podcast to reflect on her years in Cookeville, her storied career, and how she met her now-husband when he helped a classmate campaign against Clifft for student body president some 30 years ago.

“I have such wonderful memories from Tennessee Tech,” she said in the interview. “I absolutely could not have had a better college experience. I tell people even here in Louisville to look at Tennessee Tech. It’s one of the few colleges that’s in that mid-range of not feeling so small that everybody knows your business, but not feeling so large that you get lost.”

Clifft went on to recall how the university’s journalism program helped pave the way for her professional success, specifically crediting the late professors Hix Stubblefield and Earl Hutchison, as well as Russ Witcher – who continues serving at Tech today.

“Those professors absolutely molded my entire life,” said Clifft. “I owe my whole career to them.”

For his part, Witcher remembers Clifft as an “excellent student” and remarked that her more-than-25-year career at the same station was “admirable.”

“Broadcasting is a field that has a high turnover rate, so that says to me she’s indispensable,” said Witcher. “I’m not surprised.”

While the role that Clifft’s talents have played in her longevity at WDRB is unmistakable, she adds that her supportive station management and her love for the Louisville community made her want to stay, too.

“The grass isn’t always greener,” Clifft explained. “I stayed here, and it’s just been a wonderful place to work, so that’s part of the reason I never wanted to leave. We’ve had some tremendous leadership and it’s been really fun to grow and be creative here.”

Over the years, Clifft has met and interviewed everyone from famed boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, to broadcasting legend Walter Cronkite, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

She says the opportunity to tell meaningful stories and form connections with viewers make the challenges of the job – including her daily 2:45 a.m. wake-up call – worth it.

“Getting to help people start their day informed, but also with a smile – that’s what I love about morning news,” she added.

Today, as Clifft thinks about the Tech journalism students who walk the same campus halls that she once trekked, she says her advice is “don’t get caught up in the title – just do the job you love” and to focus on strong writing quality.

“So many people are caught up with TikTok and YouTube, and presentation is important, don’t get me wrong, but if you are not an excellent writer and you don’t have a good knowledge of your subject, people can see through the presentation part of it,” she said.

As Clifft looks back on more than a quarter century of journalistic success in Louisville, she says the lessons and memories of her years as a Golden Eagle are still close at hand.

“I just feel like every success I have in my life – all the good things – all started at Tennessee Tech,” said Clifft. “I met my husband at Tennessee Tech. I gained leadership skills at Tennessee Tech. I gained incredible knowledge for the field that I work in. All good things in my life go back to being at Tennessee Tech.”

Listen to Clifft’s full “College Town Talk” interview on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora and other platforms.

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