As Real As it Gets
Cheerful, driven and without-a-doubt charming, WKOW-27 Anchor Diana Henry is simply genuine both on and off the air
By Mollie Shambeau
Photographed by David Watkins at Fresco Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge
It was a blustery day on the brink of rain when Diana Henry hurried into Barriques off Old Sauk Road. Instantly recognizable as the evening news anchor on WKOW-27, she had perfectly styled, TV-ready hair, impeccable makeup and had donned a trench coat to bear the weather. Henry looked the part of a broadcast journalist through and through, except for one apparent difference: In contrast to the dreary weather, her trench coat was a cheery pink.
It took no less than 10 words out of Henry’s mouth (“Hi, how are you? It’s so good to meet you!”) to conclude that her bright appearance was a direct reflection of her friendly demeanor. In that moment, all suspicions of television personalities being superficial went out the window; Henry is as real as it gets both on- and off-air. After ordering lunch and her favorite drink—a skim mocha—she sat down to chat.
First things first: How does it feel being on the other side of the interview? Always the interviewer, never the interviewee, Henry let out a sigh of relief and laughed, confessing the role reversal felt quite odd. But before long, her jitters were gone, and for over an hour, Henry did what she does best: Talk.
Growing up, Henry—now 33—never thought of herself as a budding reporter. “I don’t have the ‘When I was three years old I would stand in front the mirror and report the news’ stories,” she says. “I just love to talk. I get that from my father.”
Her mother and father raised their four children while constantly on the move throughout Minnesota, and a small eight-month stint in Iowa. “My parents are crazy!” Henry says with a laugh. “There’s no real excuse for why we moved so much—at least not in my mind. The longest time I ever lived [in one place] growing up was during kindergarten through third grade.
“Going through that, you hate your parents and think you’re never going to make friends again,” she admits. “But now that I look back, I’m thankful because [moving around] made me who I am today. I had to make friends fast, and I had to learn how to adapt to new situations all the time.”
After high school, Henry ventured to St. Cloud State Universityin Minnesota. There, it didn’t take long to find her passion. “I went to college thinking I would do international relations with an emphasis in Spanish,” she says. “By the end of the first semester, I didn’t do well in international relations and I loved communications.” Henry was accepted to the new major at the end of her freshman year.
“I think [TV] fits me to a T—working with people, deadlines, talking. [On TV] you actually hear and see people telling their story,” Henry says. “Once I decided [my major], I was all about it.”
Upon graduating, Henry resumed the nomadic lifestyle she’d come to know so well. She landed her first job at a satellite station in Alexandria—a small town in northern Minnesota. From there, Henry scaled the industry ladder with ease, first moving to southeastern Minnesota to anchor the morning and noon newscasts, and then co-anchoring two evening newscasts for WXOW-TV in La Crosse, Wis.
Various positions at different times of day taught Henry how to work odd hours. “I’ve done the get-up-at-midnight-go-in-at-2-in-the-morning thing. [I’ve done] weekends. You do it all at some point,” she says. “But I’m a night owl—I stay up late.”
Regardless of her hours, Henry admits she loves to sleep. “I’m serious about my sleep!” she says. “I bought a massive bed with a Tempur-Pedic mattress. My bedroom is my sanctuary.”
After spending five years anchoring in La Crosse, a job she loved dearly, Henry felt herself pulled in a new direction. “I was ready for a challenge, for something different—to see what life was like on the other side,” she says. Upon being offered a position with a new company in La Crosse called Logistics Health Incorporated (LHI), which provides health care solutions to government and commercial organizations, Henry left TV and spent 15 months in marketing and corporate communications. “It was fascinating,” she says of her time there. “I learned a lot about myself.”
Topping her list of self-revelations: Henry learned she couldn’t stray far from broadcast news. She recalls co-workers saying, “We don’t want to lose you, but when you talk about television, your face lights up and your eyes sparkle!”
With the WKOW-27 news director in Madison planting offers in her ear, Henry accepted and moved to Madison in July 2008 and began co-anchoring the evening news with Greg Jeschke.
“I’ve worked with a lot of people in this business, and I got along with Diana right off the bat, [which has only happened] with just a few other people,” Jeschke says. “It’s great to get along with and have that personal connection with somebody.”
Henry echoes Jeschke’s sentiment. “I’ve been so fortunate because there are anchors who have to force [friendship] on air,” she says. “I’ve never had that experience.”
Her friendly, go-getter personality doesn’t hurt either. Kim Insley, a friend and mentor for Henry at KARE 11 News in the Twin Cities, notes that Henry’s genuine demeanor has carried her far. “She’s very bubbly and self-assured,” Insley writes in an e-mail. “She’s the kind of person you could go up to at a party and have a great conversation with, even if you don’t know her.”
“I think I bring energy,” Henry concurs. “People have told me that who I am on-air, is who I am in person.” Fittingly, her mantra is: Stay yourself, because that’s who you are.
But just who is Henry off the air? First (and with an admirable honesty), she admits she is a die-hard Vikings fan. “I bought the NFL Sunday ticket package on my TV,” Henry confesses. “I don’t know how many girls have that in their budget, but Sundays, I’m on the couch!”
Another love? Food. Henry is an aspiring foodie and, in her words, a “wine snob,” even writing about her dining and travel experiences on her WKOW-27 blog, “At First Taste.”
“I have so much more to learn about [food and wine]. I don’t want to come across as this fabulous cook or that I cook all the time—because I don’t,” Henry adds with a laugh. “But I certainly like to eat other people’s food!”
Jeschke, on the other hand, begs to differ and insists that the chocolate chip cookies and guacamole Henry brings to the office are spectacular.
In a professional setting, Henry’s passion is telling stories, especially through her weekly segment, “Someone You Should Know.”
“I love anchoring, but the true thing about being in this business is you get to meet people, and you get to tell their stories,” she says. “For ‘Someone You Should Know,’ I get to meet some really cool people! It’s not famous people who have done tremendous things or won awards. It’s everyday people doing something great in their community.”
“She’s had some really good pieces and puts a lot of time and effort into them,” Jeschke says of his co-anchor. “Once Diana started doing that weekly feature, she took off and ran with it in a really good way.”
On a more serious note, Henry explains the pressure that comes with telling a story. “I put pressure on myself to do a story justice,” she says. “To the subjects, it’s their personal lives, their passions, their dedication. It’s something that will last forever for them.”
In an effort to dive in and support the community she now calls home, Henry has gotten involved with myriad causes in the past year and a half, including the YWCA’s Circle of Women, Go Red for Women, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and more. “The downside about being in Madison—if there is one—is that I haven’t been here long enough!” she says. “While I can’t be involved with everything, being able to tell stories and spread awareness gives me some gratitude. Hopefully [I’m making a difference].”
In the meantime, she adds, “My goal is to just get to know the community, make more friends and get to know more people.”
Though Madison may not be Henry’s last move in her career, it’s definitely one she’s happy with—and she hopes to be here for some time. “People ask [about my ultimate goals], and it’s hard in our business because you never know where you’re going to be in the next year or two. I just want to be happy,” she says. “I just take each day, one at a time and enjoy it and live it.”
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On the Record with Diana
What rituals do you perform before going on air?
Out of respect for my co-anchors, I gargle with Listerine and then I have a mint. We sit so close!
What is the greatest compliment you’ve received?
That’s going to make me cry! You don’t get too attached to stories because usually you meet the people, do the story, then you’re gone. But in La Crosse, one of my ongoing stories was about a young woman with cancer—and she passed away. I went to her funeral and her mom told me that she looked up to me so much. It was humbling.
So if you’re emotional, do you cry in movies?
Yes! Like a baby! I’m a romantic. I don’t read romance novels, but chick flicks? I’m all about them!
Do you watch yourself on TV?
[Laughs] I do—I DVR it!
Do you actually enjoy watching yourself?
Yes and no! You have to watch yourself so you can correct things. I’ll watch for a number of reasons: To see how I anchored that day, to see if that outfit looked OK on air, etc.
Do you have to keep track of your outfits?
Yes, I write down on a calendar what I wear, so I don’t forget which black suit coat I wore with which shirt.
What’s a football Sunday like for you?
I don’t do the typical football food. I’ll pick out a cheese platter, some olives, maybe a bottle of wine.
What’s your favorite…
Makeup?
MAC is my favorite, for their pigment and coverage.
TV show?
When I’m on the treadmill, I watch The Food Network, which is bizarre. Who watches food while working out?!
Web site?
I love The Food Network’s Web site. You can type in the ingredients you have, and it will bring up recipes.
Junk food?
I love potato chips!