It’s a fascinating story. Former TV news anchor Jeannette Reyes left the television news industry completely to become a social media content creator and spokesperson. She is representing Maybelline and other companies. Her husband, Robert Burton is a morning television news anchor at Reyes’ former station FOX 5 WTTG- TV in Washington, D.C. Burton was once competing with his wife as he was the morning anchor on ABC7 WJLA-TV simultaneously.
But since Burton landed the morning news gig in December 2025 and with Reyes holding down her social media content commitments, the couple has moved to New York City. The place they have in The Big Apple looks fantastic.
The couple (@msnewslady and @therobertburton) became a media sensation for the viral “news anchor voices” they’ve used in various social media clips on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Here’s a sample with content creator comedian Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks.
Here’s Burton anchoring the morning news in D.C. You can go to their social media vlog to find out how they are making it work. (By the way, expect gas prices to go even higher.)
Here’s more on the couple who met in of all places, a television newsroom in Arkansas in 2012.
Jeannette Reyes announced today that she is back to doing a weekly video podcast with her friend Mona Kosar Abdi, a former TV news anchor at ABC News.
Kudos to the power couple for making it work!
Is there a big picture here? Perhaps there is. A successful news anchor would rather leave the television news business than… (you fill in the rest)
What we see in the future–
The creator economy is rapidly shifting towards a model where individuals, rather than traditional media companies, are becoming primary content providers supported by direct consumer subscriptions and audience loyalty. Enabled by platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok; creators are building personal brands that they can directly monetize with their expertise and celebrity.
Will there ever be a platform that bypasses the previous mention platforms? Meanwhile traditional media outlets (television and radio) seem to become less important to consumers each day.