2 GIRLS, A GUY AND A 4 AM GIG WITH LISA BUDEAU

BY PATRICIA CARLSON

PHOTOS BY JILL OCKHARDT

Lisa Budeau loves a good nap.

“Yesterday, we had the most awesome nap. All of us - my two daughters and me - in the same bed and we slept for nearly two hours,” said the Valley News Live anchor. “It doesn’t always work to get everyone to sleep at the same time but when it does it’s magic.”

What working mom can’t relate to that?

But for Budeau, who co-anchors “Valley Today” weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 am on KVLY/KXJB, naps are part of her survival. Just listen to her incredibly demanding schedule: She begins her day at 3 am to prep her own hair, makeup and work clothes, and ensure clothes, food and other essentials are laid out for her husband, JB, who will take year-and-a-half-old Bailey to daycare and drop 5-year-old sister Marley at kindergarten later that morning.

By 4 am, Budeau is cramming to learn all the overnight news, editing and rewriting scripts, checking for breaking news and polishing off her anchor-ready look.

“That one hour is a crazy time,” Budeau said, adding that she and her co-anchor Kyle Bosch and meteorologist Mick Kjar depend a great deal on their producer, Maecy Enger, for putting together the nuts and bolts of the show before they arrive at the station. “We appreciate Maecy so much for all the work she does.”

Bosch says he is constantly impressed with Budeau’s juggling act. “I don’t know how she does it, but I know she does,” said Bosch. “She is hands down one of the best journalists I have ever worked with and one of the best moms I have ever met.”

Lisa As Mom

For a woman who always dreamed of hosting “Valley Today”“When I first started in TV more than a decade ago, I knew I wanted to be on the morning news at this station” - Budeau is exactly where she wants to be in her professional and personal lives. Even though her job makes her one of the more prolific people in FargoMoorhead, she is no exception to the perennial battle every working mom endures: The passion for career versus the guilt of leaving your children behind. It’s a constant struggle, said Budeau.

“I really love being a mom but I love what I do, too,” she said. “The morning that I had to go back to work Bailey was sleeping so I got to say a peaceful goodbye. But once I got back from work and saw her, I cried. There is no perfect answer. You feel guilty no matter what you choose to do when you’re a mom.”

She takes the job of motherhood, or mothering, seriously. She’ll readily skip that precious nap if it means having lunch with Marley or participating in a classroom activity (she helped make gingerbread houses and Christmas ornaments during the holidays). “Marley’s at that age where she still thinks mom is cool,” said Budeau. “In a blink, she’ll be 16 and I won’t be cool anymore. I better take advantage!”

Budeau glows when talking about her two daughters, both bright and bubbly, but like any siblings they have distinct personalities. Marley is athletic and super social. She loves gymnastics, swimming lessons and sports programs at Courts Plus Community Fitness. “She’s the kid at the playground who’s like, ‘Hey, I’m Marley. Wanna play?’”

Toddler Bailey is equal parts snuggly and sprightly. She still wakes in the night to call her momma for a cuddle but isn’t interested in sitting still during the day. Whereas Budeau and JB used to enjoy bringing Marley out for the occasional Fargo Force hockey game, there is no containing Bailey for three 20-minute periods.

“She is so awesome,” said Budeau. “She’s at that ‘go’ stage and it’s fun!”

No matter what her day has already been like, Budeau picks up both girls in the afternoons. She doesn’t take that opportunity for granted because she realizes she’s one of the few folks in the television news industry to be able to do that. “Sometimes I wish I was there in the morning to wake them up and make them breakfast,” she explained. “I love being there to put them in bed at night - I'm lucky to have that time with them."

After school, Budeau, JB and the girls sometimes hit the gym or they settle in for a nice family dinner. They love their time together so they try to keep things flexible and fun.

When asked when she sleeps, Budeau just sighs and then gives an exasperated laugh. “I definitely don’t get enough sleep,” she stated. “I feel like I’m going to hit the wall eventually.”

Lisa As Anchor

As one-third of the number one local-rated television morning show though, Budeau’s viewers demand her presence. She understands that people choose their news coverage and she takes seriously her responsibility as a trustworthy and relatable news anchor. Budeau never wants to let a single viewer down.

“We have super loyal and friendly viewers. I hear a lot of people say, ‘I wake up with you every morning and I feel like I know you.’ I like that,” she said. “I try to stay relatable. I’m a mom just like everyone else who is eating breakfast and looking for that missing glove! I want to keep our viewers. I have the same stresses and family life that they have. I’m just doing my job.”

However, that job has been plagued by a couple of years of bad press for the station. Valley News Live recently came under fire for sending an undercover reporter into the Moorhead School District for a hidden-camera report. And while it was owned by Hoak Media of Dallas, Texas (KVLY/KXJB was sold in November to Gray Television and Excalibur Broadcasting, respectively), the station was embroiled in an age discrimination lawsuit filed by current WDAY anchor and Forum reporter, Robin Huebner. There has also been a heavily revolving door of talent; most notably with the exits of Huebner, former “Valley Today” co-anchor Daron Selvig, and past General Manager and primetime anchor Charley Johnson.

Budeau said the shakeups really rattled the newsroom staff and plenty of viewers but she credits longtime morning meteorologist Mick Kjar, co-anchor Bosch and producer Enger for successfully steering the “Valley Today” ship through the storm.

"It was a rough time for all of us. But my morning team pulled together and remained focused and true to our viewers,” she said. ““Valley Today” is my second family. We supported each other and always will.”

It isn’t just the on-camera faces that have changed in television news, either. The behind the scenes and after hours work that Budeau’s job demands is dramatically different from when she started at KVLY/KXJB.

“The online explosion of the station’s website plus social media and twitter and Facebook means we’re online 24 hours a day,” she explained. “When “Valley Today” first started it was a one hour show. Now it’s two hours and an agriculture show and a noon show. Plus I do consumer reports and health reporting. On top of that, I have an online presence. I’m being pulled in a million different directions.”

As an anchor though, the trick is to never let anyone at home see you sweat. Mick Kjar, Budeau’s longtime “Valley Today” on-air colleague, says she handles that responsibility with equal parts grace and tenacity. “During the last 15 years of working together I have relied on her ability to see things in black and white, right and wrong, good and bad. That has kept “Valley Today” on track and improving even with numerous changes at the station,” he said, adding, “Her calm demeanor on the air masks her constant churning inside and her desire to always be the best at what she’s doing whether it’s at work, or being a mom, a wife, a daughter, sister or a friend.”

But the most awesome thing that anyone ever said to me happened while I was at the gym before Bailey was born. Another mom came up and asked me, ‘Are you Marley’s mom?’ That was an amazing feeling.

Budeau is a list person. She makes one for work. For errands. For her girls’ needs. For nights out with her husband. So much of her day (and night) is spent giving something of herself to others. So what does Budeau do for herself?

“I love to workout,” she said a little sheepishly, all to aware of how some people might perceive her chosen activity to de-stress. “I totally get why working moms cut out exercise because they already lead such busy lives but it’s something I’m dedicated to and it’s my hour. It’s good mental health. I’ve made some great friends and they’re almost like life coaches at this point.”

Because, let’s face it, when you’re a working mom, you need all the support/advice/ guidance/friendships/laughter you can get. But most of all, said Budeau, you need to give love and get love. That’s what really motivates this thirty-something dynamo to wake up when the moon is at its peak. Or to sacrifice that nap to frost cookies. Or to hit the gym after a morning filled with breaking news and an afternoon of errands.

Love for her beautiful girls. Love for her profession.

“I’ve had to work very hard to get this. And I appreciate it when people recognize me and ask, ‘Are you Lisa?’ But the most awesome thing that anyone ever said to me happened while I was at the gym before Bailey was born. Another mom came up and asked me, ‘Are you Marley’s mom?’ That was an amazing feeling.”

There is nothing more rewarding than being a mom ... except maybe that nap. [AWM]