Anqunette Moon Las Vegas News Anchor
Pizzazz Magazine Las Vegas Interviews

A Pizzazz Magazine Exclusive

Publisher Don Lemmon

Pizzazz Magazine: Who first told you getting into your profession was crazy?:

Anqunette Moon replied: When I was about 10 years old I told my family that I wanted to be a newscaster. My uncle told me "Girl, they are never gonna let a Black person do the news." My father was even more blunt. He said the only way I'd get a job was by getting on the "casting couch". Well I did get a job the old fashioned way. I begged for it. The preferred candidate turned down the job because it meant she would have to be at work at 3 o'clock in the morning. I convinced the news director that I could do the job by doing it for free for about three days. I think he gave me the job just so I would stop bugging him.

Pizzazz Magazine: How did you initially see your place in this field?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I'm not sure what you mean, but I'll try to answer it anyway. When I was very young, maybe about 6 or 7, I wanted to be an actress because I wanted to be on TV. But my Mom told me I would starve. Then, I noticed that newscasters were also on television. So I said I would "just" do that. But when I got to highschool, I discovered I really like to write and the two go hand in hand. Also, when I was growing up, every time I saw Black people on the news, the stories tended to be negative. I grew up in Gary, Indiana so I watched news out of Chicago. Lots of gang and crime stories, which I admit, disproportionally affect the Black community. But, I wanted to show some of the positive sides of our community as well. So I guess I thought I would be this "Beacon of Positivity." Now, I realize it's just my job to tell the story....good or bad. But I am happy when I can tell a good news story, regardless of the community from which it came.

Pizzazz Magazine: Tell me some of your favorite websites?:

Anqunette Moon replied: OK. I'm a pretty one dimensional girl. I love news sites. I like one called "newsblues", which tells you what's going on at different stations across the country. I like TVspy, which is similar. There's a site called Medialine, where you can look at tapes of reporters and anchors from all over the country. (I've got to check out the competition, you know!) And I like to look at sites from other tv stations. WRC in Washington D.C. is one of my favorites.

Pizzazz Magazine: Can you tell me something you have never said publicly before?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I really can't think of anything. I'm pretty much an open book. No deep, dark secrets. Sorry.

Pizzazz Magazine: What is the most shocking thing you have seen in the business?:

Anqunette Moon replied: It takes a lot to shock me. I've seen some pretty grotesque things...brain matter dangling from tree limbs, pictures of stab and gunshot victims, people involved in car accidents. I'm not really shocked anymore. Disturbing, isn't it?

Pizzazz Magazine: No one is always cool so what embarrassing situation set you in your place?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I'm not sure you can print this, but I'll tell you anyway. I was covering a jazz and ribs festival and a cook was tenderizing ribs by beating them with this "hammer like" object. Sure enough, I say, on live television, "and this man over here is beating his meat." It doesn't get any worse than that. I was teased for weeks!

Pizzazz Magazine: The biggest lie about your industry ever is what?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Is that it's glamorous. It's not. I often spend my days begging people to talk to me, waiting for people to call me back, sweating in a news van in 110 degree heat, trying to get my story done by my deadline and then throwing on some makeup and making sure my hair isn't all over the place before I go on air.

Pizzazz Magazine: What bothers you about the perception of the general public?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I'm amazed at how reporters have such a bad rap. People always say we're vultures. And they think we prey on the weak and purposely mis quote people. Sure, there are some bad reporters out there, but most of us just want to tell a good "true" story. I read a survey recently that people rank reporters with lawyers as the least favorite professions. I guess it's just a shoot the messenger mentality.

Pizzazz Magazine: Who around you has been the most supportive?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Without hesitation, my husband. Often, to advance in this field, you have to move from city to city every few years. That means my husband has to give up his job to follow me, then look for another job when we get to the next city. Then he has to put up with my insecurities. People write or call the station all the time, complaining about everything....from how we sound, how we dress, and of course, how we look. It can get you down if you let it. My husband watches just about every show, and he's brutally honest with his criticism. If I'm having a bad hair day, wearing too much make up, or if I seem rushed or pre occupied, he'll let me know. But, he still tells me I'm great. That's why we're still together.

Pizzazz Magazine: What would you consider changing about yourself or approach?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I would love to be more quick witted. For example, Kendall Tenney is the king of one liners. He always seems to know just what to say and when to say it. I usually think of something funny or appropriate HOURS later. That, and like many women, I wouldn't mind being about 10 pounds lighter!

Pizzazz Magazine: Ever held any odd jobs?:

Anqunette Moon replied: In highschool, I was a pharmacy technician at Walgreen's. I also modeled clothing in bars. I was underage so they kept me in a back room until the fashion show began. In college, I worked in group homes for developmentally disabled adults. I had a lot of jobs, sales, waitressing, but I think those three were the most odd.

Pizzazz Magazine: What did or do your parents do for a living?:

Anqunette Moon replied: My Mom is a custodian at a high school in Gary. My Dad is an electrician at a steel mill.

Pizzazz Magazine: Your goal before retiring is what?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I want to work in New York City. It's the number one news market in the country and who doesn't want to work at the top. But I think I only want to work there for a few years and then retire closer to home.

Pizzazz Magazine: Tell me a joke please?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I'm lame. I don't know any jokes. Not a single one. Pathetic isn't it?

Pizzazz Magazine: What are some CDs you listen to a lot?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Sting, Jill Scott, Sade, Bille Holiday, and I have this jazz compilation CD with Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and a few other jazz masters.

Pizzazz Magazine: What movies could you watch 100 times without being bored?:

Anqunette Moon replied: What about Bob, Broadcast News, and Silence of the Lambs. (I think Broadcast News is one of the most accurate portrayals of the news business. The more I watch it, the funnier it is.)

Pizzazz Magazine: What one thing needs changed in your field?:

Anqunette Moon replied: The news business needs to get back to basics.....good writing and great storytelling. You would be surprised to find out how many people make simple grammatical errors in copy. And it happens all the time. I have a folder of some of the worst scripts. Someday, I'm going to make a "Wall of Shame" and post them all.

Pizzazz Magazine: Who intrigues you or who do you emulate and why?:

Anqunette Moon replied: I'm most intrigued by Brian Williams. He seems so smart and comes across so conversationally. I don't emulate anyone because I think it's a waste of energy. I'm never going to be someone I'm not. So why try? I just try to be the best Anqunette.

Pizzazz Magazine: If you could live in another era which one and why?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Without hesitation, the Civil Rights Era, from about 1958 to 1970. My Mom grew up in Mississippi during that time and so much was going on in the United States then. There were assassinations, freedom marches and of course, the Vietnam War. It was such a pivotal time in our nation's history. I look at all the news stories and accounts from that period and I feel as if I missed out on one of the most monumental times ever.

Pizzazz Magazine: What TV show have you watched most often?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Law and Order. I've seen it so many times that I can watch the first 10 seconds of just about any episode and tell you how it will end. But I still love it.

Pizzazz Magazine: Does anyone in your family still think your nuts?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Both my Mom and my sister think I'm nuts. My sister just isn't a news watcher. She thinks it's too depressing. My Mom thinks it's rude that I sometimes ask people to share intimate details of their lives. And she's right, it can be rude. But I try not to be. The worst pickup line you ever heard was what and did it work?:

One time a guy walked up to a friend and me and said, "You look so good, you look so good, you look so good to me!" We just about died laughing. And no, it didn't work.

Pizzazz Magazine: Any sincere advice for those who emulate you?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Don't emulate me. I'm just a hard working person like anyone else. You just see me more often. Every once in a while, when I see someone who's attained the success I'd like to have, I remind myself that I'm on my own path and all I can do is do my best and try to get better. I pass along that advice to anyone who looks at me and entertains the notion of emulating me.

Pizzazz Magazine: Did we forget anything you wanted to plug or cover?:

Anqunette Moon replied: Just watch News 3. And call my boss and tell her you think I'm doing a great job! Just kidding. Well, sort of.

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