BIN Team: Telling Our Story.
Meet our team.
BIN Anchors
Vanessa Tyler
BIN Sr. National Anchor
Vanessa is an Emmy award-winning and six-time Emmy nominated reporter/anchor with extensive and impressive broadcast journalism experience. Vanessa is a veteran of local news operations in New York, Washington, D.C., Dayton, Ohio, Rochester, New York, and Charlotte, North Carolina. A graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Communications, the Harlem native is actively involved in a number of community organizations and has been recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists, the Associated Press, and the Garden State Association of Black Journalists.Listen to Vanessa daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and New York City's BIN 1600. Vanessa also provides special features for the Black Perspective which airs Sundays @ 9 AM ET and 9 PM ET.
Mike Stevens
Managing Editor and BIN Anchor
Mike has anchored and reported breaking news from coast to coast. Mike's assignments have included news operations in New York City, Atlanta, Sacramento, Tampa, Flint, Columbus, Ohio and his native Philadelphia. During his 25-year career Mike has interviewed many newsmakers, athletes and entertainers including Coretta Scott King, Hank Aaron and Bill Cosby. Mike Stevens reported from the scene of bombings in Atlanta and Birmingham and was among the first to announce the deaths of Michael Jackson, Prince and Whitney Houston.Listen to Mike daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app.
Teri McCready
BIN Anchor
Teri is a Connecticut native whose career began at local commercial radio stations in lower-Fairfield County. Her broadcasting experience also includes public radio and television. She expanded her career horizons in NYC as a radio correspondent for the Bloomberg Urban report interviewing celebrities including Danny Glover, Vanessa Williams, Bernie Mac and Natalie Cole. The Urban report was featured on the Wendy Williams Show in numerous U.S. markets. Prior to joining BIN, Teri was a radio news anchor for WOR/iHeartMedia broadcasting from its NYC headquarters.Listen to Teri daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and Atlanta's BIN 640, Chicago's BIN 640, Dallas' BIN 1630, New Orleans' BIN 1280, and San Francisco's BIN 910.
Kevin Brown
BIN Anchor
Kevin is a News Reporter for the Black Information Network. He is responsible for daily local and national reports targeting the African American community.Prior to taking the position at BIN in 2020, Kevin Brown was the Program Director and Morning Show Host at KBLX in San Francisco for 22 years. During his tenure as PD, Kevin directed day-to-day operations and orchestrated smooth and efficient program development focused on the attainment of key business metrics. Simultaneously, as a Morning Show host, Kevin delivered exceptional programming to audience members.
Kevin incorporated advertisers and products into shows in innovative ways and conferred with advertising partners to develop and deploy effective promotional strategies. He served as a spokesperson and representative for Disney, General Motors, Lexus, Purina, McDonalds, Comcast and Sleep train.
The Kevin Brown Morning Show spearheaded fundraising efforts securing millions of dollars in donations to fund programming for nonprofit organizations like UNCF, Oakland Children's Hospital, and American Cancer Society and was recognized for his commitment to the community by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Governor Jerry Brown with "Kevin Brown Day" and a "Congressional Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for outstanding and invaluable service to the community."
Prior to his arrival in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kevin held Morning Show/Program Director positions in Atlanta, Detroit, Denver, Norfolk, Kansas City, and Little Rock Arkansas.
Listen to Kevin daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and Chicago's BIN 640.
Esther Dillard
BIN Anchor
Esther is a native of Buffalo, New York who has worked in several media markets as a reporter and anchor. Some of the places include: WBGO-FM, KTVU-Ch2 in San Francisco, CBS-3 in Philadelphia, WGRZ-TV2 in Buffalo, NY and WEYI-Ch 25 in Flint, Michigan. For several years, she also worked as an educator at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey as a communications professor. She taught a variety of courses including: Writing for Radio and Television, Broadcast Journalism (TV production), News Gathering, Intro to Mass Communications and Public Speaking.Listen to Esther daily on BIN national newscasts and various local markets. Esther also hosts a special segment featuring Black authors called "The Color Between the Lines" on the Black Perspective Sundays @ 9 AM ET and 9 PM ET.
Doug Davis
BIN Anchor
A native of Philadelphia and raised in the Washington D.C Metropolitan area, Doug's career in broadcasting began after his sophomore year at The Central State University. Upon graduating, Doug secured a position in Television/Radio at Cox Radio, Incorporated WHIO-TV/FM/AM Dayton as an A.M. News Anchor on the television side as assistant Assignment Editor. Three years later, Doug landed his first full-time Urban radio job at WJMZ-FM/Greenville and spent time in the market honing his craft, holding every manager/director position in the programming department. Doug eventually became one of the youngest Program Directors in the business. He went on to work at Entercom then Cumulus Radio, where he remained for seven years, managing several radio stations within the company. By 2016, Doug accepted an offer to work for the acclaimed The Michael Baisden Show, working as Program Director/Director of Production. Currently, Doug is an Anchor/Reporter for the Black Information Network.Listen to Doug daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and Philadelphia's BIN 610. Doug also provides insightful reports about Black businesses on the Black Perspective on Sundays @ 9 AM ET and 9 PM ET.
Bri Wood
BIN Anchor and Entertainment Correspondent
Bri is an Alumni of Eastern Michigan University and Specs Howard School of Broadcast Media Arts in Southfield, MI. As both on-air talent and producer for iHeartMedia since 2009, she hosted weekend entertainment and news talk shows on 97.9 WJLB and Mix 92.3 FM respectively. Bri, as she is known to the public, helped listeners get around town as a traffic reporter for the Total Traffic & Weather Network which led to a 4-year run on 100.3 WNIC as a contributor, and morning drive traffic and weather personality.Most recently, Bri voiced Afternoon Drive traffic for all iHeartMedia Detroit stations, as well as reports, PSAs and commercials in other iHeartMedia markets. She lives in the metro Detroit area and in her free time enjoys a good book, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
Listen to Bri daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and on Detroit's BIN 1130.
John Marshal
BIN Anchor
John found his love for entertainment & broadcasting from promoting and hosting events in and around his hometown of Atlanta, GA while attending Morehouse College. After multiple radio internships with Clear Channel & Radio One, he landed his first on-air position with legendary ATL hip-hop station WHTA/HOT 107.9. There, he honed his programming, production and promotions skills and was eventually recruited by fellow Atlanta hip-hop station W233BF/Streetz 94.5. The weekends, both on air and in the city nightlife, were his home for the next year. Consistent work ethic eventually landed him his own weekdays show “Kickin' It with John Marshal” on WFXE/FOXIE 105 in Columbus, GA that he took from #4 to #1 in the market for over 2.5 years. John was recognized as Davis Broadcasting's Personality of the Year in 2017.Now back in ATL, attending Georgia State University for Communications and having joined the Black Information Network/iHeartMedia team, John is broadening his broadcasting horizons and bringing the news as an anchor and reporter to listeners in over 30 cities across the country.
Listen to John daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and Nashville's BIN 97.5.
Morgyn Wood
BIN Anchor and White House Correspondent
Morgyn is based in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area where she reports on politics, entertainment and news from the world of sports. Morgyn is a veteran broadcaster who has been featured on stations owned by iHeartMedia and Radio One along with Sirius/XM satellite radio. Morgyn received her Batchelor of Arts from Morgan State University and holds a Master of Arts in Communication Design from the University of Baltimore. She has held roles both on-air and behind the scenes as a news writer and producer.Listen to Morgyn daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and the DMV's BIN 1120 and Baltimore's BIN 1370. Morgyn also covers BIN Health, Sports, Entertainment, and the Washington Roundup.
Alexandria Ikomoni
BIN Anchor
Alexandria is an Atlanta-based News Anchor for the Black Information Network and iHeartMedia. Before coming to the network, Alexandria was the TV News Anchor for a CBS & FOX affiliates station in the Midwest. She started her TV career in Southwest Georgia. She was an anchor, multimedia journalist and news reporter with the FOX affiliate in Albany. She began her news journey while in college during the summer of 2016 interning with the Atlanta NBC affiliate station. Throughout her career, she’s covered natural disasters, gubernatorial elections, red carpet events and more. She’s interviewed political figures, entertainers, celebrities, and others.Alexandria was born in the Bronx, New York, but calls Atlanta home after moving in 2000. She graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication with a concentration in Media Studies. She also has a minor in Accounting.
Listen to Alexandria daily on Atlanta's BIN 640, Charlotte's BIN 98.7, and Greenville's BIN 1440.
Rey Harris
BIN News and Sports Anchor
Rey is a Multi-Emmy award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience. Rey was one of the first African American journalists to cover 911 and the hunt for Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan and the Middle East. A product of HBCU's Clark Atlanta University, Rey has worked for numerous news operations in Cleveland, Dayton, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Central Texas and New York. Rey also has an extensive radio and voiceover background, being featured on various media platforms around the world. Favorite pastimes include sports, cooking, and international travel. Based in Miami Beach, Rey covers the top stories in South Florida and the nation.Listen to Rey daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and Miami's BIN 880, Jacksonville's BIN 104.1 and Tallahassee's BIN 100.3.
Nichole Deal
BIN Anchor and Money Correspondent
Nichole's broadcasting career began in the late 90s with an internship at ABC News Affiliate, KVUE Television in Austin, TX. Her time there launched a highlight career as a voice over artist and on-air radio personality. She has worked in various capacities throughout her career including News Bureau Chief, Public Relations Director, Anchor, Reporter, Producer, & Fill in Host. You may have heard her voice on nationally syndicated shows like Kidd Kraddick in the Morning and The Car Pro Show or other Texas stations: KPLX 99.5FM, KVET 98.1FM, KFMK 105.9FM, KEYE 103.5FM, & KFIT 1060AM.Before joining the Black Information Network, Nichole spent over 7 years as an Anchor, Reporter & Producer at the iconic WBAP/KLIF studios in Dallas, TX which offers listeners a 24/7 News/Talk format. She has also done freelance work for the Black Contemporary Television Network.
Aside from radio, Nichole has a deep partiality to residential and commercial real estate. Her career in real estate spans decades and includes positions held as Vice President & Director of Leasing, Senior Property Manager, & Leasing Consultant of the Year.
Nichole holds a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Listen to Nichole daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and Dallas' BIN 1630, Fort Worth's BIN 970, Houston's BIN 1320, and New Orleans' BIN 1280.
Mike Eiland
BIN Anchor and Health Correspondent
Mike couldn't decide whether he wanted to climb towers as a radio engineer or go on air. When his love of music took over while playing in the Ohio State University Jazz Ensemble, then working at the campus radio station, his love of recorded music tipped the scales in favor of being INSIDE of a radio station. He started his career as an air talent for a new local album-oriented rock station, WLVQ, where he also did news reporting. When that station was sold after almost 20 years, he found himself at what was then Clear Channel Radio (now iHeartMedia) and continued on the air, this time playing Top 40 classic hits, but added the duty of being the station cluster's Public Affairs Director. He produced, wrote, and hosted the weekly program for all seven stations. He enlisted the help of sister station WTVN News anchors to provide stories, and he had to reciprocate in kind and help the anchors in the newsroom. That's when the news bug hit, but he wasn't quite ready to hang up the headphones playing music, so he did both. Remarkably, iHeartMedia's Black Information Network came along in 2020, and he went for it. Just like at the Columbus radio cluster, he became the host of the public affairs program. The Black Perspective on BIN uses the same format as his local shows, only this time, there was a unique African-American lean to it. BIN's top-notch anchors contribute heavily to the show. Mike is still at home with Public Affairs hosting but admits the national angle is a sweet challenge!Listen to Mike daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and Cleveland's BIN 99.1, Columbus' BIN 1230 and on Memphis' BIN. Mike also hosts the Black Perspective on Sundays @ 9 AM ET and 9 PM ET.
Natasha Williams
BIN Anchor and Money Correspondent
Natasha is a multi-Emmy Award winning journalist with more than two decades of experience in Television and Radio News. She joins the Black information Network as an Anchor/ Reporter. Williams was most recently a multi-media journalist at 89-7 NPR News.A veteran journalist, Williams began her broadcast career in Jackson, Tennessee, and also held Anchor/Reporter positions, Rockford, Illinois, Cincinnati, Ohio and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She spent more than 20 years as an anchor and investigative reporter for WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio. In 2008, she was named best reporter and awarded for best broadcast writing by the Ohio Associated Press. In addition to being honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, Williams also won an Emmy Award for Tornado coverage and two others for investigative reports. She is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Williams received her undergraduate degree from HBCU, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina and a master's degree from The Ohio State University. She was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Wilberforce University, the nation's oldest historically black university.
Listen to Natasha daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app and San Francisco's BIN 910 and Seattle's BIN 850.
Mike Moore
BIN Anchor and Washington Correspondent
Mike is a broadcast news veteran, whose career has spanned over 25 years. Mike has worked in Jacksonville, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia.Listen to Mike daily on BIN national newscasts on the iHeartRadio app.
Amber Payton
BIN Anchor
Amber Payton is a Virginia based journalist on the Black Information Network. As a Norfolk, Virginia native, Amber got her start in media as a radio personality in her local market. With a passion for media she continues to serve as a music radio personality on several music stations in Hampton Roads.Amber is a proud Summa Cum Laude graduate of Norfolk State University. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication with a strong focus in Journalism.
While getting her start in media, there were very few female peers in her area. As a result Amber made it her mission to use her talent and impact to both empower all women while also being an important advocate in the community. Her passion for women empowerment birthed the Finding Her Way initiative. This consists of podcasts, women empowerment panels, mentoring, and more. She is committed to positively influencing all women to be their best authentic selves.
Listen to Amber on weekdays and Sundays on BIN daily national newscasts and Norfolk's BIN 105.3.
Mimi Brown
BIN Anchor
Mimi Brown is a Los Angeles-based journalist, TV personality, host and show producer who knows how to cut right to the heart of the culture. With her passion for broadcast journalism being the root of her success, Mimi is committed to bringing her aptitude for storytelling, amplifying the work of others and helping individuals and brands to connect to the forefront of all that she does.Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Mimi started her media career as a red carpet reporter covering award shows like the Oscars, Grammy's and the Golden Globes. Her highly soughtafter work can be seen on an array for broadcast platforms including NBC, ABC, BET and FOX.
Mimi loves what she does, in a recent interview she shared, "As a girl from Alaska, I never knew jobs like this existed. Every day I get to tell a different story, champion the underdog or talk to my favorite celebrity about their new project. Each day is a fun new experience. I love that."
Mimi holds a Bachelor's Degree from Howard University and a Master's Degree in Broadcast Journalism from American University. She's also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
Listen to Mimi on various BIN programs and newscasts throughout the week on the iHeartRadio app and various local markets.
Tyrik Wynn
BIN Anchor
Tyrik joined the Black Information Network in October of 2023 after working with iHeart Media, Inc. as an anchor for the 247 News Source. While there, Tyrik covered news in the south and southeast regions of the country. Since joining the Black Information Network, Tyrik has helped launch local newscasts in Macon, Columbus, and Augusta Georgia. He has also covered several national news stories including the surrender of former President Donald Trump in Atlanta, GA on election subversion charges stemming from the 2020 election.A graduate of Georgia State University, Tyrik anchored the school's news program titled, "Panther Report News" and hosted the Georgia State Signal's weekly show, "The Signal In A Minute." An award winning journalist, Tyrik also served 2-terms as the President of the National Association of Black Journalists - Georgia State chapter, which is affiliate of the national chapter.
A native of Atlanta, Tyrik has had an opportunity to interview several celebrities and political leaders including Ludacris, Kandi Burruss, Vivica A. Fox, Senator Raphael Warnock, Zonnique, Yolanda Adams, Issac Ryan Brown, Matt Bennett, Lecrae, Marvin Sapp and many more. He looks forward to adding more names to the list.
Listen to Tyrik weekdays on Augusta, Georgia's BIN 1340; Columbus, Georgia's BIN 947; and Macon, Georgia's BIN 1670 as well as some weekdays on BIN national newscasts.
Ramses Ja
Podcast Host
Ramses has been broadcasting professionally since 2005 across several radio and television stations including KKFR-FM Power 92.3/98.3, KNRJ-FM 101.1 FM The Beat, KAJM-FM Mega 104.3 FM, and KTVK-3TV. As a prime-time air talent, Ramses has gone on to win media awards from other institutions including the NAACP and The Black Philanthropy Initiative, and the Phoenix New Times.Currently, Ramses hosts Civic Cipher with Q Ward. Civic Cipher is a show designed to give a voice to Black people in spaces where their culture is celebrated, but little civic engagement takes place. Thanks to a 2022 partnership with iHeartMedia, it can be heard on radio stations across the country as well as all podcasting platforms. Additionally, Ramses hosts The Black Information Network Daily Podcast where he interviews Black journalists around the country to gain more insight into national news stories. The Black Information Network Daily Podcast is found on the Black Information Network—a subsidiary of iHeartMedia.
Listen to Ramses' daily podcast on the iHeartRadio app.
BIN Digital Team
Lauren Crawford
Senior Director of Digital & Social Strategy
Lauren is an accomplished media and digital strategy expert, currently serving as Senior Director of Digital and Social Strategy for the Black Information Network (BIN). Originally hailing from South Florida, Lauren earned her Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication (Broadcast Journalism) from the prestigious University of Florida in 2015.Following her graduation, she relocated to New York City, where her professional journey began. In 2018, Lauren began working for iHeartMedia as a Music Editor for iHeartRadio's national website. Her dedication and expertise led to her pivotal role in launching BIN's digital platforms in 2020. Since its launch, Lauren has conceptualized and developed BIN's editorial voice and digital identity. She currently leads and manages the daily operations of BIN's digital editorial and social teams.
Beyond her responsibilities at the Black Information Network, Lauren also serves as an editor for iHeartRadio's national website.