State Capitol Reporter
Chris O’Brien joined the WKRN News 2 team in July 2022 after spending a year as a general assignment multimedia journalist for Spectrum News 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Going by the nickname “O’B” off the air, he comes from Rockledge, Florida, a small city near Cape Canaveral (where the rockets take off) on the east coast of the state.
Chris is a proud graduate of the University of Florida’s (Go Gators!) College of Journalism and Communications, where he was nominated for a professional national Murrow award and a national Hearst award.
During college, Chris interned at WBIR in Knoxville, Tennessee, WCJB TV20 in Gainesville, Florida, and the CBS News Investigative Unit in New York City. Although Florida and North Carolina will always have a place in Chris’ heart, the vibrant community Nashville offers was an easy choice.
His most memorable story was covering a national champion golfer who is a double-leg amputee after a bus accident. When the accident happened, the man was helped by someone who disappeared once the paramedics arrived. Chris was able to track the unknown hero down and reunite him with the golfer’s family. The emotional story taught him the big impact reporters can have on their community.
Sandy beaches and big waves are what he grew up on, but Chris is a huge fan of the mountains. When he’s not working, you can find him on a hike, tubing/white water rafting, or road tripping to a national park – he’d like to see all 63 in his lifetime (he’s currently at 11). Aside from that, Chris is a huge Florida Gators and Boston sports fan, and you can find him wherever there’s a game on.
Chris is stoked to be reporting on Capitol Hill and says to shoot him a message anytime.
