Julie Watts Biography
Julie Watts is an American investigative journalist who has won a national award for her work. She currently works for CBS13 News in the capacity of an investigative reporter for the station. Since 2009, she has been putting in time at this radio station.
Watts spent her childhood in the Bay Area, where she was also born, but she met and wed her husband during her time spent working in Sacramento the first time around. They had lived in San Francisco for about ten years, but in 2019 they decided that the Sacramento area would be the best place for them to raise their family.
She attended the University of Southern California, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism as well as a Master of Arts in Online Journalism. She was honored with the title of Graduate Student of the Year during her commencement ceremony at the University of Southern California.
Julie Watts Age
She is 50 years old now, Watts. 1973 was the year that she was born in the San Francisco Bay area of the United States. She is successful in keeping the details regarding her birth month out of the public eye. After she has disclosed this information to the general public, her age will be revised accordingly.
Julie Watts Height
Watts stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 6 inches.
Julie Watts CBS13 News
Watts is a national investigative journalist who has made it his mission to delve deeper into the topics that are important to you, find answers to your questions, and ensure that powerful people are held accountable. Because of her work, laws have been passed to protect families and taxpayers, there have been federal investigations, and the FDA has recalled certain products. In addition to that, Watts works at CBS Sacramento as both a News Anchor and a Meteorologist (AMS).
Julie Watts Award-Winning Work
She has been honored with a total of thirteen Emmy accolades, as well as a number of other major national accolades, such as multiple National Press Club, National Headliner, and Gracie awards, as well as a Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Recent accolades for Watts include a National Press Club Award and an Emmy Award for his work on the documentary titled THE COVID LAB: State Secrets Exposed. The whistleblowers were the ones who started the 14-month inquiry inside the $1.7 billion COVID testing lab in California. The reporting resulted in the creation of two new pieces of legislation, investigations at the state and federal levels, and brought to light startling public health failings that state authorities appeared to be trying to conceal.
In 2021, her study on “State-Sponsored Identity Theft” earned her an Emmy Award in the Investigative Reporting category. The conclusion of the five-year study was that the state’s unemployment agency (EDD) is responsible for placing millions of people at danger of having their identities stolen. The reporting resulted in the state conducting an audit, a joint legislative hearing, and the creation of new legislation.
She made the revelation while she was working for CBS in San Francisco, and she was awarded an Edward R. Murrow Award in the past for her early reporting on the subject, which earned her recognition. Watts received not just an Emmy Award but also an Edward R. Murrow Award in the year 2020 for her reporting on a National Headliner Award for her research into the financial impact of new cell towers near schools and the failure of the California Highway Patrol to respond to DUI 911 calls.
In the year 2020, the Emmy Award for “Troubling Water: The Ripon Child Cancer Investigation” went to Julie. When four children at the same school were diagnosed with cancer, the parents originally pointed the finger at a cell tower that was located on campus. Then, the investigation by CBS13 disclosed a history of cancer-causing chemicals in the city’s water, omissions in the city water reports, and highlighted glaring inaccuracies. Additionally, the research disclosed that the school system was aware of the chemicals in school drinking water but neglected to inform parents about it.
Her “Toxic Safety” investigation into car seat flame retardants was one of Watts’ most prominent series. It resulted in a number of recalls and significant changes within the child car seat business. Watts was awarded a Peabody Award for her work.The investigation was awarded the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Public Service by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Award for Consumer Journalism by the National Press Club, and the National Gracie Award for Best Investigative Feature.
Watts also took home a National Headliner Award and a National Gracie Award for her reporting on the investigation of child identity theft in “Toddler Has a Credit Card” and her work on the investigation of California’s Newborn DNA Database, respectively. In 2016, the probe was also responsible for the passage of a brand new state law.
In 2014, Watts was presented with her first National Press Club Award for Consumer Journalism in recognition of her investigative series titled “UN-Covered California.” The reports that were uncovered led to the state authorities taking action, as well as changes within the insurance industry and numerous faults inside California’s health insurance exchange.
Julie Watts History
She spent a year at CBS in San Francisco as a contributing correspondent for CBS News where her stories were distributed to CBS stations across the country and the station’s Consumer-Investigative Reporter before being an investigative reporter/anchor at CBS in Sacramento.
At KPIX she worked as a news anchor and Meteorologist (AMS). She won the American Meteorological Society’s prestigious award for “Excellence in Science Reporting by a Broadcast Meteorologist” while at KPIX and the Associated Press named her Best News Anchor for her role as anchor and host of the KPIX weekend morning show.
Before that, she worked at KCRA 3 in Sacramento where she achieved her meteorology credentials (AMS Seal) from the American Meteorological Society. In addition to weekend weather, she reported everything from cooking segments to creepy critters while hosting the “KCRA Noon Show Live from the Arden Fair Mall.”
Nationally, she was an entertainment reporter/producer for BBC & Reuters-TV in Los Angeles and also appeared as a host on TLC’s “Designing Spaces”. Watts started her news career as a Reporter for CBS-47 in Fresno, a Traffic Anchor, and Weather Anchor.
Julie Watts Off Air
Watts continues to work on special projects while he is away, including editing footage and producing videos. She has covered stories from as far away as Sierra Leone and as close as India, and she has been recognized multiple times for her work as a Multi-Media/Video Journalist (MMJ/VJ). She has been on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) for more than a decade, in addition to her involvement in a number of other charitable organizations.
Watts has also developed and coordinated five Emmy Awards galas over the past ten years. One of them was the first-ever virtual Emmy Awards ceremony, which took place in 2020 and served as a model for future NATAS regional festivities across the pandemic. She served in that capacity for a number of years and handled the regional Emmy Awards competition.
Julie Watts News Mom
Watts spends her time away from work “investigative moming” online in her spare time. She is the mother of two children and the proprietor of the website NewsMom.com. If you consider her dog-ter, she actually has three children. She discusses how she is applying the skills and resources she has gained working as an investigative reporter to navigating life as a mother on her website, which is titled “News Mom.” She takes great delight in investigating the issues and goods that the majority of mothers would examine… if they had the investigative resources that she does by combining #NewsYouCanUse posts on Facebook with #MomLife photos on Instagram. She does this by using both platforms.
The perfect way for her to spend a day off is by sifting through a mountain of paperwork in the hopes of finding the proverbial “needle in the haystack” for her most recent investigation… WHILE she was spending a beautiful day with her family at the park or at the pool with her husband and children. Or… sleeping in late and spending quality time with her husband and their children, followed by attending church, having lunch as a family, and having a friend over for a playdate. Growing up, the television was her go-to plaything of choice. Her entire lifelong dream has been to work in broadcasting as a reporter and anchor. Watts began “anchoring” the morning announcements when she was in secondary school. She subsequently attended the University of Southern California to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and her Master of Arts in Online Journalism.
Facebook is her preferred social networking tool, and she uses it to maintain two pages, one for each of her two distinct worlds. Her official reporter page, @JulieWattsTV, is where she gives updates about CBS investigations and other items related to her career. Her alter persona, @NewsMomDotCom, is a website where she concentrates on “investigative parenting” and publishes family-oriented information and connections (along with the occasional mommy meme from her life as #NewsMom).
If she weren’t working in television news, she probably would have gone to law school and become an attorney, or else she would be the head of an investigative journalism non-profit organization that focuses on issues connected to the safety of families and children. Because she was raised there, Northern California holds a special place in her heart. The weather is something that can’t be changed. Additionally, she was born and reared in Northern California. He has been a close friend of hers for many years, and the name of the colleague at the news station who she texts the most is in his name.
Two of her favorite stories that she has covered while working at CBS13/CW31 are our “Toxic Safety” investigation into car seat flame retardants and our “Toddler Has a Credit Card” investigation into Child Credit Freezes. Both of these investigations were conducted by us. Each one resulted in the passing of new laws and left an enduring mark on the industries to which it applied. She is also particularly proud of our “UN-Covered California” investigation, which showed major issues in California’s health insurance exchange, as well as our “California Confidential” investigation, which revealed how the state’s largest agency is placing millions of people at danger of identity theft. Both of these investigations can be found on our website. Each of those inquiries resulted in action being taken by state regulators and in substantial policy shifts being made.
Her favorite season is autumn since she adores the changing of the leaves, the cool air, and the beginning of the Christmas season. Football is her favorite sport to watch on TV and in person, and she never misses a game of the game. Since she was up in the Bay Area, she will always root for the 49ers, despite the fact that her husband is from Chicago and the Bears are a fan favorite in their family. Disney is both her favorite TV show and movie studio. In my home, you can always find Zombie Movies, Descendants, and other weird kids’ shows streaming on Netflix. After the children have gone to bed, my partner and I have been binge-watching short documentaries and scripted series that are based on current events on Hulu. Watts adored the film The Drop Out, which was based on the controversy between Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos since there was a lot of crossover into her most recent research into the disastrous COVID testing lab in California, which cost $1.7 billion.
Julie Watts Parents and Siblings
Watts was born and reared in the United States, but she has managed to keep private details about her parents and the number of siblings she may or may not have. When more information becomes available, her family information will be brought up to date.
Julie Watts Spouse
Watts is a married woman and a mother too. She married her longtime boyfriend, whom she met while working in Sacramento the first time around. She grew up in San Jose (but she met and married my husband in Sac, moved back to the Bay for 10 years, and now they’ve returned to raise our family here). Watts manages to keep her husband’s name private.
Julie Watts Kids
Watts and her husband are the parents of two children, and Allie, Watts’s dog-ter, was her firstborn child. My children refer to her as their sister even though she is a Bichon Frise and Poodle mix and she is 13 years old.
Julie Watts Net Worth
Her estimated net worth ranges between $500k – $1 million.
Julie Watts Salary
She receives annual earnings that range between $38,000 and $110,000.