Danielle Wiggins
Biography
Born, raised, and educated in Northeast Ohio, Danielle Wiggins is the weekend morning anchor and lead education reporter at WKYC 3News, Cleveland’s NBC affiliate. She has held this role since the summer of 2023.
In addition to her daily TV responsibilities, Wiggins was the co-creator, host and producer of the station’s "Rising" initiative. "Rising" told the stories of people who have overcome obstacles to achieve success and inspired others to do the same.
In 2018, Wiggins won a regional Emmy Award and a Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists for a "Rising" episode telling the story of a teen with cerebral palsy who pursued his dream of playing organized basketball.
Wiggins also won a 2022 Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women In Media for her report on two Northeast Ohio ministry leaders, from different racial backgrounds, collaborating on reconciliation efforts after the killing of George Floyd. The following year, Wiggins took home the Gracie Award for On-Air Talent [TV - Local] after sharing her breast cancer diagnosis with viewers. She used her personal story to promote breast self-exams, mammograms, and other health screenings both on-air and in the community.
Before joining 3News in 2013 as the morning traffic reporter, Wiggins was the main producer and correspondent for “The Regina Brett Show” on 89.7 WKSU, Northeast Ohio’s regional NPR affiliate. "The Regina Brett Show" won multiple state and national awards under her leadership, including an Ohio Excellence in Journalism award for best radio show.
Additional noteworthy honors for the Northeast Ohio native include the Cuyahoga County Section of the National Council of Negro Women selecting Wiggins for their “Dynamic Voices for Our Community in Broadcast Journalism” award in 2023. Cleveland Magazine chose the producer turned on-air journalist as one of Cleveland’s Most Interesting People in 2017. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (now known as the School of Media and Journalism) at Wiggins’ alma mater, Kent State University, named her as their 2015 “Fast Track Award” recipient. The school gives the honor to alumni who demonstrate early and significant career achievements.
Wiggins is a graduate of Bedford High School and holds a bachelor's and master's degree in journalism and mass communication from Kent State University. She began her career as a paid intern for NPR’s afternoon newsmagazine show “All Things Considered” in the nation’s capital. She then went on to work at the CBS and ABC affiliates in Cleveland.
Wiggins is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and the National Association of Black Journalists. She was also a 2020 Fellow in the Gwen Ifill Mentorship Program through the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF).
Wiggins has previously taught television news producing at Kent State University and an introductory multimedia course for KSU Upward Bound’s summer program. She currently teaches Writing For Media in the School of Media and Journalism.