Hola, East Tennessee! My name is Fernando Garcia-Franceschini and I joined the WBIR team as a multi-skilled journalist in June 2022.
I was born and raised with the beach as my backyard in Puerto Rico, specifically in a city called Ponce on the southern part of the island. Growing up as the oldest of three brothers was super fun, sometimes painful, but mostly fun!
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in San Juan in 2017. Since I knew I wanted to work in TV news, I then pursued a master’s degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University (Go Orange!) and graduated in 2019. One of the coolest moments of my life happened on graduation day when I got to deliver the graduation speech in front of thousands at the iconic Carrier Dome!
To close off my graduate studies, I interned in Washington D.C. as a Capitol Hill correspondent for two Texas stations. I got to interview members of Congress and senators on issues that affected Texans’ day-to-day lives. I also got to cover some super fun events like D.C.’s Fourth of July parade and got to meet John Stamos!
I kicked off my professional TV news career as a reporter for KCRG, the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There I covered a little bit of everything, from the derecho that devastated eastern Iowa to the MLB’s iconic Field of Dreams game.
As a guy from the Caribbean, you can imagine winters in Iowa were pretty unbearable for me, so I’m so excited to continue my professional career in beautiful (and much warmer!) Knoxville. I’m looking forward to going out into our communities, meeting people, and sharing their stories Straight from the Heart.
In my free time you can catch me at the gym, going out with friends, watching reality TV or jamming to some Taylor Swift.
Feel free to say hi, send story ideas, or tell me your favorite T-Swift songs at fgarcia@wbir.com or at @FernandoGFTV on social media!
