My interest in news started at an early age as a newspaper carrier, first for the Cleveland Press, and then The Plain Dealer.

I am a native of Northeast Ohio. Go Browns, Cavs and Indians!

The money I earned from being a carrier helped me pay for high school and college.

The newspaper ink got into my blood and hooked me.

I attended Cleveland State University and graduated with a degree in Communications.

During my time there, I hosted a Friday afternoon jazz show on WCSB-FM.

The training paid off and eventually led to a paying job as a booth announcer at WVIZ-TV PBS in Cleveland.

Thank you, Jack Neal, and Betty Cope.

And if you ever tooled around the Cleveland area while I was in college you might have heard me singing and playing guitar at local restaurants as part of the Carr & Spain Band.

I've held producer, reporter and anchor positions in Ft. Wayne, Erie, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Jacksonville.

The work has allowed me to become a better journalist.

In Jacksonville, my wife and I hosted Karaoke at several locations.

That experience gave me a new appreciation for music that wasn't always on my listening radar.

Collaborating with a number of talented people over the years helped me earn a number of professional accolades.

In April 2019, the Virginia Associated Press presented me with its Best News Anchor in the Virginia's award.

In 2018, I earned my first Virginia Associated Press award for Best News Anchor in the Virginias and a Second Place Award for Best Investigative Reporting.

There are several Emmy, Associated Press, and Society of Professional Journalism awards with my name on them.

The team work also helped us pick up several regional Edward R. Murrow awards for outstanding news coverage.

Our most recent regional Edward R. Murrow award came in April 2018 for our coverage of the Charlottesville riot.

We earned a Best Newscast nod for our 6 p.m. newscast on August 12, 2017.

My family and I enjoy Central Virginia and look forward to learning as much as we can about the area.

Remember, if you have a story idea, or would like me to speak at your function, please get in touch at mspain@wset.com.