Table of Contents
Fred Blankenship (American Journalist)
Fred Blankenship’s wife, Paige Blankenship, has stood beside him through a journalism career that has taken him from the streets of Los Angeles to the anchor desk of one of Atlanta’s most-watched morning news programs. Fred Douglas Blankenship III is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and morning news anchor at WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta, Georgia — a station he has called home since 2007.
Born on September 12, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, Blankenship built his career the hard way. He chased storms in Wichita, covered gang violence and wildfires in San Diego, and earned the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for his work on the documentary “About Race” — a film that examined cultural and social behaviors across ethnic communities. Those early years shaped the journalist Atlanta wakes up to every morning.
At WSB-TV, he anchors Channel 2 Action News This Morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. and Channel 2 Action News at Noon. Over the years, he has covered some of the most significant stories of his generation, including the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple hurricane seasons. He also walked the Edmund Pettus Bridge alongside Congressman John Lewis to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — a moment that speaks to the kind of journalism he stands for.
Off camera, Blankenship is a devoted husband and father. He and Paige have been married since September 3, 2005, and together they are raising three children in Atlanta.
| Full Name | Fred Douglas Blankenship III |
| Date of Birth | September 12, 1974 |
| Place of Birth | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Profession | Journalist, News Anchor, Reporter |
| Employer | WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Education | Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, University of San Francisco |
| Career Start | KRON-TV, San Francisco, California |
| Current Role | Morning News Anchor — Channel 2 Action News This Morning (4:30–7 a.m.) and Channel 2 Action News at Noon |
| Notable Coverage | COVID-19 Pandemic, Hurricane Season, Georgia Water Crisis, 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, 2004 Democratic National Convention |
| Wife | Paige Blankenship (married September 3, 2005) |
| Children | Freddy Blankenship (son), Jaden Blankenship (son), Layla Blankenship (daughter) |
| Father | Fred Douglas Blankenship Jr. (deceased, aged 57) |
| Mother | Name not publicly available (teacher by profession) |
| Siblings | One older sister (name not publicly available) |
| Awards | Multiple Emmy Awards; Edward R. Murrow Award |
| Estimated Net Worth | $1 million (estimated; not officially confirmed) |
| Salary | Estimated $75,487 annually (not officially confirmed) |
| Memberships | National Association of Black Journalists; National Press Photographers Association; 100 Black Men of Atlanta; Leadership Atlanta |
| Residence | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
Who is Fred Blankenship?
Fred Blankenship is an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and morning news anchor at WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta, Georgia. He joined WSB-TV in 2007 and anchors the morning and noon broadcasts. He is married to Paige Blankenship and the couple have three children together.
Who is Fred Blankenship?
Fred Douglas Blankenship III is an American journalist, news anchor, and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster based in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born on September 12, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, and holds American nationality. He is of African-American ethnicity.
Blankenship is best known as the morning news anchor at WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News, a position he has held since joining the station in 2007. He currently anchors Channel 2 Action News This Morning, which airs from 4:30 to 7 a.m., as well as Channel 2 Action News at Noon. WSB-TV is owned by Cox Media Group and is one of Atlanta’s most established television news stations.
Beyond his on-air role, Blankenship is a recognized figure in the journalism community. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Press Photographers Association. His career has earned him multiple Emmy Awards and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award — one of the most respected honors in American broadcast journalism.
He is married to Paige Blankenship. The couple resides in Atlanta with their three children.
Early Life and Education
Fred Blankenship was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in a household shaped by strong values — most notably those of his father, Fred Douglas Blankenship Jr., a deeply respected man whose influence followed Fred throughout his career.
His father passed away at the age of 57. At the time, Fred was 28 years old. Despite the loss, Fred has spoken openly about his father’s role in his life. In one recorded tribute, he stated that his father always believed in him, even during times when he doubted himself. His mother worked as a teacher. He also has an older sister. Neither his mother’s name nor his sister’s name has been made public.
One story from Blankenship’s early career illustrates just how much his family name means to him. A television network in New York once offered him what he described as a dream job — on the condition that he change his last name. He turned the offer down. His grandfather was Fred Douglas Blankenship Sr., his father was Fred Douglas Blankenship Jr., and he was Fred Douglas Blankenship III. The name was not negotiable.
Educational Journey
After completing high school in Los Angeles, Blankenship went on to attend the University of San Francisco. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. That academic foundation, combined with his early hands-on experience in local television, set the course for a career that would eventually bring him to one of Atlanta’s most prominent morning news desks.
Fred Blankenship's Career at WSB-TV and Beyond
Fred Blankenship’s path to Atlanta was not a straight line. It was built over years of hard work across multiple cities, multiple stations, and multiple beats — from storm chasing in Kansas to covering gang violence in California.
Early Career — KRON, KAKE, and KGTV
Blankenship began his journalism career at KRON-TV in San Francisco. It was there that he became part of a team that produced the documentary “About Race” — an in-depth exploration of the cultural and social behaviors of different ethnic communities across America. The project earned the team the Edward R. Murrow Award, one of the most prestigious honors in American broadcast journalism.
From San Francisco, he moved to KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas. There he worked as a weather reporter, regularly chasing severe storms and developing a sharpness for covering breaking weather events under pressure. His next stop was KGTV in San Diego, where he spent six years as a reporter and weekend anchor. San Diego tested him in different ways. He covered stories on drug prevention and community outreach, reported on the growing problem of gangs, and tracked some of the largest wildfires in California’s history. That work earned him several awards and established him as a journalist capable of handling serious, community-driven stories. In one notable assignment, he covered the Democratic National Convention in Boston — his first major national political event.
Current Role at WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News
Blankenship joined WSB-TV in Atlanta in 2007 and has remained one of the station’s most recognizable faces ever since. He currently anchors Channel 2 Action News This Morning, which runs from 4:30 to 7 a.m., and Channel 2 Action News at Noon. WSB-TV is owned by Cox Media Group and operates as one of the longest-running television news stations in Atlanta.
During his tenure at WSB-TV, Blankenship has covered some of the most significant stories of his generation. He reported extensively on the COVID-19 pandemic and has provided on-the-ground coverage of multiple hurricane seasons. He also traveled to California to file special reports on Georgia’s water crisis, drawing direct comparisons between how the two states manage their water supply challenges.
One of the most personally meaningful assignments of his career came when he walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, alongside Congressman John Lewis, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. It was the kind of moment that defines a journalist’s commitment to history and community.
Awards, Recognition and Community Involvement
Blankenship’s work at WSB-TV has earned him multiple Emmy Awards. Combined with the Edward R. Murrow Award from his time at KRON-TV, his trophy shelf reflects a career built on consistent, high-quality journalism rather than a single standout moment.
Off camera, he is deeply involved in the Atlanta community. He is an active participant in “100 Black Men of Atlanta” and “Leadership Atlanta” — two organizations focused on mentorship, civic leadership, and community development. He also maintains his professional memberships in the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Press Photographers Association.
Fred Blankenship Net Worth and Salary
Fred Blankenship has spent the better part of his career in local television news, working his way from entry-level reporting roles to one of the most visible morning anchor positions in Atlanta. That trajectory is naturally reflected in his financial standing.
According to publicly available estimates, Blankenship currently earns an estimated annual salary of around $75,487 in his role as a morning news anchor at WSB-TV. This figure is consistent with salary ranges reported for experienced local television news anchors in major American markets. These figures are estimates based on publicly available information and have not been officially confirmed by Fred Blankenship or WSB-TV.
Based on third-party estimates drawn from publicly available sources, Fred Blankenship’s net worth is currently estimated at around $1 million. This figure takes into account his long career in broadcast journalism, spanning multiple television markets across the United States, including San Francisco, Wichita, San Diego, and Atlanta.
It is worth noting that net worth figures for journalists and media personalities are rarely disclosed publicly. The estimate above reflects secondary source reporting only and should be treated accordingly. No official statement regarding his net worth has been made by Blankenship himself.
Fred Blankenship Wife and Personal Life
Fred Blankenship is known in Atlanta not just as a trusted news anchor, but as a committed family man. Despite spending years in the public eye, he has consistently kept his personal life away from the spotlight — sharing only what he chooses, when he chooses.
Fred Blankenship's Wife — Paige Blankenship
Fred Blankenship’s wife is Paige Blankenship. The couple married on September 3, 2005, in a ceremony attended by family and friends. By all accounts, theirs is a quietly solid partnership — one that has weathered the demands of a career built on early morning alarms, breaking news, and life in front of a camera.
Paige has largely stayed out of the public eye. Fred has not shared details about her profession or background in any known public interviews, and no verified biographical information about Paige is currently available through public sources. What is known comes primarily from occasional social media posts and photographs that Fred has shared over the years — glimpses of a family life he clearly values deeply.
The couple resides in Atlanta, Georgia, where Fred continues to anchor the morning news at WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News. Their marriage has lasted through the many stages of Fred’s career — from his early days in regional television to his current standing as one of Atlanta’s most recognized broadcast journalists.
One of the more telling windows into Fred’s personal values came after the death of his father, Fred Douglas Blankenship Jr. Rather than lean on others, Fred stepped up as the anchor of his own family — supporting his mother, a retired teacher, and his older sister. That same sense of responsibility appears to define how he approaches his role as a husband and father.
Fred Blankenship's Children
Fred and Paige Blankenship are the parents of three children — two sons named Freddy and Jaden, and a daughter named Layla. The couple has raised their family in Atlanta, where Fred’s early morning schedule has not stopped him from being a present and engaged father.
He has spoken publicly about the importance of fatherhood, drawing direct parallels to the relationship he shared with his own late father. The influence of Fred Douglas Blankenship Jr. is clearly visible in the way Fred has chosen to raise his own children — with intention, with presence, and with pride in the family name. It is worth recalling that Fred once turned down a dream job in New York rather than change the surname that connects him to his father and grandfather.
The children’s exact ages have not been made public. Fred is deliberate about protecting their privacy, and neither he nor Paige has shared details about their schooling or personal lives through any verified public channel. What comes through clearly, from the occasional family photograph shared on social media, is that the Blankenship household is a close one — built on the same values of loyalty, hard work, and family pride that Fred has spoken about throughout his career.
FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Fred Blankenship
Key questions answered about the WSB-TV Channel 2 morning news anchor and his public life
Born Fred Douglas Blankenship III on September 12, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, he joined WSB-TV in 2007 and currently anchors Channel 2 Action News This Morning and Channel 2 Action News at Noon. Over his career, he has earned multiple Emmy Awards and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for his contribution to the documentary "About Race."
Paige has remained largely out of the public eye, and no verified biographical information about her profession or background is currently available through public sources. Fred and Paige reside in Atlanta, Georgia, and together they are parents to three children — sons Freddy and Jaden, and daughter Layla.
He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and holds American nationality. He is of African-American ethnicity. He celebrates his birthday on September 12 each year.
Fred is known to be a devoted father and has spoken publicly about the influence his own late father had on his approach to parenting. He keeps his children's personal lives away from the media and their exact ages have not been made public.
This estimate is based on his long career in broadcast journalism across multiple television markets, including San Francisco, Wichita, San Diego, and Atlanta. It is a third-party estimate only and has not been officially confirmed by Fred Blankenship or WSB-TV.
He joined WSB-TV in 2007 and anchors Channel 2 Action News This Morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m., as well as Channel 2 Action News at Noon. WSB-TV is owned by Cox Media Group and is one of Atlanta's most established television news stations.
After completing high school in his hometown of Los Angeles, he went on to study journalism at the University of San Francisco. That academic foundation launched a career that has spanned multiple major television markets across the United States.
Based on third-party industry estimates, his annual salary is approximately $75,487 in his current role as a morning news anchor at WSB-TV. This figure is an estimate only and has not been officially confirmed by Fred Blankenship or WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News.
Gallery
