Aundrea Self doesn’t go many places without being immediately recognized.
For the longtime anchor for WCBI news, the messages from her fans recently have struck a different tone.
“We’ll miss you,” someone shouted to Self from across Fifth Street South on Sunday, while she was standing outside the WCBI building.
“Being in a small news market in a public position, people see you as part of their family,” she said. “You’re coming into their homes every night and giving them the news of the day. … I’ve gotten hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of comments from people saying they grew up watching me, I was in their living room every night, I came to speak at their school, I came to speak at their daughter’s school. That people see me as someone not just on their TV every night but as somebody that’s a part of their family. That’s so very special for me.”
Self, a fixture on the Columbus-based television news station for 26 years, is signing off for the last time at the end of December to become the director of outreach and engagement for Mississippi State University’s College of Business.
Among many consequential assignments during her time on air, she followed MSU to two NCAA Women’s Final Fours and interviewed Barack Obama at a campaign stop at the Mississippi University for Women when he was a junior senator from Illinois seeking the presidency.
“We had gotten a press kit and I reached out to the campaign to ask for a one on one interview, and to my surprise they consented to it,” Self said of interviewing Obama in 2008. “I was able to sit down with him after the rally for 15 minutes and just talk about his family, about the rigors of being out on the campaign trail. It was a delightful interview and one of the things that will always stand out to me, getting to interview him on the cusp of history.”
Today, Self anchors WCBI News at 5 and 6 and hosts “MidMorning with Aundrea.”
A Starkville native, her interest in communications and broadcast media dates as far back as projects in middle school. She discovered a passion for reporting while attending Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
After earning her bachelor’s degree there, she returned home, working seven years with the WACR radio station before transitioning to television production at WCBI. While she started as a news producer, she eventually stepped out in front of the camera as a reporter, which led to a seven-year run as the host of “WCBI News Sunrise” and “Midday.”
“I’ve had opportunities at at least two other stations, outside of broadcasting as well, but what kept me here is being able to tell people’s stories that directly affect the community I live in,” Self said. “I became very connected to the place beyond just growing up here.”
Even as she developed her career in broadcast journalism, Self became involved in the community and worked with younger journalists.
She started working as an adjunct instructor with MSU’s department of communication, and WCBI news director Joey Barnes said she has taken many early-career reporters under her wing.
“Aundrea is thoughtful, hardworking, kind… what you would call a good newsroom citizen,” Barnes said. “She looks at issues from multiple angles, and she’s a huge mentor in our newsroom. She’s mentored countless journalists on writing, editing, on-air performance, you name it. A number of those people went on to have outstanding careers that started right here at WCBI with her help.”
Barnes said Self is noteworthy in her authenticity on-air.
“The person they see on-air is the exact same person off-air,” he said. “She’s genuinely concerned about her community. She’s funny, but when there are sad stories, she feels that too. The person they see on-screen, I hope people know she is that same way when the cameras turn off. She’s just that kind of person.”
With a daughter in high school, Self said the rigorous timetable of a television anchor puts a strain on her schedule. Stepping away from daily news coverage will allow her to focus on more long-term projects, such as the many civic institutions she’s a part of.
“I’ve always said I’ll know when the time is right, and this opportunity lets me be connected with the community, use my creativity and use my storytelling. I just won’t be doing it on TV,” she said. “It really has been my honor. I don’t say it lightly. There’s no doubt I’ll miss this connection. I’m looking forward to what’s next for me, and excited about the future, but WCBI and its viewers will always be my family.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
