Fort Wayne Ink Spot Welcomes Tony Betton Jr!
Unscripted (Commentary)
By Keith Edmonds
FWIS Contributing Writer
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
It’s always refreshing for me to have the opportunity to spend time in the presence of someone that is engaging, informative, and driven by what they do. Those attributes are what made todays guest on UNSCRIPTED Tony Betton Jr. a delight for me to interview. Tony is a young man who left the comforts of his home in Atlanta, Georgia and has come into our city and embraced it with his “sense of community” attitude and aura. He currently works for WPTA (21 Alive) as the host and executive producer of his own lifestyle talk show entitled: INsight which airs M-F from 3:00-4:00pm. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with him as he shared a “snippet” of his back story, his goals, and what brought him to Indiana and our Summit City.
UNSCRIPTED: Welcome to Fort Wayne and Unscripted Tony! Can you share with us a little about your background and what brought you to our city?
TBJ: “Thanks for having having me! I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia where I graduated from Georgia State University in 2019. After graduation, I interned at GMA (Good Morning America) in New York for about 6 month’s (pre-Pandemic) and during my time there I began to talk with people about where I would start my career. I was very fortunate to meet a recruiter who literally took my breath away as far as her suggesting where the best opportunities would be for me to seek employment and one of those places was Fort Wayne, Indiana. So, I did some research on Fort Wayne and with my mom originally being a native of Lima, Ohio the proximity to Fort Wayne, made it a pretty easy choice to come here. Though this city was not where I thought I’d begin my career, after 3 1/2 years it has become my second home, and a great decision for me.”
UNSCRIPTED: After your arrival in Fort Wayne, what was your original position with the media and what do you currently do now?
TBJ: “I began as the weekend morning anchor, where I also produced those broadcasts for about 2 years (which initially is what brought me here) and I also did some field reporting during the week. I then moved to the position of weekday anchor where I began doing more special projects reporting and that lead to a tremendous opportunity for me which occured this past March as I was offered the opportunity to host (and produce) the lifestyle show INsight which is what I currently do. We’re excited because not only will this show will be moved to one hour but it will also be aired on ABC and NBC from 3:00-4:00 pm (Beginning in September 2023)
UNSCRIPTED: Wow! That’s exciting to hear! I have to ask, with your show being aired “LIVE” daily, what are some of the challenges that come with it?
TBJ: “Well, as you know, with LIVE television, anything can happen! Some examples of that could be; a guest stumbling over a response to a question or myself going over time with a question. Guests may be running late to the show, need to cancel, or any number of things happenng that particular day. With the show we have to be ready to adapt at a moments notice which can make it challenging. There is a huge difference between lifestyle hosting and news, in both positions, I’ve had to wear many different hats, and meet those challenges myself, as opposed to having a team working with me. As we expand to one-hour I’m excited to welcome our new Insight producer to the team.”
UNSCRIPTED: So walk me through your day as the host of INsight (which I have watched for a couple of years). What does it entail, and how do you make this whole thing come together for a quality show daily?
TBJ: I write out the intro for each segment and with us expanding to 1 hour, the responsibility for each segment has now doubled from 4 to 8 pieces to be prepared for which can be challenging. I work to make sure that everything is in place and then we go on (hopefully without a hitch) which we prepare for as well. We prepare for everything!”
UNSCRIPTED: What made you decide that THIS is the position that you want to go in to as far as a career choice?
TBJ: “I’d majored in theater in high school and have always had a gift of working with people and thankfully them allowing me to tell their stories. In a way, it was very natural for me to go into this field.”
UNSCRIPTED: Finish this thought process for me: What makes Tony Betton Jr.
Think, Laugh, Cry?
TBJ: Think: “I would have to say when people ask me about my future I want to inspire peop, reach people, and make my mom proud of me. I’d also love to do some radio and start my own non-profit so this encompasses a lot of thing for me.”
Laugh: “The TV show The Parkers because it makes me laugh and brings me a lot of joy so when I need a pick-me-up it’s the show I turn to. Also, my dog King brings me joy as well because he’s literally ME in dog form!”
Cry: “This is easy. Anything that involves my mom or grandma because they’ve always been there as my support system, and we’re very close. My mom’s getting along in age so I value the time that we have together more than ever. I want to bring her joy and let her know that I am who I am because of her influence on me.”