NORFOLK, Va. — Becky Livas is a living legend.
She made history in 1972 when WTAR-TV (now WTKR-TV) hired her as the first Black female television news reporter in Hampton Roads.
“[Black journalists] had to be better than other people just be [on television],” said Livas. “It was important for us to be journalists.”
Livas joined me at the WTKR News 3 studios ahead of the station’s 75th anniversary for a candid conversation about her journey. She made it clear— she was qualified to step into the reporter role. Her passion for news, and her degrees in history and English preceded her history-making moment.
I asked, “Did you feel a responsibility being the first?
Livas answered, “Yes.”
She continued, “We had to be better to be equal.”
The barriers Becky Livas broke from 1972 to 1980 paved the way for more history-making women at WTKR News 3 – including longtime anchor Barbara Ciaira and Barbara Hamm Lee, the first Black female news director in Hampton Roads television.
Ciara and Hamm Lee sat by Livas’ side during our conversation. Together, we reflected on the triumphs and challenges they faced while making history at WTKR News 3.
“In the 75 years that News 3 has been on, there have been groundbreaking people in this building who have helped to uplift the entire community,” said Ciara. “That’s so meaningful, and it’s a legacy.”
It’s a legacy that began with Livas.
While WTAR-TV’s hiring of Livas showed the station’s progress, her experience didn’t come without problems.
She recalled, “I wrote to Ted Kennedy to get an interview with him. I was granted the interview. We went up to D.C. I did the interview, and when it was aired, you never would have known I was there.”
WATCH JESSICA'S EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH LIVAS, CIARA & HAMM LEE
I gasped, and asked, “They edited you out?”
Hamm Lee added, “Did they use your voice?”
Livas exclaimed, “No. I was out!”
I said, “That would make some of us want to quit.”
Livas said, “Oh no, it didn’t make me want to quit because [of] the fighter in me!”
Livas’ fight became fruitful when she landed her own show on WTAR-TV: People, Places and Things with Becky Livas. It was a success.
“I had people tell me there were people who would never show up if I invited them to come on my show. And guess what? They all [showed up]!”
Ciara chimed in, “There’s no history without struggle, and [these are] just some of the stories of struggle over the years to make us better.”
While Livas paved the way for Ciara, Hamm Lee, and me, a woman named Daisy Holmes paved the way for Livas.
“Daisy's Stars of Tomorrow” aired on WTAR-TV in 1950, making her the first Black woman to host a television show in Hampton Roads. A young Becky Livas appeared on the program.
Livas fondly reflected, “As a seven-year-old was the first time that I ever appeared on WTAR, and it was on Mrs. Daisy Holmes’ show!”
I said, “Even Mrs. Daisy Holmes paved the way for you to even imagine that you could see yourself on television.”
Livas responded, “Yes, yes. Definitely!”
Ciara added, “The ground [Livas] broke, where there we little boys and girls watching at home. That sends such an incredible message!”
It’s a message that inspired Livas’ own daughter, Nicole, who is a former longtime Hampton Roads news anchor.
I said, “We stand on the shoulders of giants.”
“You find that the sky’s not the limit,” added Ciara. “There is sky!”
Hamm Lee added, “We can cover it all. We can do it all!”
I asked Hamm Lee, “What was that like for you in a leadership position? Navigating being the shot caller?”
Hamm Lee responded, “What I figured was that the best way to navigate [racism and sexism] was to put on the very best newscast that we could. And I took the station to number one at six o’clock!”
Another one of Hamm Lee’s brilliant moves was persuading Ciara to join WTKR News 3 in 2000.
“We are friends,” said Ciaira of Hamm Lee. “She knew my contract was about to expire at [WVEC-TV]. And so she was all over me like a cheap suit!”
The ladies chucked, and Hamm Lee said, “She was a no brainer. Come on!”
Ciara recalled of their conversation, “I said girl I’ve worked at [WAVY-TV], I’ve worked at [WVEC-TV], I’ve worked at [WVEC-TV] again. She said so?!”
Hamm Lee said, “That’s just how it happened!
Ciara said, “I debuted with Tom Randall and we were the first all-Black anchor team, male/female in the market! It had never been done before!”
Doing what’s never been done paved the way for others like me to lead from the anchor seat.
“I’m gonna get a little teary,” I said, filled with emotion over their support and groundbreaking careers.
Hamm Lee said, “You are the reason why we did what we did.”
Ciara, who passed a baton to me when she retired from WTKR News 3 in 2023, said “We know you know the assignment!”
Livas currently serves as a docent at the Chrysler Museum of Art. She is also a renowned jazz vocalist.
Hamm Lee is the host and executive producer of “Another View” on WHRV’s weekly call-in talk show discussing topics from an African American perspective.
