Ali Meyer lives in Edmond with her husband, Zachary, and their four daughters. She is the morning anchor on NewsChannel 4 and has been anchoring the KFOR-TV morning broadcast with her co-anchor Kent Ogle for nine years. Ali’s been a journalist at NewsChannel 4 for 16 years. Here’s a glimpse at her average day.
3:50 a.m. A series of early morning alarms begin to sound. I really try hard not to “snooze” too excessively. But, let’s be honest, this is an insane hour to wake up. It’s always dark out at this hour and my bed is super comfy. I will neither confirm nor deny hitting the snooze button at 3:50 a.m.
4:20 a.m. I leave my house in north Edmond to head to work. Yes, I have a pretty streamlined get-ready routine. Almost a decade on the morning show and I’m very speedy getting out the door. I try to lay everything out the night before because there just aren’t too many extra minutes to dilly dally at this dizzying hour.
4:40 a.m. I arrive at NewsChannel 4 to a bustling newsroom and a hardworking overnight producer who’s putting the final touches on our 5 a.m. show.
4:45 a.m. I head to the makeup room via the assignment desk so the assignment editor can fill me in on our big story of the day and any news that’s been developing in Oklahoma overnight. This is actually a mobile meeting as he is printing, sorting and delivering scripts while literally walking and talking with me as we make our way down the hallway. It’s all about efficiency this early in the morning! Multi-tasking is required for everyone on the morning show.
4:46 a.m. Time for hair, make-up, read-up. I walk into the building with flat hair and a fresh face. It takes me approximately eight minutes to put on a full face and brush, curl, tease, fluff and spray my hair into an appropriately-sized anchor bump. This is a skill perfected by years of being a reporter on-the-go. I can do my make-up in four minutes; hair takes another four. Our entire newscast is loaded into an iPad so I can read over the show between mascara and gloss.
4:57 a.m. On the air! We’ve got a two-hour newscast loaded with news, weather and laughter from 5 to 7 a.m. I couldn’t love my KFOR friends more. We’ve got a great crew of newsies who I truly enjoy being around at work and after hours.
7:30 a.m. I’m not much of an early morning eater. First, there’s no time. Second, nothing sounds good to me that early in the morning except coffee. By 7:30 a.m., I’m pretty much starving, and I’m in the mood for lunch! Sometimes I’ll bring leftovers from home. Often, I’ll have a chance to run out to grab something to eat. I’ve got a running list of restaurants that are open early, serving lunch-type food at 8 a.m. (Whole Foods, Target, Old School Bagel, Panera). Morning news people have some weird eating habits, including kale salads or sushi or veggie bagel sandwiches at 7:30 a.m. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it!!
9 a.m. I spend this time covering news-of-the-day for NewsChannel 4 or working on an investigative piece for a future broadcast.
1 p.m. A few days a week I try to squeeze in some exercise. This is a pretty new thing for me since my youngest daughter is now in kindergarten, and I don’t have to rush home to care for her. I’m not naturally excited by fitness, but I do love the way life feels when I make working out a priority. Barre 3 is a good fit for me. There’s a little cardio, some yoga, strength and stretching. I bring some yoga pants with me to work and try to catch a class on my way home.
2 p.m. Naptime. This is a gift of mine: the ability to nap anywhere, anytime, on any surface, under almost any conditions. If I’m lucky, I’ve got time to jet home for a quick nap before the afternoon chaos begins. Car wash, grocery shopping, school programs and meetings with friends usually take priority. But, when there’s time for a power nap, I’m a much sweeter mommy in the evenings.
3:30 p.m. I pick up my daughters from school and drive them to their activities. I have four girls. They each have one activity they enjoy. I thought I was so smart to limit their involvement in things to one activity each since there are four of them. But, there’s still four of them! So, we spend most afternoons at soccer or tumbling or cheer or tennis. It’s a little hectic, but I do appreciate the downtime with them in the car. And I think it’s good for them to support their sisters’ achievements. So, we jog around town talking about school and friends and this week’s spelling/vocab list. It’s pretty lovely actually.
6:30 p.m. I make dinner a few times a week. Yes, we also spend our fair share of time in the Chick-fil-A drive-thru line! I’m lucky my husband, Zack, likes to cook too. Between the two of us, we manage to scratch out a few home-cooked meals each week. Although, we’ve got some picky eaters, so I’m totally not above feeding my kids cereal and PB&Js for dinner.
7:30 p.m. We tackle homework, spelling tests, daily reading and school projects after dinner. I admit, this is not ideal timing as my girls and I are usually wearing thin on life at this juncture of the day. But, you gotta work with the deck you’re dealt, right?! So, I pray the homework is quick and routine, and there are no surprise school projects lurking in those take-home folders. Can I get an AMEN?!
8 p.m. This is bedtime for my two youngest daughters (ages 5 and 7). Bedtime is quick; we’re long done with the days of stretching out the bedtime regimen. We have just one routine. They like to rock in an old rocking chair as we pray and choose their favorite part of the day. It’s a nice way to re-focus on gratitude right before their heads hit the pillow.
9 p.m. Repeat bedtime with big girls (ages 10 and 12).
9:30 p.m. Tidy up the kitchen, start the dishwasher, take a shower and lay out clothes for tomorrow. This is when that 2 p.m. nap pays off! A few days a week I have the energy to catch up on a little bit of Netflix or Amazon TV or read a chapter of a book in bed.
10 p.m. Goodnight!
