Diane Roberts (WTOP)

There’s strength in numbers and strength in community. The way we use our platforms shapes the next generation of leaders. For local legend Diane Roberts, community is ever-changing but a holistic approach to navigating the sports media industry as a Black woman. She believes the community is about people supporting your “personal and professional” ascension versus “where you’re born and raised”.

For two decades, Roberts has contributed to Washington’s sports media landscape. Since 2022, she has served as WTOP News’ (103.5 FM) sports update anchor delivering two DC-focused sports updates per hour. Previously, Roberts served as a sports reporter/anchor at WTTG-TV (Fox 5) from 2000-2008 and WUSA-TV (CBS 9) from 2012-2019.

“When you have a job in the public eye, I think community extends through to people who invite you into their homes daily or listen to you on the radio when driving from Point A to Point B,” Roberts said. “Community can start small and grow wider and broader.”

Roberts credits her extroverted Air Force brat background for preparing her media career in television and radio as she grew accustomed to moving consistently from places like Las Vegas, Syracuse and Taiwan. For many leaders, moving media markets is necessary to elevate their professional roles. Ironically, Roberts isn’t a stranger to the broadcasting game as her career began as a high schooler at WQCK-FM in Warner Robins, GA.

“Through community, I learned adaptability,” Roberts said. “My eyes were given a world view before I understood what that meant as my military friends were of different races, religions, and ethnicities.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Georgia State University, she became an intern at WSB-TV and WSB-FM in Atlanta. She interned at the television station five days weekly while being a weekend disk jockey at the radio station.

“All I wanted to do was learn, learn and learn some more,” Roberts said. “When people watch television, listen to radio, or read newspapers, they think journalism is one thing. Internships provide opportunities to learn what happens on TV, air, and online.”

For Roberts, mentorship is a prideful pillar she enjoys gifting and internalizing from others. Like many wide-eyed interns, she recalled humble beginnings at the WSB-TV assignment desk where coordinators tasked her with listening to emergency scanners and on-job training with staff. Despite her strict television insights, she recalls a male photographer asking a poignant question, “What do you want to do [at the station].” Roberts mentioned her intentions to become a reporter and anchor. He urged her to explore the field because, without photographers presentation-wise, television is minimized to radio. The occurrence forced her to expand her vision of news beyond what people see on TV instead of certain staff being pigeonholed into their sections like anchors only helping anchors.

“Most staffers answered my questions, showed me what they were doing, and divulged their thought processes when putting together stories or interview questions to ask,” Roberts said.

Also during this period, Roberts gained a mentor in Monica Kaufman Pearson, a legendary news anchor based in Atlanta. In 1975, Kaufman Pearson became Atlanta’s local news’ first woman and person of color daily anchor at WSB-TV and remained there for 37 years. Roberts felt lucky to learn from the station’s nicest and most personable main anchor when anchors were deemed “untouchable” and unapproachable like “royalty”.

“I’m grateful that I learned kindness, graciousness and a love for information in this line of work on becoming a good journalist through her,” Roberts said.

Roberts loves mentoring young media figures and urging them to give back like she did public speaking as a weekend anchor in Tampa, FL. Passionate people make Roberts share knowledge with them. Ironically, Roberts recalls being shy until nine when making friends forced her into a lifelong extrovert who enjoys conversation.

Roberts grew up watching golf and ABC’s Wide World of Sports as she favored Jack Nicholas, her father adored Lee Trevino and her mom loved Arnold Palmer. The only live sporting events she experienced as a youth was the Harlem Globetrotters annually. At Valdosta State, Roberts developed a love of baseball after she and a classmate emulated Atlanta Braves radio broadcast calls. Her VSU broadcast journalism peers often interned at TBS and gifted free tickets to Roberts during the team’s slumped era.

Her transition into sports journalism looked cheerful until DC area teams routinely lost. While Roberts vacationed away from WTTG-TV in Florida, Sean Taylor was killed at his Miami home on November 27, 2007 following the Washington Commanders' loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two days prior.

“That’s when the news and sports world collided for me,” Roberts said. “I started doing sports reporting because news cycles became soul-crushing and I’m a little sensitive. Over time it does wear on you as it was hard for me to knock on doors and ask people to talk about and photos of their dead loved ones for reports. Sometimes people think we’re vultures or invading at their worst times while others want to share in their warm memory. It’s heart-wrenching to see regularly.”

Preparation and archiving are important roles in Digital Media. A freelance opportunity from a Tampa news producer colleague who transitioned as WTTG’s news director caused Roberts to relocate to DC. Before leaving Florida, Roberts created a sports reel to advertise her talents to prospective employers. At WTTG, she did news for three months and earned the chance at sports reporting after composing a sports reel compilation in Tampa.

Several dominoes caused Roberts’ inner-city station transition as Fox Sports 1 failed to launch in DC and longtime WUSA9 anchor, Brett Haber oversaw Robert’s audition. A WUSA news director loved Robert’s storytelling focus in sports and solidified her weekend sports anchor position. Roberts often tells students that the greatest gift her alma mater, Georgia State University did was give her an internship outside of the graduation requirement.

“My internship opened my eyes to everything I can be and do from audition tapes to working as a fill-in anchor and general assignment reporter in Des Moines, IA,” Roberts said. “They teach you about all the jobs on how news is put together. It makes you understand that there’s are more jobs than you realize.”

Des Moines was a cold, culture shock for Roberts as Iowa was 2% Black population-wise compared to Atlanta is over 50% Black. She considers herself lucky because Des Moines was the state capital and a college town. Her Air Force brat background was useful due to her diverse exposure history. At times, Roberts was told she was the first Black person many encountered. Another contrast that “blew” her mind was the Des Moines network covering agricultural stock trading instead of the New York Stock Exchange during noon broadcasts.

Since moving to DC over 20 years ago, Roberts admits that her treatment as a woman in sports media has changed and is fortunate to work in a large market.

“When I started in DC in 2001, there were many men in the Burgundy and Gold locker room who thought that I, nor any women should be there,” Roberts said. “I remember players walking from the showers and would drop their towels in front of me because they were trying to shock me. However, I had no time for their foolishness and had a job to do. I had to get a bunch of interviews turned around, get them on-air and write a story. They only saw me as a woman, not as a reporter. They thought that I would be taken aback or liked what I saw. Nope, none of the above because I was focused on my job. Stuff like that used to piss me off.”

Roberts feels more empowered to challenge such occurrences now compared to when she transitioned to sports journalism trying to establish her name. Inappropriate verbal attacks were targeted at her but never any physical harm ensued. She recalls a Baltimore-based woman photographer who experienced worse experiences like having Orioles players pouring Coca-Cola down her back. Roberts knew that being a woman in sports media and meeting deadlines meant towing a fine line between when and not to rock the boat. She recalls an unnamed Washington hockey player she didn’t cover much spouting obscenities at Black media members, especially Black women.

“There was many times in certain locker rooms people felt that you didn’t deserve to be there,” Roberts said. “There were PR people for different teams who treated me differently than the male reporters and I finally went to his superior and told him about it. Then, I found out that other women also felt the same way and said person was put on probation. I remember being proud of myself because I said something.”

However, Roberts credits the Baltimore Ravens organization for running a professional and ethically sound operation as staff and players remembered her name despite not covering contests weekly.

“Generally, everyone treated the media well as they were very organized and helpful,” Roberts said. “As a woman, I never felt like I was a woman in that locker room. Baltimore runs a very first-class operation as I covered them after Washington was out of the playoffs.”

Roberts encapsulated her media career with one word, “ever-changing.” She credits “being prepared for the moment” as the antithesis of “being lucky” in the industry. Roberts later understood that working twice as hard as a Black woman meant being an “overachiever” who excels in various ways and “reaching whatever the height is.”

Roberts’ preparation helped her become a part time sports reporter at WTOP, a longtime goal of hers. She mentions how dominant in reach and ratings the station is in delivering minute-by-minute news updates to the National Capital Region.

“They believe in Journalism with a capital J,” Roberts said. “I’m so honored to work at WTOP just to be a little part of their history because of how they care about journalism, storytelling, fact-checking, fairness, and people overall. For me, it feels good to be in the midst of greatness with all of these amazing people who’ve worked there for a long time and try to do things the right way.”

Diane’s Talking is Roberts’ personal media brand, where she encompasses all of her freelance skills of reporting, anchoring, voice-over work and media training under a singular umbrella. She often commissions media peers for personal projects like photographer Dave Satchell and producer Tom Hunsaker.

“Television and broadcasting produces a unique bunch of people as we gravitate towards each other,” Roberts said. “I’m a sole proprietor of Diane’s Talking and thinking of becoming a LLC next year. If I know I can’t do something for a project, I hire someone. It’s nice to be my own boss and hire different people.”

Through Diane’s Talking, Roberts often employs women and minority media figures to empower their talents and voices when people judge looks instead of abilities. Like Roberts, we should all strive with pride to promote integrity, character and conviction as industry leaders. We must treat lead with truth, intentionality, and kindness so the community continues to grow.