In Her Footsteps Sheroe of Storytelling
Tenikka Smith Hughes is a three-time Emmy Award-winning veteran journalist. She is currently an evening anchor with CBS47 & FOX30 Action News Jax in Jacksonville, Florida. She was born and raised in North Carolina and has worked in television news for 20 years with stops in Charlotte, Memphis and Macon.
Regarded as an authentic, adept and commanding journalist, she is deeply respected by her peers. She also serves as a mentor to young journalists across the country.
Tenikka’s work has been honored with number of professional accolades, including three Suncoast Regional Emmy awards and more than a dozen Emmy nominations. She has received several awards from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists including Best Anchor. Her reporting landed her a coveted nomination in the National Association of Black Journalists’ Salute to Excellence Awards. Tenikka was also named “Anchor of the Year” by the Florida Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
She has a heart for children and paying it forward – spending countless hours reading to kids and promoting the importance of literacy and education. She is also the driving force behind Tenikka’s Books for Kids, an annual book donation drive that has put more than 20,000 free books in the hands of local children since 2018. The mission of Tenikka’s Books for Kids is to promote summer reading and ensure children have access to books at home. The drive is in partnership with the Jacksonville Public Library.
Tenikka graduated summa cum laude with an undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina–where she also served as Miss Benedict College. She also earned a Master of Journalism from the University of Maryland at College Park. Tenikka enjoys traveling and discovering great restaurants with her husband.