By Frank Macek
When Jennifer Lindgren walked into the WKYC newsroom in August 2010, she arrived with the energy of a journalist who knew exactly where she wanted to go. She had already put in the mileage—working in Columbia, South Carolina at WLTX and later in Jacksonville at WTLV—but Cleveland became the city where she sharpened her voice, tested her limits, and proved just how versatile a reporter could be. For those of us who remember her time at Channel 3, Jennifer wasn’t just a reporter on the roster. She was a one-woman production house, a journalist who could do it all before “MMJ” became an industry buzzword.
Her role at WKYC was, in many ways, ahead of the curve. Jennifer wasn’t simply reporting the news. She was shooting it, editing it, writing it, producing it, and then standing in front of the camera to deliver it. On her official WKYC profile at the time, she described herself as “a wearer of many hats,” and she wasn’t exaggerating. She’d haul a camera through a blizzard to get the shot, record interviews on the fly, then race back to the station and cut a full package under pressure—all without complaint. It was clear early on that Jennifer wasn’t afraid of hard work or tough assignments. She approached everything with an almost old-school sense of duty and a new-school adaptability that made her invaluable during a period of big changes in local news.
Her work paid off quickly. During her time at WKYC, Jennifer earned a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for writing—one of the most respected honors in journalism. That recognition wasn’t surprising to anyone who worked with her. Jennifer put enormous care into storytelling, especially stories involving ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. She had a calm, steady delivery and an ability to make complicated issues feel approachable. It was the kind of writing that reflected not just skill, but empathy—something viewers sensed and connected with.
Cleveland audiences got to know her as a reporter who could shift effortlessly from breaking news to community features. One day she’d be covering winter storms along I-90, and the next she’d be profiling local organizations or knocking on doors for neighborhood-level reporting. Jennifer understood the heartbeat of the city quickly, and viewers responded to her work with genuine appreciation. There was never anything superficial about her reporting. She took the time to learn the story, understand the people, and bring clarity to whatever she covered.
But like many journalists driven to grow, Jennifer also knew that each stop in the business builds toward the next. And in 2013, she made a major leap—one that anyone in the industry would recognize as a milestone. Jennifer left WKYC for KTVT CBS 11 in Dallas–Fort Worth, one of the largest television markets in the country. It was a move that made perfect sense for a rising journalist: a top-five DMA, massive breaking news environment, and a chance to expand her reach far beyond Northeast Ohio. She took everything she’d learned in Cleveland—the self-sufficiency, the writing discipline, the ability to handle pressure with grace—and applied it on a bigger stage.
Her years at CBS 11 strengthened her further. Dallas is a fast, competitive market, and Jennifer fit right in. She anchored, reported, adapted to new workflows, and continued building a skill set that had already proven remarkably robust. Her time in Texas solidified her reputation as a reliable, polished, and thoughtful broadcast journalist. She’d gone from hauling gear in lake-effect snow to covering major stories in one of the busiest news regions in the country.
But what’s most interesting about Jennifer’s career—and what makes her “Where Are They Now” story particularly compelling—is what came next. According to her public LinkedIn profile, Jennifer is now an anchor with Coastal Television Broadcasting Group, a company known for its regionalized, multi-market news operations. That means Jennifer is back where she shines best: behind the desk, on-air, delivering the news to viewers across multiple communities. The role of “Regional News Anchor,” as she lists it, suggests she’s anchoring broadcasts that air across several markets within Coastal Television’s footprint—a model increasingly common in today’s media landscape.
And in many ways, it feels like a full-circle moment. After years of reporting from the field and working in some of the country’s most active markets, Jennifer has returned to the part of journalism she always had the strongest natural instinct for: connecting with viewers directly. Anchoring has always required more than reading words on a screen. It demands presence, warmth, steadiness, and the ability to guide audiences through everything from breaking news to daily headlines. Those qualities were visible in her earliest days at WKYC, and now, in her current role, they define her work once again.
Her move to Coastal Television Broadcasting Group also reflects a broader trend within the industry. Many journalists are gravitating toward organizations that offer fresh models for delivering news, especially at a time when traditional legacy newsrooms face constant financial and operational challenges. Companies like Coastal TV are reshaping how regional news is produced and distributed, and anchors like Jennifer are bringing credibility and experience to those efforts. For viewers in those markets, having someone with her background at the desk is a serious asset.
For anyone who worked with Jennifer at WKYC—or watched her reports during her time in Cleveland—seeing where she is today feels both fitting and earned. She left a strong impression here, even though her time at the station was only a few years. She was young, determined, and incredibly driven, but she also had the rare ability to adapt to whatever the job required. When you watched her work, you could tell she was learning fast, absorbing every experience, and turning it into a stepping-stone. Cleveland was one of the most important stops in her climb, and she has carried those lessons with her ever since.
Today, as an anchor with Coastal Television Broadcasting Group, Jennifer Lindgren is still doing what she has always done best—communicating with clarity, anchoring with steady confidence, and bringing professionalism to every broadcast. She’s no longer the MMJ hauling gear through Ohio winters, but the foundation she built here has shaped everything she’s done since.
Her journey is a reminder of how dynamic journalism careers can be. Reporters become anchors. Local markets lead to major markets. Major markets sometimes lead to new models of broadcasting altogether. Along the way, the strongest journalists take pieces of every stop with them—skills, relationships, lessons, and the resilience that only this business can teach.
Jennifer Lindgren may no longer be at WKYC, but the spirit of the journalist she was here—the one-woman crew, the storyteller, the Murrow Award winner, the Cleveland reporter who never backed down from a tough assignment—still shows in the anchor she is today. Her path is proof that great journalists don’t just move around the map. They evolve. They grow. And they find new ways to do meaningful work wherever they go.
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| Jennifer Lindgren (via LinkedIn) |
When Jennifer Lindgren walked into the WKYC newsroom in August 2010, she arrived with the energy of a journalist who knew exactly where she wanted to go. She had already put in the mileage—working in Columbia, South Carolina at WLTX and later in Jacksonville at WTLV—but Cleveland became the city where she sharpened her voice, tested her limits, and proved just how versatile a reporter could be. For those of us who remember her time at Channel 3, Jennifer wasn’t just a reporter on the roster. She was a one-woman production house, a journalist who could do it all before “MMJ” became an industry buzzword.
Her role at WKYC was, in many ways, ahead of the curve. Jennifer wasn’t simply reporting the news. She was shooting it, editing it, writing it, producing it, and then standing in front of the camera to deliver it. On her official WKYC profile at the time, she described herself as “a wearer of many hats,” and she wasn’t exaggerating. She’d haul a camera through a blizzard to get the shot, record interviews on the fly, then race back to the station and cut a full package under pressure—all without complaint. It was clear early on that Jennifer wasn’t afraid of hard work or tough assignments. She approached everything with an almost old-school sense of duty and a new-school adaptability that made her invaluable during a period of big changes in local news.
 |
| Lindgren at WKYC-TV |
Cleveland audiences got to know her as a reporter who could shift effortlessly from breaking news to community features. One day she’d be covering winter storms along I-90, and the next she’d be profiling local organizations or knocking on doors for neighborhood-level reporting. Jennifer understood the heartbeat of the city quickly, and viewers responded to her work with genuine appreciation. There was never anything superficial about her reporting. She took the time to learn the story, understand the people, and bring clarity to whatever she covered.
But like many journalists driven to grow, Jennifer also knew that each stop in the business builds toward the next. And in 2013, she made a major leap—one that anyone in the industry would recognize as a milestone. Jennifer left WKYC for KTVT CBS 11 in Dallas–Fort Worth, one of the largest television markets in the country. It was a move that made perfect sense for a rising journalist: a top-five DMA, massive breaking news environment, and a chance to expand her reach far beyond Northeast Ohio. She took everything she’d learned in Cleveland—the self-sufficiency, the writing discipline, the ability to handle pressure with grace—and applied it on a bigger stage.
Her years at CBS 11 strengthened her further. Dallas is a fast, competitive market, and Jennifer fit right in. She anchored, reported, adapted to new workflows, and continued building a skill set that had already proven remarkably robust. Her time in Texas solidified her reputation as a reliable, polished, and thoughtful broadcast journalist. She’d gone from hauling gear in lake-effect snow to covering major stories in one of the busiest news regions in the country.
But what’s most interesting about Jennifer’s career—and what makes her “Where Are They Now” story particularly compelling—is what came next. According to her public LinkedIn profile, Jennifer is now an anchor with Coastal Television Broadcasting Group, a company known for its regionalized, multi-market news operations. That means Jennifer is back where she shines best: behind the desk, on-air, delivering the news to viewers across multiple communities. The role of “Regional News Anchor,” as she lists it, suggests she’s anchoring broadcasts that air across several markets within Coastal Television’s footprint—a model increasingly common in today’s media landscape.
And in many ways, it feels like a full-circle moment. After years of reporting from the field and working in some of the country’s most active markets, Jennifer has returned to the part of journalism she always had the strongest natural instinct for: connecting with viewers directly. Anchoring has always required more than reading words on a screen. It demands presence, warmth, steadiness, and the ability to guide audiences through everything from breaking news to daily headlines. Those qualities were visible in her earliest days at WKYC, and now, in her current role, they define her work once again.
 |
| Lindgren at Coastal Television Broadcasting Group |
Her move to Coastal Television Broadcasting Group also reflects a broader trend within the industry. Many journalists are gravitating toward organizations that offer fresh models for delivering news, especially at a time when traditional legacy newsrooms face constant financial and operational challenges. Companies like Coastal TV are reshaping how regional news is produced and distributed, and anchors like Jennifer are bringing credibility and experience to those efforts. For viewers in those markets, having someone with her background at the desk is a serious asset.
For anyone who worked with Jennifer at WKYC—or watched her reports during her time in Cleveland—seeing where she is today feels both fitting and earned. She left a strong impression here, even though her time at the station was only a few years. She was young, determined, and incredibly driven, but she also had the rare ability to adapt to whatever the job required. When you watched her work, you could tell she was learning fast, absorbing every experience, and turning it into a stepping-stone. Cleveland was one of the most important stops in her climb, and she has carried those lessons with her ever since.
Today, as an anchor with Coastal Television Broadcasting Group, Jennifer Lindgren is still doing what she has always done best—communicating with clarity, anchoring with steady confidence, and bringing professionalism to every broadcast. She’s no longer the MMJ hauling gear through Ohio winters, but the foundation she built here has shaped everything she’s done since.
Her journey is a reminder of how dynamic journalism careers can be. Reporters become anchors. Local markets lead to major markets. Major markets sometimes lead to new models of broadcasting altogether. Along the way, the strongest journalists take pieces of every stop with them—skills, relationships, lessons, and the resilience that only this business can teach.
Jennifer Lindgren may no longer be at WKYC, but the spirit of the journalist she was here—the one-woman crew, the storyteller, the Murrow Award winner, the Cleveland reporter who never backed down from a tough assignment—still shows in the anchor she is today. Her path is proof that great journalists don’t just move around the map. They evolve. They grow. And they find new ways to do meaningful work wherever they go.