Tonia Michele

Tonia’s path to WBRC started in the summer of 2022 where she met WBRC FOX6 News anchor Steve Crocker and News Director Shannon Isbell at the National Association of Black Journalists convention. Tonia (pronounced TUH-nee-uh) approached them about her interest in pursuing her meteorology career post-graduate school and moving to Birmingham to be closer to her fiancé and family.

Tonia studied meteorology at Mississippi State University and has a master’s in journalism from Syracuse University.

Her on-air presence started far before work and school as she and her sister started making daily vlogs on their YouTube channel (Topic Twins), where she found her voice for sharing information, connecting with people, and later found interest in doing the weather.

Tonia landed her first on-air job at KHQ in Spokane, Washington during the pandemic. Her first weather reel was created using a green screen that she bought online and put up in her parents' bedroom! After recording some weather hits and editing the videos together, she posted it to her YouTube channel, where she gained unexpected traction that ultimately opened the door for her first BIG GIRL opportunity.

After working in Spokane, Tonia decided to continue her education and attended the Broadcast & Digital Journalism graduate program in Syracuse, where she also worked as a digital journalist for Forbes. She learned the ins and outs of broadcast while in Syracuse before landing her next job opportunity post-graduation.

Tonia went to help a news station in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a short-term meteorologist and waited patiently to find an opportunity closer to home. That brings her right here to WBRC.

Tonia is excited to bring her knowledge and experience to WBRC and the Bama community! When not on TV, you can find her on Instagram helping others #fightthestorm(s) of life from weather to workouts as she shares more of her health to fitness journey!