John Clay anchors WTAJ News at 5,6 and 11. He’s also the Managing Editor for the newsroom. When he’s not at work, he’s spending time with his three boys. He decided to make Central Pennsylvania home after falling in love with the people and the opportunities for outdoor fun.
John started his television career in high school, volunteering for the public TV station in Bemidji, MN. He then joined the U.S. Navy as a journalist. He spent 5 years in the Navy. At his journalism school at Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, In, John learned the basics of news writing and editing, photography and radio broadcasting. He also began on camera work that would be the core of his life for the next 30 years. At his duty locations of Lajes Field, Azores and La Maddalena, Italy, John served in various TV and radio jobs for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Most of his time was spent as a TV reporter and anchor.
After the Navy, John excelled at the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Broadcast News. It cemented his passion for the tv news business and gave him a deep appreciation for accuracy and visual story-telling. On the personal side, he developed a love for mountain biking in the parks outside of Columbia.
In 1998, John accepted a job with WTAJ-TV and was the secondary reporter for the State College bureau. He quickly rose in the ranks and accepted the Bureau Chief position and lead the team of reporters and videographers to cover the news of Happy Valley.
In 2004, John accepted a promotion to main anchor and that meant working out of Altoona each day. He eventually settled in Duncansville. Now he is blessed with 3 boys. Jack, Anson and Max. His life is full with taking adventures with his family in the parks and ski mountains of Pennsylvania. He volunteers time for various veteran initiatives and events including the American Cancer Society. His favorite aspects of work include helping his fellow WTAJ employees with their projects and getting out into the community to meet people and share their stories. If you have a story idea for John, please send him an email at jclay@wtajtv.com. And stop and say hi if you see him with his family on the bike trails or ski slopes of Central Pennsylvania.