You have a fascinating biography. Are there
any career events you want to highlight?
bits & pieces | celebrity interview
connie chung
My favorite stories were the ones in which my report
exposed government wrong-doing or a societal ill…
anything that resulted in "change" for some greater good.
One example: In Bangladesh, men who were spurned
by young, beautiful women were known to throw acid
in their faces—maiming them for life. We went there,
interviewed incredibly brave women who came forward
to tell their stories, men who denied the accusations
and the government. We also helped two of the young
women come to the U.S. for surgery. (Editor's note:
Connie won the Amnesty International Human Rights
Award for this report.)
by elke govertsen | photos from private collection
I
admit, I was more than a little nervous about this
interview. Interviewing someone who is known
throughout the world is daunting enough, but one
who is famous for being an INTERVIEW-ER? Connie Chung
has received three Emmy Awards, including two for Best
Interview/Interviewer—holy cow. She is one of my heroes.
But here is the thing: Connie Chung is really, really nice.
She writes with exclamation marks! And throughout our
email exchange, she never once made me feel like the
rookie that I am. She and her family spend as much time
as possible at their place in Montana, which demonstrates
her impeccable taste. But best of all, Connie Chung
absolutely confirmed the very premise upon which
mamalode was founded: when people—regardless of
their circumstances or methods—are willing to share the
stories of their lives, we are all able to see the threads that
bind us together.
Please share your connection to Montana.
So (we) rented a home in the Flathead Valley over
Columbus Day weekend. Wow. We negotiated with the
owners of that very home to sell it to us and they did! That
was 12 years ago and we go there every chance we get!
Three and a half years ago, my husband saw his dream
come true. He launched a weekly newspaper in the
Flathead Valley. It is called the "Flathead Beacon"—a
critically-acclaimed publication (winner of Best Weekly
newspaper in the state and Best Website in the state by
the Montana Newspaper Association!). Maury's father,
who was a legendary newspaper columnist and reporter
for the Washington Post, would be so proud of Maury if
he were alive today!
How did you start your career?
I said, "Do you think we ought to GO there at least ONCE
before 'getting a place?’"
The semester before graduating from college, I got a job
as a copy person at WTTG-TV, a Metromedia station
(now Fox) in my hometown Washington, D.C. When I
graduated it turned into a full-time job as "newsroom
secretary." It was 1969 and that was the only job they
would offer a young, inexperienced woman. "Oh, okay." (I had been in Montana when I covered
Senator George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign,
but it was a nighttime campaign stop and I saw nothing…
just darkness
and a crowd
of people.) When a job as a news writer opened up, I asked if I could
have it. I was told, "We still need a newsroom secretary."
So I marched across the street to the bank, saw the teller
I knew well and said, "Toni, would you like to be a star at
that big TV station across the street?" She got the job and
I got the job, writing for the anchorman. Yahoo!
One day my husband, Maury Povich, said in his deep
voice, "Let's get a place in Montana!" A year later, I pushed my way to an on-air reporting job at
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the same station and a year after that, I
was hired as a reporter for CBS News
based out of Washington, D.C., reporting
for Walter Cronkite. Thus began a slow
and steady 35-40-year or so career.
When you started, what was
your dream job?
When you adopted Matthew, you stayed
home with him. How was the transition from
high profile career to stay-at-home mom?
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To become Walter Cronkite (my mentor and hero).
When did you realize you wanted children?
I suppose I always wanted children. I didn't know when or how many, but
there was never any decision, no question that I wanted children.
Your experience with in vitro fertilization and adoption was
lengthy. How did this affect you?
We wanted everything to be private. But when I decided NOT to do a
television magazine program I was scheduled to do (because I was going
to be the anchor and only correspondent, which would have been so, so
much traveling and 24/7 work), I decided to be honest with the staff and
just tell the truth. (Having a miscarriage problem—made it too difficult to
proceed with the program.) Well, then wanting to have a baby got out in
the press and everyone knew. We were mortified, but there was nothing
we could do about it. It was strange to be on the other side of the fence.
We already had a great appreciation for people who unwittingly end up
in the news, but now we were them. 708 South Higgins
(406)721-6525
www.missoulabicycleworks.com
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Fortunately, we succeeded in adopting our son Matthew when he was less
than a day old. Now he’s a teenager! We are so thrilled. The timing was
quite remarkable. It was a Friday. I had just learned that my dream job was
over. I had been co-anchoring the CBS Evening News for a couple of years.
Wow, I was filling half of Walter Cronkite’s big chair! And all of a sudden,
I was hit by the news: it was good-bye to me. I could have other jobs at
CBS News, but not that one anymore. The very next day, Maury and I got
THE CALL. Our adoption was going through. We could embrace Matthew
immediately after his birth, in the next week or two or three, our less-thana-day old Matthew would be in our arms! Serendipitous right?
The change was dramatic! I was no longer getting up at
the crack of dawn, working 14-18 hour days, traveling—
all I did was care for our baby boy. Matthew was great!
He rarely cried, was a super eater and sleeper. Later when
he was able to climb out of his crib and we switched to
a trundle bed, he’d wake up. Oh, those sleepless nights.
Maury and I can still hear the static on our baby monitor. What prompted your return to work?
I thought it was time to return to work. What I’ve
discovered is that the toddler years are a time when those
little people in sneakers need mommy and daddy to love
them, play with them and care for them…but it’s okay if
someone else makes sure they eat, puts on their clothes
and takes care of various daily necessities. The job I had
wasn’t quite as demanding as previous jobs and I could
handle it. We were so fortunate to have a babysitter who
stayed with Matthew until he became too old to need one.
She was wonderful and loved him so much and still does! Something for Everyone
What are your greatest insecurities as a
mother?
Are you working now?
No. I think teen or pre-teen years are the time to
always be around. I haven’t worked in several years, so
I’ve been able to keep an eye on Matthew! I think it’s
important to know who his pals are and to know their
parents. I think these years are the ones in which kids can
take the wrong path. I want to keep my radar extended
so I know what’s going on!
Am I making the right decision? Did I handle it the right
way? How could I have done that better? The selfinterrogation is endless. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Tell us your fondest memory as a mother.
The moment he was in my arms and Maury was trying to
warm the formula; his first step (very early!); his first word
“Hi!” (even to the homeless in Central Park); his first day at
nursery school when he wouldn’t let me go home (sigh);
so many memories—sorry there is no one thing; fastforward to his transformation now into a very cool guy!
HAPPY
SPA-LIDAYS!
Do you have any advice for other moms?
I believe it’s impossible for us to “have it all.” Let’s not put that kind of
pressure on ourselves. We can do the job thing intensely for a period of
time, and then we can shift to paying more attention to what’s at home,
alternating the intensity, depending on events in our lives. Some men
still seem to “have it all” but many are “getting” it and sharing duties. So,
as much as you and I would like everything to be “perfect,” it’s OKAY if it
ISN’T!! Chill out!! If you could interview our readers and ask them ONE question
that would really make them think, what would it be?
What is really important to you? I think what many moms, find is that different
goals are more important at different times in their lives. I didn’t plan to have a
wonderful husband and son late in my life (I am now 64.)—but I love the way
it all turned out! A long career and now a loving family! •
Who's Who
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Tip O'Neill
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Senator George McGovern
Vice President
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F Attorney General
Elliot Richardson
G Dan Rather
H Tom Brokaw &
John Chancellor
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Barbra Walters
President George Bush
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President Bill Clinton
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Kevin Costner
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Warren Beatty
Magic Johnson
Maury Povich, husband
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