Davis will join co-Anchor Bobby Kaple, meteorologist Paul Ossmann, meteorologist Jennifer Valdez and traffic reporter Julie Smith on the CBS46 Morning News.
She initially made the decision to join the CBS team in June 2015, and was pulled over for a DUI the weekend before she began her new position. She then decided to enter rehab. This past May, she addressed her battle with alcoholism for the first time in an on-air special, where she admitted: “I’m Amanda Davis. I’m an alcoholic.”
Davis, 60, has been arrested multiple times over the past few years for alcohol-related incidents, being charged with driving while intoxicated at least three times.
She was taken off the air after a November 2012 incident and announced she was stepping down the following April.
Davis was arrested in 2013 after she hit another car while under the influence. She left her job as a Fox anchor after 26 years.
In February 2014, she was cleared of the DUI and reckless driving charges related to that accident, and given 20 hours of community service and a $200 fine for failure to maintain lane.
“I’m very pleased that Amanda Davis will be bringing three decades of experience reporting on the major news stories in Atlanta to CBS46. Her passion for local news is unmatched,” CBS46 News director Frank Volpicella says in a statement.
Davis spent 26 years at WAGA in Atlanta. She has received numerous honors and awards during her career, including: RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award, 10 Southeast Regional Emmy Awards, Georgia Association of Broadcasters Gabby Award and the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists Pioneer of the Year Award.
Besides her passion for local news she also describes her “true labor of love” her work to find permanent homes for Georgia foster care children. She began this community project in 1997 with a series called Home for the Holidays and in the first year, 32 children were placed in loving homes. Davis was honored with the Keenan’s Kids Foundation Media Award because of her work with Wednesday’s Child.
“I’m excited about the opportunity CBS46 has opened up for me, allowing me to join a stellar team of broadcasters on the morning show. It’s a privilege and a blessing to be able to start the New Year with Atlanta area viewers, providing them with the news, weather and traffic to get the day started. It’s going to be great in the mornings on CBS46,” Davis says.
Davis graduated Magna Cum Laude from Clark College and is the mother of one daughter.
Here’s a list of other notable names and faces who have pressed reset after receiving a DUI.
Once a traffic reporter for Atlanta’s WXIA 11Alive, Lauren “Elle” Duncan was arrested in April 2013 for driving under the influence. Today, she an anchor on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
In August 2012, then-entertainment and special events coordinator with Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office, Stacii Jae Johnson was charged with a DUI. Since, she’s added author and entrepreneur to her list of credits. She penned the book, Date, Girl’ 143 Reasons Why I Believe Women Should Date Multiple Men, and she’s a cast member of the BET/Centric docu-series “From the Bottom Up.”
