My first reporting position: I was hired the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach right out of college. Not a typical starters market, but I was fortunate to begin my career here. It was pretty harsh. Long days, unbearable work load, horrible shifts, etc, but I wouldn’t trade it. All of the aforementioned was a tremendous learning experience. I learned early on it was going to be a sink or swim first job. Typically a kid out of college has to begin in a small market, make his/her mistakes, and eventually move up. I knew my mistakes had to be few and far between and couldn’t’ be repeated. I learned I wasn’t very good LIVE (lack of experience), but was a good story teller. In fact, I was nominated for an Emmy Award within my first 6 months. So I lived,…. I learned and moved on from West Palm.
2. You have been able to cover fascinating stories and experience closely events that have impacted the whole nation on a concerning level. Considering that you need to be elaborately trained and significantly skilled in your job in order to cover breaking news, how did you make it through during the September 11th crash of United Flight 93 in Somerset , Pennsylvania ? How did you cope with your own reactions vs. your duty? I think it was the disbelief of what was happening. At first everyone was transfixed on what was happening in New York City . Then the Pentagon was hit. Then Somerset. At the point it became clear all three were connected. I was sent to Pittsburgh International where I was able to get updates from the Aviation Authority. I remember this voracious appetite for any and all information. After several hours there, I was dispatched to the scene in Somerset , PA. It’s a long drive and we were learning this was a terrorist attack. I remember talking with my photographer about how scary this was. The uncertainty.The angst. What I was feeling was no different than other Americans. Your adrenaline takes over in situations like this and it helps suppress your inner fear and emotions. I spent an entire week in this field. By the time I got home, I was exhausted, stressed, etc. Leave it to my oldest daughter to force the tears to my eyes. She asked me why the bad men crashed planes into buildings. As journalists, we cover SO many horrific stories with ugly details. Honestly, like cops, we become numb to them. You have to or you’d end up in a deep depression. That’s not to say we’re completely devoid of emotion, but as a coping mechanism you just learn to say, “here we go again”. The stories that just kill me are stories in which children are hurt in some way. I always think, “geez that could be one of my daughters”.
Probably the people I work with. We have a tremendous crew in the morning. We work well together and most of all we have fun together. I enjoy the fact no day is the same. Each day is different. I enjoy the fact anything can happen on live t.v. and something unexpected usually happens. I enjoy meeting new people out on stories or a live broadcast. In addition to all this…. Where else could I get paid to tell stories?
5.Tell us about the time that you and your family have donated to the American Heart Association and the Children's Hospital. Are you guys still in active with them?
People get involved with charities for a myriad of reasons. Mine is personal. My oldest daughter was born with an incurable heart disease.We didn’t know until she turned 1 year. In fact, we spent her first birthday in the hospital when she got diagnosed. She wasn’t supposed to live but 2 years. After numerous open heart surgeries, 2 artificial mitral valves, 2 pacemakers later…. She’s 14. To help raise awareness that kids have heart disease too, my family is intimately involved with the Heart Association. We engage in fundraisers, emcee events, share our stories with groups, etc. And since we spend so much time at Children’s Hospital, a place that has treated us very well, we offer our time and efforts their as well.
