Eli Brand
Eli Brand is an Emmy-winning television reporter at WSOC-TV who covers how rules of the road, traffic enforcement, and everyday driving environments affect people who rely on their cars. His recent stories connect city decisions and on-the-ground scenes to the experience of ordinary drivers, from new enforcement tools at intersections to moments that unfold at gas stations. Alongside broader daily news, his reporting keeps a clear eye on how policy, safety and infrastructure shape life behind the wheel.
Red light cameras to return to the Queen City
Brand’s coverage of red light cameras focuses on the intersection of public safety, driver behavior and city policy.
In his story on the decision to bring red light cameras back to the Queen City after a 20-year hiatus, he frames the issue through the Charlotte City Council’s approval of a one-year pilot program and what that means for people who drive those intersections every day. He highlights the long gap since the cameras were last used and the structured pilot period, underlining both accountability for drivers and accountability for how the program performs.
That approach reflects a recurring thread in his automobile-focused work: he takes a concrete change in the driving environment and spells out the practical consequences. The emphasis stays on how enforcement technology will actually show up in daily commutes, what drivers can expect at specific locations, and how the rules of the road are changing.
Rather than treating traffic cameras as an abstract policy debate, he treats them as part of the lived infrastructure of the city’s streets.
Lottery prize at local gas station
In another recent piece, a $250,000 lottery win becomes a story told through the familiar setting of a local gas station.
Brand uses that location to ground the report in a place every driver knows, tying a high-dollar headline to a stop that usually means fuel, snacks and a few minutes off the road. The focus on the celebration at the station shows how he uses automobile-adjacent spaces as natural stages for community stories.
This kind of assignment highlights his range within an automobile-centered beat. The story is not about a vehicle itself, but it unfolds in a roadside environment that drivers pass through every day. Brand covers the big number, but he also gives weight to the people and the place, showing how chance, routine and the culture of driving intersect in small businesses along major routes.
Reporter for WSOC-TV
Brand reports for WSOC-TV and joined the station’s news team in April 2024. His work spans traffic enforcement, driving environments and other daily local news, reflecting both an automobile beat and the flexibility of a general assignment reporter.
He moves between policy-driven stories, such as council decisions that affect intersections and routes, and more feature-like pieces set in everyday roadside locations.
His public professional profiles describe him as an Emmy-winning reporter, underscoring a track record of work that has been recognized within television news. Past roles at other local television stations give him experience with fast-moving daily coverage and the demands of live and same-day reporting.
Across this background, his current work at WSOC-TV is marked by a focus on how decisions made in council chambers and lottery offices play out where drivers actually spend their time: at signals, on corridors and at the neighborhood gas station.
4 more automobile journalists.
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