Meet April Ross, an HBCU graduate of Alabama State University who is now the owner of WJCN TV-33, a local television station based in LaGrange, Georgia. As an entrepreneur, she is especially proud of her success because she used to work at the same station as an intern!

April was a student majoring in communications when she began interning at WJCN. After graduating in 2001, she began working as a production assistant and later as a reporter.

In 2017, she was working as a reporter with CBS affiliate WRBL News-3 when she encountered an incident wherein a deputy sheriff was shot. When she realized there were no reporters to cover the story, she did an exclusive live report in the area on social media.

“My news reporter instincts took over and in the absence of any TV news outlets here to report on it, I covered it on Facebook Live, which helped my social media presence to grow in excess of 15,000 followers. This was the catalyst for Bee-TV and ultimately contributed to my purchase of WJCN TV-33,” April said, according to ASU News.

That’s when she thought of pursuing a business venture and started planning to deliver breaking news stories on her own television station instead of on social media. In May 2021, she purchased WJCN, which broadcasts 24/7 on Spectrum Cable to more than 600,000 households in 11 counties in both West Georgia and East Alabama.

April says that she credits God for everything she has achieved in life. She also says that she is very thankful for Alabama State University which has greatly contributed to who she is now. She also doesn’t forget CBS-3’s main anchor Teresa Whitaker, who was her mentor and always saw the “star quality” in her.

She comments, “My advice to present students is that you must first work hard, learn well and work through the hard times if you wish to obtain your dreams.”