Get your face known!



Leah Uko joined the WLTZ First News team in April 2016.


The Southern California, Los Angeles County native is coming from Little Rock, Arkansas where she was a night side general assignment reporter with KARK 4 News and FOX 16 News.


During her time in Little Rock, Leah covered the controversy of the state taking control over the Little Rock School District after six of the 48 schools in the district had been continuously on the academically distressed list. She also covered education, crime and politics in the city of Pine Bluff, including its downtown area where buildings collapsed due to property neglect.


Before moving to Little Rock, Leah covered the city of Omaha, Nebraska at FOX 42 News. She headed her own series, Restaurant Report. The series confirmed whether or not food establishments, in a city with one of the most restaurants per capita in the country, kept up with the Douglas County Health Department's health code standards. Leah interviewed chefs, cooks and general managers at nearly 100 restaurants in the county.


In addition to the franchise, Leah covered political corruption involving a city council member who spent campaign money to support a gambling addiction. She was also assigned to cover different controversial deaths of a children killed due to gang violence on Omaha's north side.


Leah also focused a lot on covering the ongoing issue of increasing STD rates in Omaha.


She started her career in television journalism in Bryan/College Station, Texas at the NBC affiliate, KAGS. There she learned how to find, cover, shoot and edit news stories, including raging wildfires and Texas A&M's switching over to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and hiring its first Black football head coach, Kevin Sumlin.


What Leah says she loves about television journalism is that it bridges gaps between all kinds of people.


"An elderly white man, gay woman, 8-year-old child and young, middle-class Hispanic woman and educated Black man can all be standing in a long line at the grocery store."


"Their silence can break and conversation can flourish by small-talking about what's going on in their city's government, schools, sports and weather. News gives everyone something to talk about with one another no matter where we come from. It helps makes strangers acquaintances by keeping folks informed."


Leah got her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Journalism and Communications from the University of California, Riverside.


She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.


Leah is a National Physique Committee (NPC) figure competitor bodybuilder who seeks to motivate girls, teenage women and young women to find their confidence and self-worth through fitness and becoming physically strong.


During her free time, Leah likes to explore Columbus and volunteer with people and organizations in the community. She also catches up on the phone with her family and friends. When all of that is taken care of, Leah is at the gym, enjoying the nightlife, shopping, but mostly she says she is, "keeping my behind in the house".


Leah's always looking for a story and community event where she can get involved. She loves social media and asks you stay in contact with her via phone, email, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.