COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jay Plyburn joined the 10TV News team in October 2024.
He is a native of Huntington, West Virginia. As a child, Jay was raised on the stage and took part in countless theatre productions. This developed into a passion for performing arts and the entertainment industry.
Jay received a Broadcast Journalism degree from Marshall University. After graduating, he briefly worked for a local radio station before landing a job with a TV news station. Jay’s journalism career started in West Texas where he worked as a news reporter and weekend weatherman.
Before it was all said and done, he was able to cover news, weather, and sports for that station which also gave him the opportunity to anchor his first broadcast. That opened more doors for Jay, specifically in Northwest Arkansas where he worked as a weekend evening anchor and eventually a weekday morning anchor.
From there, Jay pivoted and moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he got involved with a local acting studio. While pursuing acting and producing opportunities, he worked a multitude of jobs including as an Uber driver, video producer, acting/improv coach, and “demo booth guy” at Trader Joe’s where he handed out food samples to customers. It wasn’t long before Jay was called back into the world of journalism.
In October of 2018, he was hired by Tegna to help launch a pilot program called MyNews which offered hyperlocal news coverage in specific pockets of metro Atlanta. The program was an overwhelming success which allowed it to expand in other parts of the area. It continued to grow and receive funding until the summer of 2020 when the program disbanded during the pandemic.
A newlywed at that time, Jay and his wife Whitney renovated a camper van, sold nearly all their belongings, and traveled the country for about 5 months. At a time when much of the world was shutting down, Jay and Whitney isolated themselves in the van and lived off their savings while they visited numerous national parks and farmers’ markets.
Then in early 2021, Jay accepted a job as morning news anchor for the Tegna station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more than three years, Jay helped the viewers of West Michigan start their day on the right foot. He and his early morning colleagues even gained national attention for their regular TikTok dance videos, receiving high praise from Derek Hough of Dancing with the Stars fame.
While working for the station in West Michigan, Jay and Whitney also expanded their family. Their daughter Sedona Mae was born in September of 2022. With a newborn at home, the early morning shift became unmanageable for Jay, so he took a job as an evening anchor for a news station in Northern Michigan. Unfortunately, that station ceased operations in August of 2024, leaving Jay and his 80+ colleagues out of work.
When Jay learned about an opening in Columbus, he jumped at the opportunity. Morning shows have been the highlight of his career, and now that his daughter doesn’t wake up every 90 minutes (knock on wood), he’s excited to embrace the early schedule.
In his free time, Jay spends time with his family, dancing together on a regular basis and exploring the area. He also supports the arts by attending local film premieres, live shows, etc. Some of his other hobbies include mountain biking, climbing, and visiting local eateries/coffee shops.
