Tracy Davidson has frequently had parallel lives.
Though she established herself as a reporter, anchor, and unusually hard worker, especially after she arrived at Channel 10 within its first year as an NBC station in early 1996, Davidson felt compelled to complete an education that hadn’t led to a degree and returned to Temple University to finish her formal study of journalism.
Later, as chronicled in this column a while ago, Davidson went further.
She was interested in exploring her faith and entered a program to earn a divinity degree, to be a counselor and a pastor.
She attended classes at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in 2008, and and received a certificate in religious studies. In 2014, she completed a graduate course and earned a master’s in holistic spirituality from Chestnut Hill college.
Eventually, Davidson developed a heady career off-camera and away from Channel 10.
Tracy Davidson is leaving Channel 10 and broadcasting to pursue a career in motivational speaking. (COURTESY PHOTO)
Despite continuing as the anchor at the station’s 4 and 5 p.m. weeknight newscasts, and pursuing many stories as an investigative consumer reporter, Davidson was building a following as a motivational public speaker.
She gave TED talks. She developed a series of programs and went about this area, where she is known, and beyond to deliver them.
She called helping people find their resilience, inner strength, sense of intention, and path to their stated success her “passion.”
Speaking became its own entity. Davidson was as busy off-air and on.
She remains the primary face on Channel 10 News, but another calling has intervened.
Last week, on air with Channel 10 colleagues Fred Shropshire and Jacqueline London, Davidson announced she was leaving Channel 10, where she was verging on her 30th anniversary, to spend time spreading her “passion” and become a full-time public speaker.
She cited the good times she had at the station and acknowledged her co-workers but said her speaking “feeds my soul” and mentioned a surge in demand for her programs.
Davidson’s exit date is as yet unspecified, but she said it would come during this fall.
At that time, she intends to “pivot” to public speaking to encourage the personal development of the people she addresses, one focus being the motivation of women.
On her website, www.tracydavidson.com, Davidson lists five different topics, dealing with everything from resilience, one of her major themes, to listening and storytelling.
Her topics are “Pillars of Success,” “Resilience: How to Rise,” “The Power of Storytelling,” “Listening with Intent, and “Unexpected Faith Journey.”
She says she aims to help audiences strengthen resilience, strive toward authenticity, and focus on what matters most.
Davidson often brings several of those qualities to her work on air. Her consumer spots have helped many.
I once mentioned to a local utility that maybe I should “call Tracy Davidson” instead of trying to deal with stubborn, entrenched them.
Davidson’s storytelling ability is well-noted and took on special significance when she took Channel 10 viewers with her during her bout with breast cancer in 2019.
In thinking over Davidson’s career, I calculate that only one on-air personality has been at Channel 10 longer than she, morning meteorologist Bill Henley, who seems to have arrived with the NBC crew in 1995.
Philadelphia has become a “keeper” market.
Once upon a time, a berth at a Philadelphia television was considered a stepping stone to a job on one of the New York or Los Angeles stations, if not to a national news team, as happened for many.
Even with that, 30 years is a long time to hold a major position at a Philadelphia television station. Things have stabilized, but the climate is still a bit volatile.
Davidson arrived with an anchor position in March 1996 and stayed the main figure at Channel 10 News during her tenure.
From early days, it was known that Davidson was not an anchor who was happy to get a script and read what was in it.
Several colleagues have told me, that especially when Tracy first came to WCAU, that she, of all the anchors, was the one you can find on the telephone talking with sources and seeker better background and more angles to stories.
Alas, my impression is that level of journalism is gone from most local newsrooms, but as long as Davidson was at Channel 10, there was hope the tradition continued.
Thinking of 30-year veterans in the market, my thoughts went to Ukee Washington at Channel 3, who is probably closer to the 40-year mark at his station.
Soon after Davidson arrived at Channel 10, a colleague from Cleveland television, meteorologist Kathy Orr, followed her there.
Orr remains a staple of the market at her third station, Channel 29, where she landed after stints at Channels 10 and 3.
The only person I can think of to rival Ukee Washington’s longevity is Channel 3 health reporter Stephanie Stahl, who arrived in the marker circa 1987, originally as a co-anchor for Larry Kane at Channel 10, where she made an impression, but who found her major niche doing medical news for Channel 3, where she continues to appear.
Channel 6 is known for creating the “keeper” market.
People come and go, but many stay loyal to the No. 1 station in the country in terms of long-term per capita ratings.
Karen Rogers, I know, came to the station around 1997. Though I see no signs that Rogers — or Stephanie Stahl — aged a bit, we in a way saw her grow up on the air along with morning news colleague Matt O’Donnell.
To borrow a word from Tracy Davidson, weather anchors seem especially resilient.
I’ve mentioned Karen Rogers, Bill Henley and Kathy Orr.
There’s also Sue Serio at Channel 29, Cecily Tynan at Channel 6, and Kate Bilo at Channel 3 in the market-mileage contingent.
The point is Tracy Davidson not only represents someone who shows the fortitude to stay in a top position in a major media market for nearly 30 years. She is an example of the people who bring luster to her station and the market in general.
Channel 10 will have a hard time replacing the recognition she brings to the station. Thirty years in, and Tracy remains the best they have.
Best of luck, or considering Tracy, best of success in pursuit of your “passion.”
First look at the Emmys
The 2025 Emmys will be handed out on Sept. 14, with Nate Bargatze serving as host of the CBS broadcast.
I will go into depth about the various categories closer to the ceremony date, but looking over this year’s nominees in preparation, I see that comedy categories seem to feature the nominees we’ve become familiar with over the last three of so years — “The Bear,” “Hacks,” “Abbott Elementary’’ — while drama categories make room for some newcomers, such as “The Pitt” and “Paradise,” and even the seasoned “Andor” among its fold.
Noah Wyle arrives at the Televerse panel for “The Pitt” on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. Our columnist believes he is a strong contender for an Emmy in Best Actor in Drama (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
The same seems to hold true in acting categories.
Jeremy Allen White from “The Bear” and Martin Short from “Only Murders in the Building” look likely to vie again for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, with Jean Smart from “Hacks” and Ayo Edebiri from “The Bear” taking the same roles in the Best Actress contest.
Although Uzo Aruba from “The Residence” could sneak in with an upset.
Meanwhile Noah Wyle, who is excellent in “The Pitt,” an HBO Max series that follows a doctor during the 15 hours of his shift in a Pittsburgh hospital, and Sterling K. Brown, strong as ever in “Paradise” have a chance to break new ground as Best Actor in a Drama.
Pedro Pascal from “The Last of Us,” Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses,” and Adam Scott, who had a particularly good second season in “Severance” still contend well as the perennials.
In Drama’s Best Actress field, veteran Kathy Bates in CBS’s “Matlock” and young Bella Ramsey in “The Last of Us” might be the main competitors, but Sharon Horgan in “Sisters” or Britt Lower in “Severance,” through not as much watched, may have some strength.
Bella Ramsey arrives at an FYC event for “The Last of Us” at the Saban Media Center on Monday, June 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Supporting categories in Comedy and Drama combine people in regular series with those in shorts runs. It will be interesting to see if performers in standard shows, such as Harrison Ford in “Shrinking” and Bowen Yang, as a sketch comedian on “Saturday Night Live” can vie against constant nominee Colman Domingo in “The Four Seasons.”
The same goes for Trammel Tillman or John Turturro in “Severance” vs. Sam Rockwell and other one-season guests from “The White Lotus.”
The Best Supporting Actress categories may be a bit more familiar with Hannah Einbinder from “Hacks” looking to go up against Sheryl Lee Ralph and Janelle James in “Abbott Elementary” despite Kathryn Hahn and Catherine O’Hara doing fine work in “The Studio.”
The Limited Series category throws me a little.
I understand “Adolescence” and “The Penguin” being strong among the nominees for Best Limited Program.
Owen Cooper arrives at the special screening for “Adolescence” in London on March 12, 2025. The engrossing drama on Netflix leaves no stone and no emotion unturned and is must-see TV, our reviewer says. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
But am I wrong? Isn’t “The Day of the Jackal” eligible for this Emmy year?
I don’t think anything can beat “Adolescence,” a true original that kept one riveted for all four episodes, but “Day of the Jackal” was one of the top series of the decade, and neither it nor Eddie Redmayne, it’s lead, have nominations.
Jake Gyllenhaal from “Presumed Innocent,” Colin Farrell from “The Penguin” and Stephen Graham from “Adolescence” benefit from Redmayne’s absence.
I am not a fan of “Monsters: The Menendez Story,” so while I agree Cooper Koch did a fine job as Erik Menendez, I favor Farrell or Graham over him.
I see Best Actress in a Limited Series as a contest between Cristin Milloti in “The Penguin” and my favorite of all current actresses, Cate Blanchett” in “Disclaimer.”
Supporting performers in Limited Series have strength, but Owen Cooper in “Adolescence” earns my prize, the same from Erin Doherty in the same series for Best Supporting Actress.
Among Guest Actors, I hope the single best performance of the television year, Jamie Lee Curtis’ turn at Carmy’s late mother in “The Bear” get its due amid heady competition from Cynthia Erivo in “Poker Face.”
Jon Bernthal attends CinemaCon 2025 on April 2, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon)
Jon Bernthal, as Carmy’s late brother, is also my favorite among five characters from “The Studio.”
In the Drama categories for Best Actor, I favor Jeffrey Wright in “The Last of Us” and Merritt Wever in “Severance.”
Postponed show set for Sunday
The concert long-time WXPN (88.5 FM) “Sleepy Hollow” host Chuck Elliott was supposed to emcee at Hedgerow Theatre in June was postponed because severe storms led to a power outage that made proceeding with the show impossible.
Shows, as we’ve been told, must go on.
The program featuring the musical group Last Chance, with its guest, Bethlehem and Sad Patrick and Elliott as host, will take place at last at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hedgerow.
Remembering the market greats
Last week was sentimental. Thursday would have marked the 90th birthday of the late Edie Huggins, my movie companion for decades and one of the great personalities of local media.
Friday would have been Wally Kennedy’s 77th birthday.
His voice was important to this market for so many years, it’s hard to think of it silenced, even though Wally is buried holding a microphone.
Originally Published: August 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM EDT