Rudi Raynes: WCHS-TV Eyewitness News

Hi, I'm Rudi Raynes. I'm a Putnam County girl born and raised. I'm a 2005 graduate of Poca High School (Yes, I am a POCA DOT! And proud!). I'm also a 2008 graduate of Concord University. Somehow, I managed to walk right out of college and into the job I've always wanted. I'm so happy to be a part of the WCHS family. I grew up watching this station and now I'm actually here!

My dream to be a news reporter began when I was a freshman in high school and won a national essay contest that sent me to the Women's Final Four. I was privileged to meet Robin Roberts who immediately became my inspiration. Since I was a basketball player I thought "Hey, I think I could do something like that! A little bit of sports, a little bit of news." So, I started doing my high school's closed-circuit morning show, WDOT. While I was in high school I was also part of the award winning show choir and was an All-State Basketball player.

I turned down a basketball scholarship in college so I could focus on becoming an anchor/reporter. While I was in college I was an anchor, reporter, producer, and photographer for WMLT, our college news station. I managed to get my feet wet on PBS every other Sunday. I graduated from Concord in 3 years and was twice named Reporter of the Year and the Outstanding Student in Communications by the staff.

In my spare time I love watching sports. I cheer on the Cleveland Indians, Chad Pennington and the Manning Brothers, and, of course, the MOUNTAINEERS! I also did a little sideline reporting for the Huntington Heroes and the AIFA Arena Football League. I'm a huge Elvis and Audrey Hepburn fan. I'm a country music buff as well (if you type my name in on YouTube you'd be surprised).

I have a great family and they mean the world to me. I also have an amazing church family as well. I love spending time with my wonderful fiance, Cory, and my sweet little basset hound, Baxter. And, yes, I did name him after Will Ferrell's dog in Anchorman.

I love talking to anyone and everyone so drop me a line. You'll get a response. Thanks for taking time to learn more about me, Stay classy and keep watching!

You can contact Rudi at:

rraynes@wchstv.com

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