| Jake Whittenberg | |
|---|---|
| Education | Montana State |
| Occupation | Television journalist |
| Spouse(s) | Tara Whittenberg |
| Children | None |
| Notable credit(s) | KTVQ-TV WSYX-TV WTTE-TV KING-TV |
Jake Whittenberg is an American television news reporter. He began his career in newscasting at KTVQ-TV in Billings, Montana before moving in 2007 to Columbus, Ohio where he was a general assignment reporter for WSYX-TV and their sister station WTTE-TV. He then moved to Seattle, Washington where he is currently Bureau Chief Reporter at KING-TV.
Contents |
Jake began as a performer in speech competition at a very young age. In 1999, he competed at National Forensic League national tournament in Phoenix, Arizona becoming one of the top high school performers in the country. He studied media and theater arts at Montana State University-Bozeman and New York University. Jake worked as a "stand-in" and personal assistant on several film and television sets. Highlights include reading lines with Academy Award-winner Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard on the film, “Don't Come Knocking,” and serving as an assistant to Dave Matthews on a music video, “Gravedigger.” Jake made several films of his own, and earned "Best Fiction Film of the Year" in 2004 at the Montana Tracy Awards. To stay grounded, Jake spent time with his improv troupe at Venture Theater in Billings, Montana, performing to appreciative audiences every week.
After graduating from Montana State, Jake followed in his parents journalistic footsteps and became a reporter/anchor for KTVQ-TV, CBS affiliate in Billings, Montana. When Hurricane Katrina hit land in 2005, Jake became the only Montana reporter to travel to the Gulf Coast where he filed reports for two weeks. He became recognized and made the quick jump to reporter at WSYX-TV and their sister station WTTE-TV in Columbus Ohio. He covered the historic 2008 presidential election where Ohio was center stage, and reported live from Cedar Rapids, Iowa during the unprecedented floods of 2008 that devastated the region.
In 2009, Jake won an Emmy Award for Breaking News Reporting. He has also received awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists.
After living in Columbus, Ohio for three years, Jake applied for a position at KING-TV in Seattle, Washington. After a short interview process, Whittenberg was granted the job at KING-TV and jumped over 20 markets to Bureau Chief Reporter at KING-TV in Seattle, Washington.