Olivia Ray has studied and worked in Indiana her whole life, but now she is crossing state lines.
The sports reporter at CBS-4 in Indianapolis the past three years has joined Cincinnati’s NBC affiliate, WLWT.
Ray grew up in Evansville, graduated from Indiana University and worked at a South Bend TV station before coming to Indianapolis.
Heading southeast:Sports reporter/anchor Taylor Tannebaum leaving WTHR
Ray revealed to IndyStar earlier this summer that she carries a burden some in the industry don’t.
“You need to be more well-studied than the man next to you,” Ray said. “You need to know more about the statistics, more about every player, their storyline, their background. I don’t know if that’s a fair statement to make, but it’s the mindset I’ve kept. Sometimes I feel like I spend too much time studying before a lot of matchups, because so much of the knowledge goes unused, but it makes me feel more comfortable walking into a room knowing I can hold my own.”
Ray knows her experience in the industry is “not normal.” She graduated from IU just five years ago, and she spent three years in the 25th largest television market in the country.
“I am really grateful for everyone that has paved the way,” she said. “I can walk into a Colts or Pacers locker room and no one blinks an eye. Not that many years ago, that was not the case.”