NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's a busy life being a face of a news station. Vicki Yates makes it look easy. We're taking you behind the scenes to look at a day in the life of Vicki.
"A typical day is I get in at 10 o'clock," Vicki said. "Make sure everything's good for Talk of the Town's newscast."
A newsroom is truly all about timing. It's writing scripts, keeping stories in a time range and building up to a carefully timed show that gets done on deadline. Scripts go upstairs at a set time. No excuses — the show's going live. Vicki's a key force in keeping a show on track, on time.
On a typical day for Vicki, after TOTT is over, it's often back to writing.
"Right now, I'm working on a story that I have to complete," said Vicki, sitting back at her desk. "I already shot it, but I have to complete it."
Her desk space is her story, her life.
"These are my children," Vicki said, gesturing to pictures framed around her desk. "They're really good kids. I'm not saying that just cause they're my kids. They really are. I also have almonds and pralines. I put spoons there so the newsroom can, y'know, get a little sugar."
"Something I'm very proud of, I was one of two cow-milking champions at the state fair!" Vicki continued, gesturing to some trophies on top of a file cabinet. "We're talking about career highlights! Five times that we won, yeah!"
While the newsroom works to craft the shows, Vicki checks over the dozens of stories she's reading for the 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts.
"We don't have the kind of shop where it's like, I don't feel like taking care of this, could you, peasant, come take care of this?" said Vicki. "If you want it done, you have to do it yourself."
That team spirit Vicki shows every day is well known to news director Sandy Boonstra.
"There's no task too small for Vicki Yates," she said.
It's also known to producer Ashley Skeen.
"She is exactly as she seems on air," she said.
In a newsroom, timing is everything, and Vicki said the timing's right to leave this space after 33 years. She explains it's been a privilege being the face of the hard work of a team.
"I represent the station," Vicki said. "I represent people who work hard, who go hard every day putting things on air."
Vicki's done that every day.
"She's laid back," Ashley said. "She's amazing to work with. She's a hard worker. She's kinda up for anything. Really, having someone to work with like that in such an atmosphere that can be challenging and can be stressful has been really awesome."
"Vicki is such a class act," Sandy continued. "She is a true professional, and she does her job with style and with class and with humility. Vicki is just down to earth, and that has just meant the world to us. I think it comes across to the viewers as well."
