Amanda Hara

Amanda Hara is an Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, and Associated Press award winning journalist with nearly two decades of experience reporting and anchoring across the state of Tennessee, both in Nashville and Knoxville.

Amanda has been honored with 12 Emmy Awards, two National Murrow Awards, 13 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, and more than 18 Associated Press awards.

She was twice named 'Best Reporter' and 'Best Anchor' by the Tennessee Associated Press, and twice named 'Best Anchor' by the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters.

In 2022, she joined Holly Thompson as co-anchor of WSMV's morning show. Amanda also serves as the station's Digital Director, overseeing WSMV's many digital platforms.

Before returning to Nashville, Amanda spent ten years as the Evening Anchor and Executive Producer of Digital Content at WVLT in Knoxville.

She might be from Snoqualmie, Washington, but Tennessee truly is home. Her family moved to Middle Tennessee when she was studying at Washington State University. After graduation, Amanda followed her family south, began an internship at WSMV, and saw her brother off to college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Amanda landed her first job in Evansville, Indiana where she covered a series of stories that prompted change at a local animal shelter, and filed reports for both CNN and the Weather Channel after a devastating tornado killed 25 people.

As a longtime equestrian, it was only fitting that Lexington, Kentucky was the next stop for Amanda. She grew up showing Hunter/Jumpers, helped her mother breed, deliver and train three foals on their small horse farm, played on the Washington State University Polo Team, and then started competing in Eventing. While at WLEX in Lexington, Amanda was awarded an Emmy for a report on the historic Keeneland racetrack. She even worked at a thoroughbred farm in the mornings, helping break horses for the track. Lexington is also where Amanda picked up her first thoroughbred named Unafraid.

Amanda's career came full-circle when she moved back to Tennessee to work at WTVF in Nashville where she covered a variety of stories including a Nashville firefighter who was sickened by hazardous materials while on the job, a homeless mother attending college, a therapy dog working in Vanderbilt's pediatric cancer wing, and a massive horse rescue.

Amanda's very first job as a journalist came at the age of 8, when her parents allowed her to start a small neighborhood newspaper selling 25-cent copies. After reporting on missing pet hamsters and garbage pickup day, she realized there was much more to journalism and that television news was the path to follow. She says no other medium combines pictures and words to create such powerful messages.

Amanda served as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sister of East Tennessee, a board member for Horse Haven of Tennessee, and an advisory board member for American Cancer Society. She currently sits on the board for the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking and Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding.

When she's not at the station, she's spending time with her husband and their sons Håkon and Hasle. All four are most likely getting herded around by their two Welsh Corgis "Sparkle" and "Floki." Amanda is always looking for new ways to give back to Tennessee and share the stories that matter most to viewers.