Report fast, return to truck!

Reporting on the streets of Chicago during the winter months can get downright painful.  This morning, we had wind chill factors of 21 below so just preparing for work took a lot of pre-planning.  I suppose that’s the case for every Chicagoan who needs to get anywhere on days like this.  But as a reporter, I often have no idea what I’ll be covering until I call into the Fox Chicago assignment desk.  I keep an assortment of hats, gloves and scarves in my work bag and at least two coats in my car.  Just about every reporter and anchor in town agrees that appearance is far less of a concern during the winter.  Dressing properly for the conditions is a matter of survival!

Depending on the story, it can get tough finding anyone to interview about anything.  When it’s this cold, people just want to get where they’re going as quickly as possible.  Those who do stop to talk with me tend to make their points quickly and then go on their merry way.  There are watery eyes and runny noses along with numb extremities.  We get what we need and jump back into the news van.

Cameraman Sean Gibbons under a lot of layers.

Thank goodness for my blogging pal Duong Sheahan.  The long, down parka I’ve been wearing is hers!  She didn’t care for it since it was so much coat to deal with while running her errands.  Well, it’s perfect for me since I spend much more time out in the cold.

Frozen equipment is another concern.   Sometimes, the mast on the live truck gets frozen into place after we’ve been at a particular scene for a long time.  There’s always suspense when we wrap things up on a cold day.  But it’s not a problem today and I get back to the studio in time to anchor the news at noon.

Actually, the next hurdle – my hat hair!

Hanging with some of Chicago’s top bloggers ahead of BlogHer ’09. (These are amazing women!)

As if my family and Anchor/Reporter job at Fox Chicago didn’t keep me busy enough, here I am spending my day off blogging!  Well, I just can’t help myself after meeting and getting to know many of the women pictured above.  They are moms, entrepreneurs and businesswomen – part of a far more influential tech community in Chicago than you may think.  For me, they’ve been pure inspiration and, perhaps, the sisters I never had.

My tech mentors have taught me to use social media far more effectively.  I now approach my news assignments differently and I’ve surprised myself with my ability to multi-task while reporting from the field and anchoring in the studio.

There are others on the internet who’ve guided and encouraged me but here’s to some of the amazing women who’ve pushed me to make this blog a reality and to grow in new ways.   Get to know them, too.  Who knows what they may inspire you to do!

(In no particular order)

Beth Rosen, Sarah Evans, Liz Strauss, MJ Tam, Barbara Rozgonyi, Hope Bertram, Wendy Piersall, Jackie Cuyvers, Carrie Kirby, Duong Sheahan, Kim Moldofsky, Amy Ravit Korin, Lisa Martin, Allison Worthington.