Chambana Mom to Know: Jennifer Roscoe

You’ve let her into your living room for years. Jennifer Roscoe has spent the past 20 years at WCIA Channel 3, going from intern to reporter to news anchor. She may have grown up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, but she’s about as Central Illinois as they come — a graduate of the University of Illinois who never left. Fun fact: Roscoe went to grade school with her husband, Toney, and their parents still live three minutes apart. The pair has been married for 13 years, and they are the proud parents of 11-year-old Sophia and 8-year-old Tessa.

Q: You are emceeing the upcoming Champaign County YMCA Sneak Peek Preview event. Why is the mission of new building and the all-inclusive programming at Larkin’s Place so important to you?
I am so excited about the new Y. I think it says a lot about our community that we have a first rate building. It says even more that the focus is making sure everyone, no matter their abilities, has a place there. That’s incredibly important to me as the parent of a child with special needs. I can’t wait to help show it off on Friday.

My girls have done gymnastics, basketball and swim lessons at the Y so you can be sure we will be taking full advantage of it. I’m so glad we don’t have to look out for peeling paint anymore at the pool and that everyone will be in one place. I can’t wait to take a crack at the rock wall. I hope it’s not just for kids.

Q: You have a genuine passion for interacting with viewers -why?
Thank you for thinking so! It sounds so cheeseball, but I really love my job and I hope it shows. I’ve always wanted to know what’s going on and be the first to tell people. Now I’m just getting paid for it. When something is going on in Central Illinois, I know lots of people are turning on WCIA to get the story. I take that very seriously and want to do the best job possible in getting them the information. I also have a good time on the set. You should hear what goes on during commercials. I hope it doesn’t get me in trouble one day.

Q: What is the most memorable local story you’ve covered recently -and how did it impact you?
The story I’m writing this week has been difficult to get through but the people involved are such an inspiration. There was an awful crash several years ago and a young woman died. Her fiance was in the car but made it out. I interviewed him and he remembers everything in detail from that day. He and his friends raise money every year in her name so her legacy won’t be what happened on that highway. I was tearing up at my desk while I was writing because it’s so incredibly sad what these young people have gone through. But it is truly amazing how they’ve coped with their grief by helping others. I learn something from every Angels Among Us story that I write.

Q: You have been at WCIA for 20 years. Why have you stayed?

I never thought I would. I always imagined myself staying in Champaign for two years, then a bigger market and then finally back home to Chicago. But whenever I would think about leaving, another opportunity would open up at 3. I got married, had a baby, then another and I realized what’s more important. Reporting the news in a big city just isn’t at the top of my list anymore. My family is. Champaign is a great place to raise my kids. I love my friends here and our extended family is a quick drive away. I also feel like I can really change lives with the stories I do here. I don’t know if that would happen in other markets.

Q: What is your biggest parenting challenge right now?

I would have to say dealing with Sophia’s health. She has epilepsy, verbal apraxia, and the list goes on. There were some very dark days recently when I was taking doctor’s calls five minutes before news time and squirting Visine into my eyes, hoping no one would notice what a mess I was. Epilepsy is very tricky because medications can just stop working as their bodies grow. Then you have to try to find something else that will stop the seizures that don’t cause too many side effects. We are still searching.  And, I worry so much about her sister, making sure there is quality time for her. It’s a balancing act that I’m still trying to master. I’m not sure if I ever will. I’m just happy that at the end of their day, they both want to hug me goodnight. It makes everything better for that moment.

Do you want to nominate a Chambana mom or dad to know? Contact us.