Clarice Tinsley, who joined FOX 4 KDFW Dallas-Fort Worth in 1978, will be inducted into the Lone Star Emmy Chapter's Gold Circle at the group's upcoming awards show in November 2025.
The Gold Circle honors media professionals who began their careers in television at least 50 years ago, in a performing, creative, technical, or administrative role within the industry, or in an area related to television, such as TV journalism, education, advertising, promotion, and public relations.
In 2024, former ABC13 Houston KTRK anchor Dave Ward and WFAA 8 Dallas-Fort Worth Production Operations Manager Jerry Cadigan joined the Gold Circle.
Tinsley was inducted into the chapter's Silver Circle in 2012, recognizing media professionals who began their careers in television at least 25 years ago.
She joined KDFW Channel 4 Dallas–Fort Worth on December 4, 1978, years before the FOX network even existed, co-anchoring alongside Barry Judge, with Gary Bazner delivering the weather and Allen Stone reporting sports.
A graduate of Wayne State University, she came to North Texas television from WITI Channel 6 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The longtime anchor has earned some of journalism’s highest honors, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, a DuPont-Columbia Citation, multiple Emmy Awards, and numerous recognitions from the Dallas Press Club, Texas Associated Press, and American Women in Radio and Television. She was also inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2020.
Tinsley’s work extends beyond the newsroom. She’s a passionate community advocate and storyteller, serving as Reading Ambassador for the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge since 2008, inspiring children across Dallas to develop a lifelong love of reading. In 2017, the State Fair of Texas honored her legacy by creating the Clarice Tinsley Journalism Scholarship, awarded annually to a student pursuing a career in broadcast or print journalism.
