BATON ROUGE mdash; Monday, April 14, 2025, is WBRZrsquo;s 70th anniversary and WBRZ is looking back at the past as we move into the future of the capital regionrsquo;s only locally owned and operated news station.Part of that history is Whitney Vann, a constant on WBRZrsquo;s morning airways and th e capital region community for nearly 20 years. Vann also hosted a segment called Weekends with Whitney.nbsp;Being an early riser was tough for Vann at the start of her 17-year tenure at WBRZ, but it wasnrsquo;t obvious based on her morning show appearances.nbsp;ldquo;It was one hour, six to seven; it was a big adjustment when we went to 5:30 to seven. Getting another 30 minutes for some people, that doesnrsquo;t seem like much, thatrsquo;s a lot of wee hours of the morning,rdquo; she said.Itrsquo;s no wonder the show that she did with Leo Honeycutt was so popular. The pair packed in a lot of information for capital area viewers.ldquo;We would always have three to four interviews every day on 2une In. It's changed a little since then,rdquo; Vann said. ldquo;We were always connected with the movers, the shakers, the leaders, the newsmakers, governors, politicians. So I felt like I knew everyone. As a news anchor, you also know the needs of the community because you are talking about it.rdquo;At the same time, Vann was juggling her career and her home life with a husband and two young children.ldquo;How were you able to balance work and family?rdquo; she asked. ldquo;I think that is every parent's strugglehellip;to balance and I will forever be grateful and praise the Manship Family for allowing me to have a flexible schedule.rdquo;Vann said she would go home after her first Good Morning America cut in to ldquo;take my kids to school.rdquo;ldquo;Sometimes I came back. I did a lot of things with the community, emceeing events being out there and to them that was very important,rdquo; she said. Vann would also support local charities and even strap on her dancing shoes for Dancing for Big Buddy, a tradition 2une In anchor Mia Monet has continued.Vann was also honored with the distinguished Golden Deeds Awardldquo;I just tried to fill voids into organizations of people and services that I thought could make our community stronger,rdquo; she said.She said that WBRZrsquo;s commitment to being locally owned extended to the ethos of making a difference in the community."It's a real compliment to them and their dedication to our community, their commitment to news, to shedding a light on our community. Democracy dies in darkness and they have always been the light,rdquo; she said.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less