#MediaMonday – Sean McLaughlin

Each Monday, we are posting a blog to help our readers get to know the media just a little bit better.
With a TWIST!
No, we aren’t posting story pitch tips or media lists, but instead great stories from the media themselves about their lives, their work and other little known facts! Think of it as your first “networking” opportunity of the week!
Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from Sean McLaughlin.
So, Sean (DON’T call him Shawn!) time to share!
What do you want to tell the blogosphere about yourself today?
I could not escape the long arm of @AbbieF! I kept trying to dodge and weave, paranoid that I would sound so…well… boring! Currently, I’m a zombie searching for a full night’s sleep. Oh please, isn’t everyone? My only excuse is our beautiful, new baby daughter Ellie. She looks smashing at 3 p.m. or 3 a.m…batting those baby blues and unleashing a killer grin (drool and all!). And when the sun rises, out comes the tour de force know as Mia, Jack and Peter…hungry and ready to attack the day. Our 6, 4, 3 and 2-month-olds create a house that’s loud and chaotic. Each morning before they head off to school or now summer camp, there’s a never-ending stream of, “Daddy can you get me…” but I LOVE every minute of it.
After a few precious hours with my wife, it’s off to work for CBS 5. It’s been a BIG change for me giving up weather for the anchor desk, but I’m enjoying the challenge. It’s a whole new skill set, which makes every day different and exciting. I loved being on the border, covering the impact of illegal immigration and SB 1070. It takes me back to when I first started in the business, when I worked as a reporter/anchor in Iowa and California. Palm Springs was a fun stop in my career. I eventually did weather, but started as a one-man-band reporter (now known as the backpack or multi-media journalist – it’s NOT new folks!). I did the normal stories, but loved interviewing the town’s newsmakers of the day: Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sonny Bono, etc. Gosh, all those guys are dead now! But it was thrilling coming from small-town Iowa.
One favorite story was Easter at Bob Hope’s house for Marines returning from the first Gulf War…another was uncovering a garage sale to raise money for televangelists (and local residents) Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker. I still have a memento from that one! That’s what I love about this business… one minute you’re telling the story of the downfall of a national figure….the next you are helping right a wrong for someone that never would have a voice. You see the results of your day’s work immediately, good or bad. And I still work the green weather wall on occasion…I’ll be in NYC next month to fill in for CBS. I do love my life here in Arizona…a great state and a wonderful community to be a part of!