Greg Screws co-anchors WHNT News 19 at 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
Greg is very much in demand as a public speaker. His life experience of covering news, sports, personalities and overcoming life’s difficulties makes for great after dinner and public speaking.
If there is a topic that requires an opinion, Greg will give you one. His favorite saying is “Right or wrong, I am rarely in doubt.”
Growing up in Hartselle, Greg had an unspectacular basketball career which led him to become a little league parent as his daughter played hoops. Despite having Greg give her tips on how to play basketball, Emily became a very good player who played on a team that finished second in the AAU nationals and won the state sports festival three years in a row.
After leaving Hartselle and realizing higher education was a challenge in addition to being a goal, Greg went to the University of Alabama. His “brush with greatness moment” at the University of Alabama was seeing Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant in a Shoney’s Restaurant. Greg majored in Communications at Alabama and worked at WCFT television before moving to WVTM in Birmingham. Greg’s stop in Birmingham television sparked his love of NASCAR and is also where he realized weathermen rarely pick up the check at lunch.
From there, Greg traveled to Richmond, Virginia for a stop at WRIC television. There Greg worked with Chip Tarkenton, the nephew of NFL great Fran Tarkenton. His friendship with Chip ended when Fran and Greg got into a heated discussion at Thanksgiving over the NFL Greats’ lack of success in Super Bowls. From Richmond, Greg moved back to Huntsville where he did sports and morning television for eight years. After 25 years in television, Greg had the itch to take a sabbatical and worked for 15 months with United Way of Madison County.
“Working at United Way of Madison County was a remarkably rewarding experience,” Screws said. “Thanks to the United Way of Madison County I realized how much I didn’t know about my own community, and am resolved to place community service as a priority in my life.”
But it took the call from a friend to make Greg start thinking television news once again. “Denise Vickers is one of the best news directors in the country,” said Greg. “I was flattered when she called and wanted me immediately to be on WHNT’s team of sharp and focused managers who take their work and craft very seriously.”
Greg’s daughter Emily works at the University of Alabama. Once Greg asked if she wanted to work in television and Emily said “you have to be kidding me.” Emily is very patient when her father calls her at least three times a day.
