Barbie Bassett - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

Barbie Bassett

Will, Gracie, Barbie, Lilly Faith, & William Bassett (photo courtesy www.kelliboonephotography.com) Will, Gracie, Barbie, Lilly Faith, & William Bassett (photo courtesy www.kelliboonephotography.com)
Originally from Marks, Barbie was reared on a farm as the last of four children.

Barbie graduated from Mississippi College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications. She received her Master of Science degree from Mississippi State University with concentration in Broadcast Meteorology in 1995.

Barbie has been granted the Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society and has been awarded "Best Weathercast" by the Associated Press.

Barbie won the 2000 Mrs. Mississippi International title. At the Mrs. International pageant, she was named a semi-finalist in the Top 15 as she competed against women from all over the world. She has held 4 state beauty pageant titles and 1 national title over the years. Barbie is an accomplished opera singer, ventriloquist, pianist, and  model.

Before joining WLBT, Barbie was the weekend meteorologist for WTVC in Chattanooga, Tennessee. For two years, she was the morning meteorologist for WAPT, the ABC affiliate in Jackson. She is also an adjunct professor of communication for Mississippi College.

Barbie sits on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation, the Christmas Village, the Advisory Council for the Madison Ridgeland Junior Auxiliary and she is a graduate of Leadership Mississippi. 

She is Vice President of the American Meteorological Society Jackson Chapter, she teaches 2 year olds in Sunday School at Colonial Heights Baptist Church, she is a Life Member of the Madison-Ridgeland Junior Auxiliary, and is a member of the Junior League of Jackson. 

Barbie was selected as the "Volunteer of the Year" for the National Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation for 2004 and has been named one of Mississippi's "Top 40 Under 40."

Barbie was also voted by Mississippi Magazine readers as their "Favorite Media Personality for 2007." Mississippi College has named Barbie as one of their "Distinguished Alumnae for 2007". The Salvation Army named her their "Angel Award" recipient for 2011 & readers of the Jackson Free Press have voted her as the "Best TV Personality".

Barbie has donated her hair three times to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, an organization which makes human hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer. A Guinness Book of World Record was set in 2007 in Clinton, Mississippi with the Beautiful Lengths project that she and co-worker Stephanie Bell-Flynt spearheaded.

Barbie is also the national meteorologist for the American Family Radio Network and their 190 radio stations across the country. She's also a successful franchise business owner.

In her spare time, she enjoys storm chasing, collecting Barbie Dolls, spending time on the family farm and homeschooling her children.

Barbie and her husband welcomed their first child , Grace, on July 1, 2003. On December 14, 2005, her family welcomed a son, Will Christian. Their third child, Lilly Faith, arrived on April 3, 2008.

She's also growing her hair for the 4th time to donate it in March 4, 2013 with the next Great Lengths hair cutting event.

Barbie's 1st book, Forecasts and Faith: Five Keys to Weathering the Storms of Life, and Barbie's 2nd book, Carry An Umbrella When There's No Rain in the Forecast: 365 Days of Living by Faith, are available at www.barbiebassett.com and stores across the state. Limited quantities remain.
 
To send email to Barbie, click here.

To schedule Barbie to speak at your next event or see if she is coming to your town, go to  www.barbiebassett.com . Barbie is being booked into 2013, so get your group on the list! To read Barbie's blog, go to www.barbiebassett.blogspot.com .

You can find Barbie on Twitter @BarbieBassettTV and you can also "Like" her Facebook page called "Barbie Bassett WLBT".