Julie Watts is an award winning consumer-investigative reporter for KPIX and CBS. Throughout her career she has also been honored for her work as a News Anchor, Reporter, and a Meteorologist (AMS).
Off air, Julie is the founder of NewsMom.com and until recently she was the regional Emmy® Awards Chair for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
On Air
Consumer-Investigative Reporter — KPIX CBS-5
San Francisco, California 2010 – Current
Julie’s reports expose scams, privacy concerns, unscrupulous business practices and loopholes in consumer legislation. She also reports on pocketbook issues, resolves viewer problems and examines technology threats and trends.
Julie covers two different ConsumerWatch stories each weeknight at 5pm and 6pm on KPIX in San Francisco. Her reports also air each week on KCBS/KCAL in Los Angeles.
In addition to her daily consumer stories, Julie produces several in-depth investigations each year. Those reports have prompted recalls, federal investigations and new legislation. They have also earned Julie several prestigious awards including a Gracie Award, Society of Professional Journalists SDX Award, National Headliner Award, National Press Club Award and more than a dozen regional Emmy®, Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow Awards.
Additional ConsumerWatch Responsibilities
● Manage day-to-day operations of the consumer unit, including media management, story selection and production schedules.
● Train team members on new technologies, including editing software, server systems, and computer assisted reporting resources.
● Produce and edit multiple television segments daily, meeting tight deadlines while managing several on-going projects and in-depth investigations.
● Regularly interact with media relations specialists, consumers and corporate/government contacts to pitch stories, secure interviews and diplomatically facilitate resolutions to viewer problems.
Additional Investigative Skills & Experience
● FOIA/PRA: Extensive experience navigating various state and federal public record laws to obtain previously undisclosed documents & records.
● Undercover Recordings: Extensive experience legally obtaining undercover audio & video recordings in accordance with state and federal law.
● Computer Assisted Reporting: Familiarity with web scraping, advanced web searches, databases, spreadsheets, Fusion Tables, PACER, LexisNexus and Autotrack.
Consumer Correspondent — CBS News/CBS Newspath
New York, NY 2010 – Current
Julie is a Consumer Correspondent for CBS Newspath, the network’s affiliate service.
Her locally-produced reports are distributed nationally to hundreds of affiliate television stations each week. They are also periodically featured on CBS network news broadcasts.
News Anchor/Host — KPIX CBS-5
San Francisco, California 2009 – Current
Julie was named Best News Anchor by the Associated Press in 2010 for her role as anchor and host of the CBS-5 Early Edition. In addition to covering the day’s top stories, Julie discussed hot topics and interviewed news makers and politicians.
Julie is currently the weekend morning anchor at KPIX and regularly anchors day-side breaking news cut-ins.
Off Camera
Digital Journalist/ Blogger — CBSSF.com
San Francisco, California 2014 – Current
With a master’s degree in online journalism, Julie enjoys turning compelling broadcast stories into interactive online experiences. These provide an outlet for news consumers to explore the narrative beyond the traditional television piece.
She is also an avid blogger. Her blog on CBSSF.com chronicles how Julie is using the knowledge, skills and resources she’s developed as a journalist to navigate life as a mom.
Founder / Managing Editor / Web Designer — NewsMom.com
San Francisco, California 2014 – Current
In a world of pay-for-play mommy blogs and un-vetted parenting message boards, Julie created NewsMom.com as a resource for parents to access trustworthy news and information that is relevant to them.
The independent website features news, reviews and editorials for parents. In addition to providing original content, NewsMom is an outlet for journalists to share their relevant research and reports with an audience of parents that they wouldn’t otherwise reach.
Emmy® Awards Chair — National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
San Francisco, California 2012 – Current
Julie is the regional Emmy® Awards Chair for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
In addition to managing internal and external communications for the Emmy® Awards competition & ceremony, Julie produced the black-tie Emmy® Awards show for several years.
She also developed the Emmy® sponsorship program, increasing the non-profit’s sponsorship income by 1600% year to year.
[Read More about PR, Project Management & Communication Responsibilities…]
On Air Positions 2003-2010
Meteorologist (AMS) — KPIX CBS-5
San Francisco, California 2009-2010
General Assignment Reporter — KPIX CBS-5
San Francisco, California 2009-2010
Video Journalist (MMJ) — KPIX CBS-5
San Francisco, California 2009-2010
TLC Designing Spaces – Host
Los Angeles, California 2009
KVIE PBS – Reporter, Producer, Photographer, Editor
Sacramento, California 2008
KCRA-NBC3 / KQCA-WB58 – Meteorologist, Reporter, Host
Sacramento, California 2005-2008
KGPE CBS47 – Weather Anchor, Traffic Anchor, Reporter
Fresno, California 2005-2008
Clear Channel Radio – News/Traffic Anchor, Morning Drive Host
Fresno, California 2003-2005
Technical Skills
Digital Journalism
● Web Design: Extensive experience with Photoshop, WordPress, Genesis Customization and NetSol Image Cafe.
● Front End Development: Familiarity with HTML, PHP, CSS, Light JavaScript and World Now Player.
● Miscellaneous Expertise: Blogging, SEO, project management and targeted content distribution via social media.
Video Journalism
● Editing: Extensive experience editing on Edius and Final Cut. Some experience with AVID and Adobe Premier.
● Photography: Proficient on JVC and Sony cameras. Extensive experience shooting broadcast-quality material with a GoPro and iPhone camera.
● Graphic Design: Extensive experience with Photoshop. Some experience with After Effects.
Miscellaneous
● Weather Systems: WSI, Weather Central and Barons.
● News Production: Fork, iNews, AP Newscenter and Stratus.
● Office: Excel, Access, Adobe, Word, Notepad, Snippit, Outlook, Windows & Mac Software/Hardware.
Education
University of Southern California
BA Broadcast Journalism 2002
MA Online Journalism 2003
Graduate Student of the Year
Mississippi State University
Broadcast Meteorology
Work Experience 2000 – 2003
BBC Liquid News – Entertainment Reporter
Los Angeles, CA / London, UK
Reuters-TV – Entertainment Reporter, Producer
Los Angeles, California
Torrance City Cable – Reporter
Torrance, California
USC Annenberg TV News – Producer, Reporter, Anchor, Weathercaster
Los Angeles, California
ABC NEWS – Good Morning America Intern, PA
New York, New York
USC Trojan Vision “Platforum” – Political Talk Show Host, Producer
Los Angeles, California
KRON – NBC 4 – South Bay Bureau Manager, Assignment Editor
San Francisco, California
KRON – NBC 4 – Intern “Next Step Technology News”
San Francisco, California
Memberships
American Meteorological Society (AMS)
Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) – Board of Governors
National Weather Association (NWA)
Radio/Television News Directors Association (RTNDA)
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)