What do Dorinda Clark Cole, the Winans, Fred Hammond, Judge Greg Mathis, James Earl Jones, Tom Selleck, Madonna, and Ed McMahon have in common with Las Vegas Fox 5 weekday news co-anchor Monica Jackson? They are all from the Motor City – Detroit, Michigan.

Starting at 7:00 a.m. every weekday Las Vegas residents can tune in to Fox5 News live and experience the flavor of the energetic co-anchor as she delivers the latest happenings in the entertainment capital of the world using her spiritual motto derived from her grandmother; “If you can’t take it to Jesus, don’t speak it.”

Born and raised in a primitive Baptist church, Jackson spent her K-12 educational years in Catholic schools as one of five girls - so she is no stranger to the morals and values associated with living for God. “My mother and grandmother were serious about making sure that we did not become statistics. We were not going to have teen-aged pregnancies and we were pushed to succeed,” said Jackson, a mentor to young ladies striving to earn professional careers.

Married at 18 to her high school sweetheart Delano, the wife of 22 years worked for four years - 1998-2002 - as the morning traffic anchor/feature reporter for WXYZ TV Channel 7 in Detroit.  And although Jackson traveled with her husband as part of his Air Force career, she didn’t let that stop her from achieving her goals.

She started out in Detroit’s top-10 market, where she received  the opportunity to work for one of the top radio stations in the city – WCHB. The company originally hired her as the afternoon news anchor for the John Arnold News/Talk Show on the AM side of the station, but after only two-days on the air, management invited the energetic reporter to join the Morning Show on the FM side. “God has always blessed me with immediate opportunities for advancement,” she said.

The show was an immediate success and the team known as “The Breakfast Jam” made it to the number two spot in the ratings in less than a year. In spite of her rigorous split shift, Jackson enjoyed every minute of it. “It was definitely hard work, but that is what it takes to get to where you want to be,” she admitted. “You have to be passionate about what you do, and when you’re passionate about it, there’s no stopping you.”
Soon recognized as a talent that moves ratings, Jackson was asked to join the morning team as the in-studio traffic anchor from 1996 to 1998 by Fox 2 News in Detroit, another local station. While the popular personality accepted the offer, it only took six months on air before she was pirated away from Fox by WXYZ – another opportunity that journalists everywhere could only dream of receiving.
“I will tell anybody in this business to be prepared because it’s about timing and preparation. I always kept a suit ready, kept up with current events and made sure that I was ready to meet opportunity when it came knocking,” she said,  bursting with her contagious smile.

But with all the opportunities, the experience and the testimony of doing exactly what she planned from age 13 – Jackson doesn’t discount the costs involved in the process. “It took me 20 years to get to that chair (Fox 5 News),” said the 40-year-old mother to four-year-old D’Artagnan. “I did speech classes in school, emceed fashion shows, did community events, and everything else – I put in the time.”

As a result, Jackson values her time with family. The co-host of the MORE show, which airs directly after the Fox5 News live in the morning, Jackson fights to maintain a healthy balance in order to spend time with her now retired husband and their son. “People see me on television and think I’m this lively personality that’s really outgoing – and I am real – but I am a very private person behind the scenes,” said the only African American anchor on television in Las Vegas. “I’ve learned the hard way to keep my private life private,” Jackson said.

Having interviewed many celebrities and Hollywood icons, the Motown native has reported her share of stories about famous people vulnerable to the public and the media. “That’s the hardest part about this job - knowing you’re on all the time. If I get the wrong sound bite, I can tear your life apart in 30 seconds. It is important to get it right the first time and that can be scary,” she said.

Her commitment to always be truthful and get it right has earned her a badge of credibility with many, including one of her favorite people to interview – Wayne Newton. “Because of past situations with him, he trusts me and he knows I’m going to tell the truth so I have an exclusive with him whenever there is something happening that involves him,” she said. “That means a lot coming from someone with his level of class.”