SAN ANTONIO – Trust me, no one plans to demote themselves. The NightBeat has been my baby for 16 years… as long as I have been at KSAT, I have called the 10 p.m. news home.
It's the crowning jewel among us broadcast journalists… the prime time... the brass ring so many of us have worked to reach.
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To have grabbed it and succeeded at holding onto it tight this long at one station is quite an accomplishment in my industry.
To walk away from it, however, is nearly unheard of.
That said, with the right motivation (and the innate gene that automatically accesses every mom's guilt computer sensors), walking away is not a problem. Not at all.
Exhibit A:
His name is Jackson. He's 10 and a half. He's never had his mother at home at night (except for the 3 months of maternity leave when his baby sister was born.)
Exhibit B:
Her name is Georgia. She's 6. She can't stop smiling these days. She gets a mom at home, something that to her memory has never, ever happened.
Exhibit C:
Her name is Ursula. She's, well, pushing an AARP membership. She can't stop smiling either these days. She gets to try her hand at being a true blue, cooking dinner at night, ordering teeth to be brushed, homework checking, "get in bed now" sort of mom.
Closing Argument:
The difference between anchoring four newscasts a day at KSAT 12, and anchoring only three may not seem like a big deal. However, anchoring three newscasts a day and finally spending quality time with my children in the evening and in the process, finding out what's going on in their little lives, is a very, very big deal.
As well, I get to keep all my TV husbands (a inside industry joke, but can seem real after 16 years), Steve Spriester, Steve Browne, Larry Ramirez and Greg Simmons in check during the 4, 5, and 6pm news.
All kidding aside, I stand among many moms who are grateful to their employers for being flexible enough to allow me to fulfill two dreams at once. I've been able to have a successful career at KSAT 12, and will now get to be more of the mom I need to be for my children. And to top all that off, I still will be enjoying the world of television news in a very satisfying way. I'm not at all done yet.
The last part of my quest falls to you, the viewer.
I am hoping you continue to be there every afternoon and night. I owe you a great deal for allowing me into your homes each night, and am so thankful now to be able to go home to mine. You will be in their my prayers, and theirs.