Chattanooga Pulse

WPLZ News Director Louis Lee is a fixture in news here in the Tennessee Valley. Starting with his high school newspaper, he has more than 30 years as a journalist.

Louis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a U.S. Navy Cold War veteran, having served in the Atlantic Fleet aboard a Fast Frigate, keeping an eye (ear) on Russian submarines. After the Navy, Louis worked for a weekly newspaper in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Wanting to branch out from print media, he returned to college to get his degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Serving as Chief Photojournalist for KVHP-TV in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Louis honed his broadcast writing skills as well as his on-air delivery. Covering the state legislature, military and environmental issues, he also became an accomplished investigative reporter.

Having arrived in Chattanooga in 1991, he worked as a one-person bureau for WDEF- TV covering an 11 county area for more than a decade. He left Channel 12 to start his own online newspaper, ClevelandNewsNow.net, which was very successful in bringing multi-media content to the small community. After a brief move to Florida, Louis returned to the Valley, working for WRCB-TV in their news department.

Louis has attended the National Press Photographer’s Association News Video Workshop, and has been a member of the IRE – Investigative Reporters and Editors organization. He is currently a member of the Radio and Television News Directors Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. He is an AP award-winner and has been recognized for journalistic excellence by numerous groups, including the Georgia State Legislature, Vietnam Veterans of America and the NAACP.