When I was in high school at St. Francis Borgia in Washington, MO, I had one of those teachers that changes the trajectory of your life. Mr. Bitzer taught Video Productions. His class put on a “newscast” for the school every weekday morning. He told us, “If you like what we are doing here, go get a job. Don’t wait until college. Don’t wait until you graduate. Go get a job now.” So, when I was 15, my mom drove me to the local radio station in Sullivan, MO so I could apply for a job. I remember the day “Little John” Rice called our house to “interview” me. He hired me to play the commercials during Cardinals baseball games and Blues hockey games during the broadcast on KTUI. One of my first days on the job was Easter Sunday. It was the first of many holidays I missed because of work.
But that minimum wage gig (I started out making $5.15 an hour) evolved into my career. Eventually, John invited me to be on-air with him and his co-hosts, Sam Scott and the late Bob Cosgrove. They taught me to ad-lib and share the forecast, among other things.
I am forever grateful to Mr. Bitzer for telling me to go get a job and to John Rice for giving me my first one.
I’ve come a long way since those days at my hometown radio station. I moved across the country for my first TV job (and accidentally met my husband along the way) and then back home to St. Louis to start our own family. I’ve produced, reported, and anchored at the CBS affiliate, KMOV in St. Louis, and now have a unique hybrid role working both on our morning newscast and our mid-morning lifestyle show.
While the place (Sullivan, Shanghai, Wausau, St. Louis…) and medium (radio, newspaper, TV…) have changed over the years, one thing has remained the same. In all my jobs, I’ve been a storyteller. And now I’m thrilled to continue telling stories, but this time focusing on stories for children.
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