BATON ROUGE — Monday, April 14, 2025, is WBRZ’s 70th anniversary and WBRZ is looking back at the past as we move into the future of the capital region’s only locally owned and operated news station.

Part of that history is Whitney Vann, a constant on WBRZ’s morning airways and the capital region community for nearly 20 years. Vann also hosted a segment called Weekends with Whitney. 

Being an early riser was tough for Vann at the start of her 17-year tenure at WBRZ, but it wasn’t obvious based on her morning show appearances. 

“It was one hour, six to seven; it was a big adjustment when we went to 5:30 to seven. Getting another 30 minutes for some people, that doesn’t seem like much, that’s a lot of wee hours of the morning,” she said.

It’s no wonder the show that she did with Leo Honeycutt was so popular. The pair packed in a lot of information for capital area viewers.

“We would always have three to four interviews every day on 2une In. It's changed a little since then,” Vann said. “We were always connected with the movers, the shakers, the leaders, the newsmakers, governors, politicians. So I felt like I knew everyone. As a news anchor, you also know the needs of the community because you are talking about it.”

At the same time, Vann was juggling her career and her home life with a husband and two young children.

“How were you able to balance work and family?” she asked. “I think that is every parent's struggle…to balance and I will forever be grateful and praise the Manship Family for allowing me to have a flexible schedule.”

Vann said she would go home after her first Good Morning America cut in to “take my kids to school.”

“Sometimes I came back. I did a lot of things with the community, emceeing events being out there and to them that was very important,” she said. Vann would also support local charities and even strap on her dancing shoes for Dancing for Big Buddy, a tradition 2une In anchor Mia Monet has continued.

Vann was also honored with the distinguished Golden Deeds Award

“I just tried to fill voids into organizations of people and services that I thought could make our community stronger,” she said.

She said that WBRZ’s commitment to being locally owned extended to the ethos of making a difference in the community.
"It's a real compliment to them and their dedication to our community, their commitment to news, to shedding a light on our community. Democracy dies in darkness and they have always been the light,” she said.

Watch more of WBRZ’s celebration of 70 years of local and community-driven coverage on YouTube at the playlist below: