SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — For some, mornings may not be the most favorable time of day.
For others, it’s the best.
Every weekday morning the KELOLAND This Morning crew starts off your day.
“It’s a little bit more of a fun show because it’s so much longer than every other show we have,” KLTM anchor Summer Raderschadt said.
Anchors Summer Raderschadt and Travis Fossing are usually up around 2 a.m. and at the station by 3:45 each morning.
“The first thing I’m trying to do is catch up on what happened the night before in news, because I don’t typically stay up for the 10 p.m. news. So, I get here, I’m looking at what was the news from the previous night, looking at the scripts for my first show, whether that’s the 4:30 or the 5:00,” Fossing said.
Fossing’s been anchoring the morning show for four years. Before that, he spent over ten years as KELOLAND’s Sports Director. His experience is helping guide his colleagues.
“He’s been a little bit of a mix between the cool uncle and a mentor because he’s fun. I can joke around with him, but at the same time he’s teaching me things, I swear, almost every day,” Raderschadt said.
Once the morning shows are done, Raderschadt and Fossing’s days aren’t over just yet. They both put together a story that airs in the evening newscast that same day.
“I usually try and line my stories up the night before just so we can hit the ground running the next morning,” Fossing said. “I go out and do a lot of feature stories, preview a lot of events or fundraisers, items of that nature.”
The morning show also takes a glance at your upcoming forecast.
“Usually 2 or 2:30 I’m awake, get my coffee, go and check the forecast models at home and put things together in my mind. I write things down on what the forecast is doing,” meteorologist Scot Mundt said. “I bring that information in with me and by the time I sit down in front of the computer, I’m off and going.”
“I always think, well, people are just waking up so, ‘what’s going on right now as you’re heading out the door?’ And so, we try to tackle the subjects of the day. But it’s a really interesting program because we can get to the here now and then also we can switch gears and give people perspective,” meteorologist Brian Karstens said.
On-air talent is essential when it comes to the face of a successful newscast. But there’s an entire team working behind the scenes including directors, producers and production assistants, who help shape the show.
For some of them, their days are just beginning as ours are winding down.
“I’ll normally wake up every day around 9:45 p.m. and I’ll start getting ready. Normally, I leave the house by around 10:30 p.m. and then I’ll head out, get to KELO around 10:45 and I’ll clock in around 11 p.m. and then stick around all night,” KLTM producer Collete Stellinga said.
“I wasn’t really a morning person before this shift. I could say that for sure. But ever since I did make the switch, I have become a morning person,” KLTM producer Hope McCloskey said. “It’s really nice and quiet. I can focus on my work.”
Producers Collete Stellinga and Hope McCloskey each produce an hour and a half of news. Stellinga produces the 4:30a.m., 5a.m. and 5:30a.m. shows. McCloskey focuses on the 6 a.m., 7a.m. and Midday shows.
From editing scripts to stacking the show, they’re the ones making sure everything is ready to go on air.
“I always have to add in the national packages from our CBS affiliate. I have to copy and paste all the CGs. Any time you see a little name go down at the bottom of the screen that’s from a national package, I’m normally the one putting those all in,” Stellinga said.
Stellinga also listens to the scanner for any breaking news overnight.
“I listen to the scanner right from the moment I get in until my shows. Then Hope, the other producer, will listen to it. Then I’ll listen to it during her show. So there’s always ears on it for sure,” Stellinga said.
If breaking news does happen, they contact a reporter on-call to head out to the scene.
“I’ll be the one writing the stories, double checking information, calling the police, fire department, anyone with relevant information and request that,” McCloskey said. “Then hopefully we have video attached with it. But I would usually write up those stories and let Collete know so she could slip it into her shows.”
Starting their days over the nighttime hours means their schedules may look a little different from most.
“Breakfast is usually around 3 or 4a.m.. Lunch is around seven or eight. And then dinner for me is probably like 3p.m.,” McCloskey said.
Navigating the unique schedule is all about balance and a team dynamic.
“I let my family know that I am thinking of them and I do try and set aside a lot of time for them on weekends and whatnot,” McCloskey said.
“It’s good to joke around maybe during some of the commercial breaks, do some small talk like that,” Mundt said. “Get to know your anchors, get to know the people behind the scenes.”
And sometimes, a little extra caffeine.
“During the show that mug you see in front of us, there’s actually coffee in there. I’ll have a couple, two, three, four cups while I’m here during the day,” Fossing said.
It makes waking up before sunrise worth it for this morning crew.
“I don’t have blackout curtains, but I do have a good sleep mask, so it’s all good,” Stellinga said.
KELOLAND’s morning newscasts don’t stop once the week is over. Perry Groten has been producing and anchoring for the weekend KELOLAND This Morning show since it started in the late 90s.
