NBC4 anchor and Montgomery County resident Shawn Yancy is celebrating 25 years in Washington television news, marking a career in the region that began one day before the September 11 terrorist attacks. “25 years ago, I came to Washington for a job – and I found a home,” Yancy wrote in a social media post marking the anniversary.
Yancy’s first day in a Washington newsroom was September 10, 2001, at WTTG-TV. She spent 19 years at the station, anchoring evening and late-night newscasts for most of that time, before joining NBC4 in 2021. She currently anchors News4 at 5pm and 11pm.
Reflecting on the milestone, Yancy said that while she has covered some of the region’s biggest stories, telling the stories of its people and communities has been even more meaningful. She also credited the colleagues who became close friends along the way. “And somewhere along the way, Washington became home. This is where my husband and I raised our sons. Where we built our lives. Where I grew, both personally and professionally,” she wrote.
According to NBC4, Yancy grew up in Indiana and attended Ball State University, where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Her career included stops at WKJG-TV in Fort Wayne and WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh before she moved to the Washington area. Her reporting has earned several Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award for an investigative story about asbestos problems at the National Institutes of Health.
Outside the newsroom, Yancy has served on the board of A Wider Circle and previously served on boards for Dress for Success DC and The St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth & Families. She has also worked with fellow Washington newswomen on an annual fundraiser supporting underserved breast cancer patients. A professional artist with clients nationwide, Yancy and her husband have three sons and live in Montgomery County.
“Thank you, Washington, for trusting me, supporting me and allowing me to tell your stories for 25 years,” Yancy wrote. “What a journey. And I’m not finished yet.”
