Meet Anne Dill. You know her as the friendly face you see bright and early co-anchoring the WCIA3 Morning Show. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Anne received her degree in broadcast journalism from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
When she’s not working or being a mom to her boys, Anne likes to clear her head by running. She also loves to help out her community, and is an active volunteer with Junior League. Anne lives in Champaign with her husband, two sons, Charlie and Joshua and cocker spaniel, Augie.
See why we think Anne is a Chambana mom to know.
Q: What have you learned about parenting from your mom?
A: Putting your kids before yourself. My mom was the selfless cheerleader for all of our events, activities and school projects. She threw herself into her involvement whether it was president of the PTA, room mother, troop leader or biggest fan on the bleachers. It made my sister and I know we were loved and encouraged even if we didn’t make that 3-point basket, sing the best, or win the game.
Q: What do your children do when they see you on television?
A: Charlie has been pretty aware of it for the past year and a half. To him, it’s normal for a parent to work on TV. We were watching the evening news one time when my morning show promo came on. I said to him, “Look who’s on TV”, he looked up and exclaimed “Rob!!” (Collins, her morning show co-anchor). I guess he put me in my place!
Q: What do you like/dislike most about your job?
Most people will think this is weird, but I love my hours! I don’t mind being at work by 4 a.m. because it gives me the flexibility to work full time and still be home in the afternoon with my boys. Then we just go to bed at the same time at night! I dislike all the negative news as much as the viewers dislike hearing it. At WCIA, we really try to focus a lot on the good things happening in our community. But you would be amazed at how many opportunities I offer people to promote good things that they don’t want to take us up on! We’re at the mercy of them wanting to appear on camera, so if you wonder why we don’t cover something, it’s not necessarily because we didn’t want to.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you face as a working mom?
A: Time. Finding the time to do it all. I have a hard time saying no and I know that will get harder as my kids get older and have school commitments as well.
Q: What is the best thing about raising a family in Champaign-Urbana?
A: The opportunities this community offers. There are so many great things to do with kids from sports, to music, to art, to outdoor recreation at little or no cost. If you don’t like it here you’re probably not seeking out the things to do.