Originally published on May 25, 2020.
For many T-Birds, 10 p.m. is the unofficial close of the day when work responsibilities have typically concluded and tasks that remain are left for another day. But for Chloe Howe, news producer of the 5 a.m. morning show at Utah’s FOX 13 News, 10 p.m. signals the beginning of her work day.
Chloe’s fast-paced nightshift entails collecting news content that has aired throughout the day, updating each story, searching for additional content—generally a mix of national or Utah news—and then putting all of those news stories together for airing. In TV news jargon, this is known as stacking. When 5 a.m. rolls around, Chloe oversees the entire news show (which is the fun part!), and makes sure the content she has stacked fits into the hour and alerts anchors and reporters when to go live on the air.
“Every day there is something new; that’s part of the news, of course, but it’s always so interesting to learn new things,” she says. “I also am very informed on a lot of things now and it is nice to know what’s happening around the world.”
One month after earning a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at SUU, Chloe was hired by FOX 13 as a studio technician operating the cameras, the teleprompter, and moving anchors and reporters around the studio. When a producer slot opened a year into her tenure, she applied for the position, but was not hired at that point. Undeterred, she switched her newsroom shift around to gain more writing experience, and on her second attempt she landed the job.
“It’s a wonderful job that has given me additional organizational skills,” she says. “I’m able to put together stories in an order that flows and makes sense. Plus, I’m able to write a lot quicker than I was able to when I first started.”
The Flagstaff, Arizona, native visited campus twice when deciding which university to attend. Her first visit was a bit of a letdown and she came away from it not fully convinced that SUU was the right place. But her second visit sealed the deal.
“The second time I visited campus something just clicked and I felt at home,” she says. “I was on a tour and I could hear the marching band practicing in the distance. I looked down over the main staircase and could just feel it. I felt like I was at home, and I was right.”
Chloe credits SUU for helping her come out of her shell. She met many wonderful people here and learned that not all relationships are meant to last indefinitely; some friends are only in one’s life for a season or perhaps only for a semester. She also learned that people are trying their best and they deserve the benefit of not being judged based on their experience or lack thereof.
“SUU is a very accepting place and it truly lets you grow your wings, if you let it,” she says.
A resident of Cottonwood Heights, Utah, Chloe enjoys art, reading, dancing, writing, and anything hands-on and creative. She also volunteers with Best Friends Animal Society, and takes several gym and active classes.
Learn more about SUU’s Interdisciplinary Studies program.
