#MediaMonday – Mitch Carr

Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from Channel 12’s new weekend anchor/reporter Mitch Carr.  Mitch and I have a couple things in common.  Our media backgrounds and our sports officiating “hobby.”
Mitch, time to share:
In addition to anchoring 12 News on weekends, I also report during the week and contribute across all of the station’s shows and platforms.
In my short time in Arizona, I’ve been able to check out Spring Training in Tempe and have hiked Piestewa Peak. I have even visited Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale. I plan to golf on Mondays. What I like about Phoenix so far is everything. Folks around here keep warning me that it’ll get hot, but it’s about 40 and rainy every day this time of year back in Richmond, Va., (my home town), so I’m just enjoying this weather while I can.
Prior to joining 12 News, I worked as a freelance reporter at WRAL, the NBC affiliate in Raleigh, N.C., covering the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
Previously, I worked for four years as the sports director at WRIC, the ABC affiliate in Richmond, Va.   I’ve also had stops as a reporter at WGHP, the Fox affiliate in High Point, N.C., and at KLAS, the CBS affiliate in Las Vegas, Nev. I began my career at KLBK, the CBS affiliate in Lubbock, Texas.
Believe it or not, I am still pursuing a career ambition that formed in my head when I was 12. I was watching ESPN’s College Gameday and I was struck by Chris Fowler and how great that job was.  Twenty years later I still feel the same, and along the way I realized I’m pretty well- suited to news as well as sports. I’m a very aggressive reporter, and I enjoy digging for the truth and holding people accountable. This is true in my personal life as well. I didn’t expect to find a profession that fits my personality so well, but news reporting and anchoring fits me better than anything else.
I graduated from the University of Miami with a double major in broadcast journalism and Spanish. I was fortunate enough to be able to study abroad in Mexico City and Viña del Mar, Chile. Being fluent in Spanish is certainly an asset.
In my spare time, I enjoy working out, officiating youth football and basketball, and playing golf.
I just started officiating in August, but I was hooked right away. I find it has something in common with journalism. Journalists are neutral arbiters of the truth. A referee is a neutral arbiter of an athletic event. So even when I’m not holding a microphone as a reporter  or sitting on the desk, I’m putting myself in the middle of two competing interests and trying to make sure everyone is playing by the rules.
Here’s a Fun Fact: I made a cameo appearance during Season 7 of Showtime’s Homeland, playing a news anchor. I actually have the first spoken words of the season.
You can follow me on Twitter.  If you Google “MitchCarrTV” you’ll find something linked to me. I’m on Instagram as @MitchCarrTV (just like Twitter), and I’m on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mitchcarr8. My personal website is www.mitchcarrtv.com. The brand is strong.