John Clay

John Clay

John joined the WTAJ News family in 1998 as a reporter in State College. In 2000 he became the Centre County Bureau Chief and in 2005 he took over anchor duties in Altoona. In 2009 he became the Managing Editor of the newsroom. While at WTAJ News, John has earned awards from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association for spot news and enterprise reporting.

John's broadcasting career began in high school when he volunteered to work at a public TV station in Bemidji, Minnesota. In 1989 he joined the U.S. Navy and worked for five years as a reporter and anchor. After military journalism school he took assignments in Portugal and Italy. John says his years in the Navy were some of the most exciting and challenging times of his life. This is where he picked up a love for travel and culture.  In 1994 John started a degree program at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia Missouri. While at school, he worked at an NBC affiliate and an NPR affiliate. In 1998, John graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Broadcast News.

John is married to his wife Annie, who is from Ithaca, NY. They have a son named Jack.
John's large, extended family is spread out all over the world, particularly in Germany. His immediate family lives in the states of Washington and North Carolina. One of the things that drew John to Central Pennsylvania was a love of the outdoors. He enjoys hiking, mountain biking, all types of skiing, and racquet sports. He also enjoys hunting and fishing.

John volunteers with charities that include the Diabetes Association, Arthritis Foundation and American Cancer Society. He taught a broadcast course for the Penn State College of Communications. One of his favorite pastimes is watching good movies. Some of his favorites include Pulp Fiction, Caddyshack, and Saving Private Ryan. John is certainly an animal lover and can often be found throwing the tennis ball for his yellow lab, Navy.

Send John an email with your news story idea.

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Get to Know John

What are your favorite TV shows? 
CBS Sunday Morning, Survivor, Amazing Race, 2 and a Half Men, Top Gear

What are your favorite movies?
Saving Private Ryan, Caddyshack, Stripes, Blues Brothers

What websites do you visit the most? 
WeAreCentralPA.com, news.google.com, cbsnews.com, woot.com, facebook.com

What is your favorite restaurant? 
Outback Steakhouse

If you could interview anyone in history, who would it be? 
Benjamin Franklin

What is one thing on your bucket list? 
Fly in a military jet

What is one thing about you most people would be surprised by?
I've never broken a bone in my body

What are your favorite sports teams? 
Minnesota Vikings, Missouri Tigers, Nittany Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers

What is your favorite hobby? 
Skiing

Where do you see yourself in 20 years? 
Hopefully, scaling back my work hours to travel more with my wife.

What was your most memorable interview/weather event/sporting event? 
I interviewed Charlton Heston and his wife at a NRA function in Central PA. He told me behind the scenes stories about the filming of Ben Hur.

What was your first job? 
I was a dishwasher at a resort in Bemidji, MN.