Tenikka Hughes, Action News Jax

Tenikka Hughes is an evening anchor at Action News Jax. She anchors the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. weekday newscasts on CBS47 and the 6:30 and 10 p.m. newscasts on FOX30. Tenikka is an Emmy-winning journalist and a Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Award recipient. She is also proud of her contribution to the Action News Jax team's regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Large Market Television. You can often find Tenikka spending time in local classrooms, promoting youth literacy and education. Tenikka also enjoys connecting with viewers at community events across the area. Tenikka regularly volunteers her time to read to children at local schools and day cares, sharing her passion for youth literacy and education. She also spearheads an annual effort to collect book donations for children who participate in the Jacksonville Public Library's Summer Learning Program. Since its inception in 2018, "Tenikka's Books for Kids" has helped collect nearly 6,000 new books for local children. Tenikka has a passion for storytelling and providing information that impacts the lives of viewers and their families. She traveled to Key West, Florida, to sit down with a national expert on consumer fraud and identity theft to learn about new technology designed to better protect consumers. Tenikka also investigated how a lack of supervision at a St. Augustine hospital may have led to the death of a young father who committed suicide in the hospital's behavioral health unit. Tenikka confronted local massage establishments accused of employing unlicensed workers and talked to experts about the other concerns associated with this illegal practice. She also got a first-hand look at gunfire detection technology being used at a Georgia college and how it could impact law enforcement response to potential threats on campuses. Prior to making the move to the River City, Tenikka spent five years working as an anchor and reporter with Action News Jacksonville's sister station, WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has also worked at stations in Memphis, Tennessee, and Macon, Georgia. Her work has been featured on a variety of national media outlets. Tenikka's research has also been published in the Journal of Health Communication. Tenikka is from the small town of Whitakers, North Carolina. She graduated summa cum laude with an undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. She also earned a Master's in Journalism from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park. Tenikka enjoys traveling and trying new restaurants with her husband. If you have a story idea or would like to invite Tenikka to be a part of your community event, email her at thughes@actionnewsjax.com.