Julie Watts

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Julie's Consumer Investigative reports expose scams, unscrupulous business practices, and loopholes in consumer legislation. She also examines consumer trends and the impact of new products.  

Her award winning work has prompted FDA recalls,  federal investigations, and has forced national corporations to cease illegal business practices. Julie's stories air nationally on CBS, CNN and on various affiliates across the country.

Locally, she covers two different stories each weeknight at 5pm and 6pm on CBS 5 in San Francisco. Those reports range in topic from the consumer and business news of the day, to undercover investigations and resolving viewer problems. 

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A compilation of her ConsumerWatch Investigative Reports earned the Radio-Television News Director's Association (RTNDA) Award for Specialty Reporting in 2011. 

The judges said the entry "was a pleasure to watch and judge. It had everything: great production, first rate journalism, and solid story telling. This market is lucky to have this kind of reporting." 

As a reporter, Julie prides herself on creative storytelling and thrives in live breaking news situations. Julie's coverage of the 2010 Palo Alto Plane Crash was named "Best Spot News Story" by the Associated Press.  She was also nominated for AP Reporter of the Year.

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Julie often finds herself behind the camera in an effort to tell stories that might not otherwise be told.

In 2010 Julie shot, edited and produced "Outsourced: Silicon Valley Students in India". The series follows 25 local high school students as they experience India's growing tech industry - and wealth gap - first hand. It was later named Best Feature Story by the Associated Press. 

"Outsourced" also earned Julie the title of  best Video Journalist/Multi-Media Journalist from the RTNDA.  The judges said it had "unusually thorough reporting and good writing... complemented by thoughtful editing that helped tell this story, setting it apart from the other entries."  

In 2008 she traveled to Sierra Leone where she shot, edited and produced a documentary about Blood Diamonds.  It aired on PBS and won 2 Telly Awards.

Julie also won the first-ever "Multi-Media Emmy Award" for an interactive piece she produced about Kenya's violent 2007 elections. With a master's degree in Online Journalism, she enjoys turning compelling broadcast stories into interactive online experiences.

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Prior to taking over the popular ConsumerWatch franchise, Julie was named Best News Anchor by the Associated Press for her role as Anchor/Host of the CBS-5 Weekend Early Edition. 

In addition to covering the day's top stories, Julie discussed hot topics and interviewed newsmakers alongside San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Phil Matier. 

 Nationally, Julie appeared as a host on TLC's "Designing Spaces".  She also covered everything from cooking segments to creepy critters while hosting the "KCRA Noon Show Live from the Arden Fair Mall".

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It was at KCRA3 in Sacramento where Julie earned her meteorology credentials from the American Meteorological Society.  She also won her first Emmy Award for Best Weather Anchor while at KCRA. 
 
Later, as a Meteorologist at KPIX in San Francisco, Julie's role took her from the chromakey to the crumbling cliffs of Pacifica.  In 2010, she won the American Meteorological Society's prestigious award for "Excellence in Science Reporting by a Broadcast Meteorologist."

Julie began her career as an entertainment reporter for BBC & Reuters-TV in Los Angeles. Then she was a Traffic Anchor, Weather Anchor and Reporter for CBS-47 in Fresno. Julie was also the voice of news and traffic each morning on the Central Valley's Clear Channel radio stations.

Julie earned a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and a M.A. in Online Journalism from the University of Southern California. At her commencement ceremony, she was named Graduate Student of the Year.

Julie went on to study Broadcast Meteorology at Mississippi State University and earned her meteorology credentials from the American Meteorological Society.