I am living my dream every day at work. As a youngster in elementary school, I remember watching television newscasts in Boston and saying to myself, ‘Now THAT is something I want to do.’ From an early age, I sought to carve out a career as a television news reporter. Flip through the pages of my North Cambridge Catholic High School yearbook and you will find “News Broadcasting" under my career goals.
As a journalist and storyteller, I have enjoyed a front-row seat to life. Since accepting my first job as a reporter in 1997, I have earned 76 Emmy Awards, 48 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and five National Edward R. Murrow Awards.
In October of 2023, I was inducted into the National Association of Television Arts and Science's "Silver Circle" which is known in the industry as the “Emmy Hall of Fame.” Our chapter’s Silver Circle includes members such as Sam Donaldson, Judy Woodruff, Bob Schieffer, and Ted Koppel. To be recognized by your peers with such an honor is humbling. Truly.
I am juggling many different responsibilities here at WTVR.
I produce weekly franchises “Heroes Among Us” and “I Have a Story” segments and anchor the “CBS6 Weekend Morning” show on Saturdays and Sundays with my colleague and friend, meteorologist Mike Stone.
My roots stretch back to Somerville and Hull, Massachusetts. I graduated from Bunker Hill Community College in 1989. I earned a broadcast journalism degree from Northeastern University in Boston in 1992. During my college days, I gained as much experience in the field as possible.
In 1991, I landed a position as an overnight disc jockey at KLHI-FM 101 in Lahaina on the Island of Maui, Hawaii. The old studios where I began my broadcasting career were lost in the massive fire in August 2023.
I also spent seven months in Dublin, Ireland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland during an exchange program called, “Ireland: North and South.” I worked as a political intern for a representative in the Irish Parliament while studying at the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin. I also studied at Queen’s University and worked as an intern with the BBC’s “Good Morning Ulster” radio program in Belfast.
During my college days in Boston, I paid for tuition by selling popcorn and ice cream at historic Boston Garden during Celtics and Bruins home games. Following graduation, I landed an entry level position as a video archivist at WBZ-TV in Boston. It was such a treat working with many of the journalists I admired and grew up watching, like the legendary Jack Williams and intrepid reporter Ted Wayman.
In 1997, I moved to Bangor, Maine for my first full-time on-air reporting job at WVII-TV. The job prepared me well for a career in broadcasting. In a small market like Bangor, you work long hours, shoot the video, write the story, edit the video, and go live all while getting paid very little. But I loved it! It was an experience filled with riches I cannot count. I will always cherish the memories and the life-long friends I made in Maine.
One of the highlights during my time at WVII-TV was flying on a National Guard tanker over the Atlantic Ocean during a refueling mission involving eight F-16 fighter jets. I also had an opportunity to play a bit part in the Stephen King film “Storm of the Century.” The author, who is a Bangor native, wrote and appeared in the movie as well.
In 1998, I returned to Boston to work at NECN as a weekend reporter. I covered a wide range of New England and national stories including the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Some of the most memorable moments during my tenure at NECN were interviewing former Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Buzz Aldrin, the second human to walk on the moon and Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez in the dugout at Fenway Park. One of the most heart-wrenching stories I ever had to cover was the deaths of six Worcester firefighters who lost their lives in a massive fire at a cold storage facility in December 1999.
In October 2000, I moved to Richmond after accepting a job at WTVR.
I was named the political and military affairs reporter shortly after arriving. I have a deep appreciation for history so Richmond was the perfect fit. The River City offers plenty of the past from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to keep me satisfied. During my time here at WTVR I’ve had some remarkable experiences including flying to and sleeping on the U.S.S. George H. W. Bush and U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Landing on and then taking off from the aircraft carriers was exhilarating. Truly “Top Gun” moments! During the “Sailor for a Day” program I experienced pilot swim survival training including swimming in a flight suit, helmet, and boots. I also had to escape a mechanized device called The Dunker which simulates a downed helicopter underwater. Pilots call the Dunker worse than a root canal. It was an exhausting yet thrilling experience.
I also had the opportunity to fly with the Blue Angels and witness countless brave sailors and U.S. Marines leave for and return from the War on Terror.
In the spring 2005, I traveled across the pond to England to explore the historic link between the U.K. and Virginia for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. One of the most fascinating interviews I conducted during my time spent in England was with the aging Lord Cornwallis, the great-great-great-grandson of Lord Cornwallis who surrendered to George Washington in Yorktown, Virginia which ended the Revolutionary War. I also visited the grave of Native American princess Pocahontas at St. George’s Church along the Thames River. My reports from that week were transferred to a DVD and placed in a time capsule at “Historic Jamestowne.”
In 2057, the time capsule will be unearthed and opened for the 450th anniversary commemoration.
In 2007, I had the incredible opportunity to return to England and work at the BBC in Kent, England. It was part of a reporter exchange with the BBC South East. Reporting from the United Kingdom was one of the highlights of my broadcasting career.
Each week, since 2014, I have had the pleasure of producing a segment called “Heroes Among Us.” I share the stories of inspiring people who are making a positive impact on central Virginia. I also produce a weekly segment called “I Have a Story” which features little-known places and Virginians with remarkable tales to tell.
In my spare time, I like to travel the world and hunt for Civil War relics with my metal detector on old battlefields. I also volunteer with organizations that are near and dear to my heart like the Henrico Humane Society, Art for the Journey, Virginia Values Veterans, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Richmond SPCA, and Reach Out for Life.
For the last several years, I’ve been tracking down and interviewing the soldiers who served in the 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion during WWII. My late grandfather, William McQuade, was Captain of ‘A’ Company in the 692nd TD Bn. I’ve driven and flown to many states across America to meet the aging veterans in their homes and at reunions. The veterans share stories that help me get to know the grandfather I never met. I am also the unofficial historian of the 692nd Battalion. It is an honor planning the battalion’s reunion every year. In 2006, I produced an award-winning two-part series on my involvement and search for veterans called, “Soldier In the Photograph."
I’ve been blessed beyond measure. I plan to tell as many stories as I can while I can. If you know of a person with an interesting story email me at gmcquade@wtvr.com.
Thank you for reading. Cheers!
