Carolyn Clifford co-anchors the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts with Robbie Timmons and the 7 p.m. with Stephen Clark.
Carolyn is a native Detroiter who grew up on the northwest side of the city.
She’s the youngest of nine children and there are more than 40 grandchildren in her family, so she was thrilled to return to her hometown and work at the very station she grew up watching. "It’s like a dream come true," says Carolyn.
Carolyn has been working in broadcast journalism for more than 17 years and when she arrived at Channel 7 she brought 10 years of experience with her. By May 2002, Detroit began waking up with Carolyn when she joined the "Action News This Morning" team.
Anchoring is only one piece of Carolyn’s job. Through Carolyn’s Health Edge reports she works to keep Detroiters informed about the latest developments in medical science and the effects they have on our community.
Carolyn came to WXYZ-TV from WPGH-TV in Pittsburgh where she anchored the 10 p.m. newscast. Before that, she anchored the 10 p.m. news at WLFL-TV in Raleigh, N.C. where she worked her way up from weekend anchor and medical reporter. Carolyn also worked at the CBS affiliates in both Orlando, Florida and Lansing, but got her real start in news at a small radio station in Lansing.
The YWCA of Western Wayne County named Carolyn their 2007 Woman of the year. She was also honored by the Detroit City Council and Detroit Urban League for her community service and volunteer work in the community. Carolyn has received several awards for her reporting and anchoring. She is a ten-time Emmy winner, including three Emmy Awards for Best News Anchor.
She has also received awards from the Associated Press, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, and was given a special honor by the Karmanos Cancer Institute as one of their "Heroes of Breast Cancer."
Before Carolyn decided she wanted to work in news, she had dreams of dancing on Broadway. She has danced her whole life and was in the Michigan State Dance Company and the MSU Motion Dance Team before she graduated.
Carolyn loves speaking at area schools and community organizations hoping to make a difference in the lives of children. A quote Carolyn strives to live by is by Martin Luther King Junior, 1963 “ The ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he or she stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Carolyn is a devoted mother and most of her time away from the station is spent with her family, whether its going to her son’s football or basketball games, her daughter's dance recitals, or simply spending a Saturday night at the movies. “Sunday is the most important day of the week because it’s a day devoted to our family.”
If you have any stories or questions for Carolyn email her at cclifford@wxyz.com.
