Susan Barnett (born October 24, 1972) is an American television news anchor. She spent five years at
KYW-TV
KYW-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is Owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations divisio ...
as co-anchor of the 5, 6, and 11 P.M. newscasts and is a former
beauty queen
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
from
Levittown, Pennsylvania
Levittown is a census-designated place (CDP) and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census. It is above sea level. Though not ...
who competed at
Miss Teen USA 1990
Miss Teen USA 1990, the 8th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, on July 16, 1990. At the conclusion of the final competition, Bridgette Wilson of Oregon was crowned by outgoing ti ...
and
Miss USA 1996
Miss USA 1996 was the 45th Miss USA pageant, held at South Padre Island Convention Centre on South Padre Island, Texas culminating in the final competition and crowning on February 2, 1996.
At the conclusion of the final competition, Ali Land ...
.
Pageantry
At age 17, Barnett won the
Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA title and competed in the 1990
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the Mis ...
pageant, broadcast live from
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated pop ...
on July 16, 1990. She placed
first
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
in the swimsuit competition and was a Top 6 finalist in the nationally televised pageant, won by
Bridgette Wilson
Bridgette Leann Wilson Sampras (born September 25, 1973) is a former American actress, singer, model, and Miss Teen USA award winner. Wilson began her career as an actress after being crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990, playing the character of L ...
of
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
. In her "Parade of States" introduction, Barnett stated that after college she wished to travel the world and start a career in
fashion merchandising Fashion merchandising can be defined as the planning and promotion of sales by presenting a product to the right market at the proper time, by carrying out organized, skillful advertising, using attractive displays, etc. Merchandising, within fashio ...
.
Six years later, Barnett became
Miss Pennsylvania USA 1996, the first former
Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA to win the Miss title. She represented her
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* '' Our ...
in the 1996
Miss USA
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
pageant held in
South Padre Island, Texas
South Padre Island is a resort town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville– Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,066 at the 2020 census. The town is located on South Padre Island, a bar ...
, obtaining the
15th highest preliminary score. The pageant was eventually won by
Ali Landry
Ali Germaine Landry (born July 21, 1973) is an American actress, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1996. She played Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom '' Eve'' and was the Doritos Girl in a 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, ...
of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
, who had also been a semifinalist along with Barnett in
Miss Teen USA 1990
Miss Teen USA 1990, the 8th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, on July 16, 1990. At the conclusion of the final competition, Bridgette Wilson of Oregon was crowned by outgoing ti ...
.
Journalism career
Barnett attended Harry S. Truman High School in
Levittown, Pennsylvania
Levittown is a census-designated place (CDP) and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census. It is above sea level. Though not ...
and graduated from the
University of Delaware
The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 m ...
in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication with a Minor in History.
Barnett is a six time Emmy Award winning Journalist. She began her television news career in
Bridgeport, West Virginia
Bridgeport is a city in eastern Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Clarksburg micropolitan area.
The town of Bridgeport had its beginning in pre- American Revolutionary ...
where she worked as a reporter and anchor for
WDTV
WDTV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Weston, West Virginia, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for North-Central West Virginia. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Clarksburg-licensed dual Fox/ CW+ affiliate WV ...
.
Her first morning news role was for
WCIA
WCIA (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Champaign, Illinois, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Central Illinois region. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Springfield-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WC ...
in
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metrop ...
. She joined the staff of CBS-owned
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Jeannette-licensed CW affil ...
in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
in 1999 as the morning and noon co-anchor.
In 2003 she was one of a team who received the "Golden Quill" award from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania for Best Television Public Affairs/Documentary. She then moved to Miami where she co-anchored the weekday morning newscasts at
WFOR and its UPN sister station
WBFS WBFS may refer to:
*WBFS-TV, a television station in Miami, Florida, United States
*West Bengal Fire Service
The West Bengal Fire Service is the state owned service that provides firefighting, rescue and emergency medical services to the state ...
after joining the station in October 2003.
Barnett left Miami to join
KYW-TV
KYW-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is Owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations divisio ...
in Philadelphia on January 2, 2006. In April 2008, she became the full-time weekday evening co-anchor, replacing
Alycia Lane
Alycia Lane (born May 10, 1972) is an American television journalist. Until October 2013, she served as weekday morning anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. From September, 2003 until January, 2008, she was co-anchor of the weekday evening newscast ...
. Barnett's contract expired at the end of March 2013 and left the station for good a month later. In 2016 and 2017, she has done television commercials for Pennsylvania-based law firm Kline and Spector.
Personal life
Barnett is married to
Dr. Greg Persichetti, a dermatologist and surgeon. They have two sons, Blase and Steele,
and one daughter, Cruise Theresa.
Barnett currently lives in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
References
External links
Official Miss Pennsylvania USA & Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnett, Susan
1972 births
Living people
Television anchors from Philadelphia
Philadelphia television reporters
1990 beauty pageant contestants
20th-century Miss Teen USA delegates
KDKA people
University of Delaware alumni
People from Levittown, Pennsylvania
Miss USA 1996 delegates
Journalists from Pennsylvania
American women television journalists
21st-century American women