Scott Hennessee
Scott Hennessee anchors News Channel 3-12 at 4:00, 6:30 and 11 p.m. and News Channel 11 at 10 p.m.
Journalism grabbed hold of me at an early age. It started with the sports page where I would follow my favorite baseball team each morning. The Oakland A's were the best story in sports and a dream for a 12 year old boy in Alameda who loved baseball. On October 17, 1989 the game changed when the earth shook and the World Series stopped. With freeways crumbling and fires dotting the city, I saw for the first time how important local news is to a community in need of information. It left an imprint that guided me towards the only profession I would ever pursue.
I've been most proud to be part of this exceptional team of journalists during times of crisis that shook our community. We were first on the air with vital information moments after the May 23, 2014 attacks in Isla Vista that killed six people.
In 2015 an environmental disaster hit the south coast. Standing on the shore reporting live, I can still vividly recall the sight and smell of 140,000 barrels of crude oil that left a black mark on pristine Refugio Beach.
We have covered countless wildfires over the years, providing people with up to the minute information to keep them safe. We won an Emmy for our breaking news coverage of the Thomas Fire, and a Golden Mike for live coverage of the Loma Fire that burned up TV Hill, threatening our station and surrounding homes in 2021.
Opportunities to connect with people in the community have led to some of my favorite moments. We often take News Channel "On the Road" to special events like the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, Downtown Friday's, and the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival. It's great fun to get out and highlight some of the unique things to do on the Central Coast.
In addition to anchoring the evening news, I also contribute to our "Eye on Crime" segment, and file feature reports on people who are doing good things in the community. If you have a story idea please reach out through email or social media.
Prior to joining News Channel, I was with KESQ and CBS Local 2 news in Palm Springs, California. I covered the first summit at Sunnylands with Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. I broke the news about the sale of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament to Larry Ellison, and I was lucky enough to interview many of my favorite athletes and entertainers. I also worked for KREX-TV in Grand Junction, Colorado where I covered my favorite football team, the Denver Broncos.
I got my start in broadcast news as an intern and a freelance journalist for News Channel 3 while I was a student at UC Santa Barbara. My wife and I met when we worked for the Daily Nexus on campus. She was a copy editor who improved my writing straight away, and improved everything else in my life in the years that followed. We have two children and feel lucky to be able to raise them here.
I enjoy volunteering with local nonprofits like Serve Santa Maria, CALM, 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, and the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society. In my free time I love to play tennis and guitar, go to concerts, and take our dogs out to enjoy the outdoors in this beautiful place we call home.
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