Charlotte Cooks

Carolina Impact, PBS Charlotte’s signature show, serves as a lens into the heart of issues, people, and places shaping the landscape of our region. It delves into the stories that matter, providing viewers with a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics at play across our region.

With more than 30 years in broadcasting, Amy Burkett still loves the business of connecting through media.  She’s thrilled to have lead the renaissance of WTVI PBS Charlotte, a viewer supported service of Central Piedmont Community College, as general manager since June 2013.  Before that she spent 14 years at WLVT PBS39 in Bethlehem, PA as executive vice president.  She began her career in commercial television working at network affiliates as an anchor/reporter for nine years.

Over the last 20 years Amy’s studied the art of leadership and received her John Maxwell certification as a trainer, speaker and coach in 2012.  New York Times bestselling author John Maxwell has written more leadership books than any one.  Amy published her first leadership book The 7 D’s to Your Destiny: A Roadmap to Help You Fulfill Your Life’s Purpose in 2020 and her second book The Dirty F-Word: Lessons from our Failures in 2023.

She combined her love of media with her passion for leadership training to assist with economic mobility in Charlotte.  Over the last seven years she’s graduated over 750 teens from the 3D Project: Dreamers-Doers-Destiny. This seven week career pathways and leadership project has been the catalyst to help at risk high schoolers achieve their dreams.

She’s lead teams to 11 regional Emmy Awards, four national PBS awards, and numerous Society of Professional Journalist and Radio, Digital Television News Awards.

Amy is originally from Ohio and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast journalism from Bowling Green State University.  She’s been married to her photographer husband Rob for more than 30 years and is proud of their only son RJ, a graduate of Clemson University.

Episode 14 | Economic Impact of Sports; Spectrum Center Reimagined; Guiding Stars: Kira Michaw; & History Before Us

Episode 13 | Central Piedmont Dual Enrollment; Art With a Purpose; Fixing it Together; Legacy Through a Lens

Episode 12 | Teacher Housing; Sports With Us; Collecting Santos de Palo; Charlotte Chocolatiers: From Childhood Cravings to Craft Mastery

Episode 11 | Union County Reading Success; Wrapping Families in Support; Breastfeeding African American Babies; & The Magicians Table

Episode 10 | Urban Farming; Fifty Gardens; Healing Through Movement; & Bar-B-Q King Says Goodbye

Episode 9 | NAMI Mental Health; Freedom's Footsteps Preview; Woofers Making Waves; & The Poetic Educator

Episode 8 |Horses of Healing; Sewing Hope; Casual Crafters; & Built to Last

Episode 7 | Historic Threads, Modern Destination; Priced out of Purpose; & The Longest Table

Episode 6 | Classroom Training Takes Flight; Levine Museum of the New South; New Meck Dec 250th Mural; & Church Camp Revival

Episode 5 | Big Dreams, Small Businesses, Young Moguls; Gabe DeVoe Champions Literacy; Table Tennis, Anyone? & The Accidental Baker

Episode 4 | Flower Power: Metrolina Greenhouses; The Charm of Cotswold Marketplace; Nia McAdoo’s Unique Blend; & The Legacy of Romare Bearden

Episode 3 | Teaching, Healing, and Staying in Charlotte; Rapping With Purpose; Art by Abel; & Author Joy Callaway

Episode 2 |Rebuild, Reopen, Restore; Rising Again on the River; Boone NC's Wine to Water; & Restoring Asheville's Artistic Community

Episode 1 | Our Region's Fight for Affordable Housing; Celebrating 60 Years of WTVI; Camp Wildwood: Building Tomorrow's Leaders Outdoors; & Chef Gillian's Recipe for Change

Episode 13 |Central Piedmont Dual Enrollment, Repair Cafe NC,The Thirty Nine Photoshop

Episode 12 | Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools,Fairfield County Schools District,Bank of America,Mint Museum's Art of Devotion,Marvin's Confections,The Underground Truffle

Episode 11 |Union County Schools, Magician's Table

Episode 10 |AAA Therapy Solutions, Survivor Sanctuary Yoga

Episode 9 | NAMI Charlotte,NAMI Walks, May 20th Society,Charlotte Museum, Aqua Pups, Carlo L'Chelle Dawson

Episode 8 | Lion Services, The Casual Pint, Blackhawk Hardware

Episode 7 |The Thread, HUG Charlotte, Charlotte Community Tool Bank,United Way of Greater Charlotte

Episode 6 | Aviation Institute of Maintenance, Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte is Creative, Amber Thompson Design, Rock Springs Camp Meeting

Episode 5 | Academy Charter School,Gabe Devoe Foundation, Charlotte Table Tennis Club,The Accidental Baker

Episode 4 | Metrolina Greenhouses,Cotswold Marketplace, The Homage Exhibit,Note & Accord, Romare Bearden Foundation

Episode 3 | Novant Health,Wake Forest in Charlotte,Joy Callaway

Episode 2 | Rebuilding Hollers,Chimney Rock Village,The Beacon Network,Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development, Todd NC,Rivergirl Fishing Company, Wine To Water, Marquee Asheville, Skrap Monkey

Episode 1 | We Build Concord,Davidson Housing, Camp Wilwood

The PBS Charlotte Plus app is our new, personalized streaming experience — and it’s now available on all your devices.

With PBS Charlotte Plus, you can pick up right where you left off and get personalized recommendations based on what you watch, making it easier to discover new favorites. Plus, it includes everything available in Passport — from national hits to local stories, all in one place.