How Reanna Rosenthal chased 106 “No’s” to earn her first anchor desk
Before Reanna Rosenthal ever appeared on a television screen, she became very familiar with something far less glamorous: rejection. Not the dramatic kind with slammed doors or tense phone calls, but the quiet kind. The kind that shows up as unread emails at 2 a.m., or as another row added to a spreadsheet. The kind that stays with you enough to make most young journalists wonder whether they’re cut out for the trade. Rosenthal counted hers one by one. “One hundred and six,” she said. “Exactly 106. They’re all on that spreadsheet.” The number isn’t the headline of her story, but it is the backbone. Because what finally landed her a job as a morning anchor and producer at WVVA wasn’t a lucky break or connection. It was a drive – to keep applying, keep interviewing, keep adjusting, and keep showing up. Rosenthal, a 2025 High Point University graduate, applied to stations across the country, learning more about herself each time. Early interviews shaped her. She wasn’t yet sure how ...
