MEET LU ANN CAHN
AUTHOR, SPEAKER, JOURNALIST, SURVIVOR
Lu Ann Cahn is the author of the inspirational memoir I Dare Me, an entertaining look back on a year that changed everything for her. The book grew out of a blog, “Year of Firsts,” which chronicled this veteran journalist, mother and survivor’s daily adventures as she pushed herself to try something new every single day to get her life “unstuck.” She was inspired by her daughter, Alexa, to go on this year-long adventure while working her full-time “day job” as an eight-time Emmy award-winning journalist with NBC10 News in Philadelphia.
Cahn’s journey eventually led to a major career change. In December 2014, she left her 40-year career in broadcast news to dare audiences across the country and help launch the next generation of communicators at Temple University. Cahn is currently the Director of Career Services for Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication.
Having worked for WCAU-TV for 27 years, Cahn is well known in the Greater Philadelphia Area. During that time, she filled many roles such as breaking news reporter, anchor and entertainment show host; however, arguably her most well-known role is that of a hard-charging investigative reporter with a talent for uncovering scandals and scams. In 2005, Lu Ann won a National Emmy for her undercover investigative story, “Dirty Little Secret,” an investigation about an illegal bar run by elected officials in their dry town.
LU ANN’S JOURNEY IN TV BROADCAST NEWS
In 1991, Cahn made local and national news when she publicly told her story of battling breast cancer after a missed diagnosis when she was only 35 years old. Her 1992 special report, “Breast Cancer: My Personal Story,” won two Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmys. Cahn also had surgery for ulcerative colitis and kidney cancer. She regularly speaks on behalf of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, other area cancer support groups and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. She hopes her survivor experience inspires others.
Earlier in her career, Cahn worked at stations in Jacksonville, Florida; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Huntsville, Alabama; Little Rock, Arkansas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Miami, Florida. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Cahn grew up in Atlanta and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Georgia. She is married to retired NBC10 photojournalist, Phil Houser.
