It begins with a friendly nod in my direction. The cameras continue to roll and Ginny doesn't miss a beat. She and her co-anchors finish up their 5 o'clock broadcast, the "On Air" light dims and Ginny slowly swivels around before stepping down off the set. She's taller than I imagined. Then again, maybe she's just more confident. She's "a natural" I decide – carrying herself with an ease and grace that can't be bought or acquired. She approaches me as I stand at the back of the studio and offers up a gentle handshake and warm "Hello."

This is my introduction to 13-WHAM TV News Anchor Ginny Ryan.

Vying for Air Time
Diane (Dumas) Ennis, now a Guidance Counselor at Jamesville-DeWitt High School in the Syracuse area, was introduced to Ginny at Buffalo State College during freshman orientation in the summer of July of 1981.

"We immediately hit it off and requested to be roommates that Fall. I was from Downstate, so Western N.Y. was all new to me," Diane remembers. "Ginny and I have remained close friends."

Diane says the two have been in each other's weddings and that Ginny is the godmother of her eldest daughter, Michaela.

"The first words that come to mind when thinking of Ginny are selfless, dedicated, down-to-earth and genuine…she is awesome."

Ginny, born "Virginia", says she began her career in broadcasting as a weekend reporter.

"I graduated college on a Friday and started in Elmira on a Monday," she explains. She adds, with a laugh, "What was I thinking?!"
During her two years there, she sent videotapes of her work to a local News Director asking if he would provide her with a critique. He obliged. She sent him tape after tape until one day he hired her.
"You have to make a connection," the newscaster says of both her tenacity and of creating a life in broadcasting. "I've been here ever since."

Ginny says she's fortunate to have a job she likes which challenges her and brings her satisfaction. But, she adds more than once, the people she collaborates with make it all the more worthwhile.

"There's a culture of supporting each other (here) – of working together, checking the egos at the door and just working as a team; you don't find that in every news room. Enough of us have been other places to know (the difference). The bottom line every day is that we have a lot of fun. There are a lot of laughs and, in journalism, things aren't always happy.

"We respect each other. To truly like the people you work with is a huge benefit!"

Then, of course, there's the work itself.

"People think (we) just sit here and read. But 90% of what we do is writing and editing – and that's great! I would not want to do this," Ginny says of being an on-air personality, "without that….I always say, 'Nothing coming out of my mouth will sound nearly as good unless I've either written it or gone over it.

"Doug (Emblidge) and I have a lot of input. We help determine what will air and how it's going to be covered. We want that; we try to be very hands-on. We have a small enough newsroom where we can have that (kind of) impact."

Doug says Ginny is both a work partner and a good friend.
"We began co-anchoring the 5 p.m. news in 1990. Working with someone closely each day you have a lot of conversations about work and almost as many about life outside of work," he explains. "Ginny sets an example for all of us. She constantly strives to make our newscasts better and makes sure we are leading the way as opposed to following (by pursuing) stories that are fresh and relevant to our viewers.

"She has a work ethic that has not diminished in her two decades at the station. Ginny is also a devoted wife and mom (who) makes it a priority to be up every morning with her kids and home with them for some quality time every evening."

Home and Back Again
Chuck Samuels, VP and General Manager of 13-WHAM TV, has been Ginny's boss for the past 11 years. The two met in 1996, while Chuck was interviewing to fill a News Director position at the station.
"Ginny doesn't do anything at half-speed. She is very passionate about what she does," he offers up, adding that he was immediately impressed by her professionalism and on-air performance. "I've never seen her 'mail it in'. She loves this community, spends many hours providing community service and goes way beyond what would be required for her job."

That includes putting in extra hours at home and staying in touch with the station.

"I get connected pretty early in the day," Ginny explains. "The minute I get up I sign on and begin e-mailing the producer. I try to watch 'Good Morning America' at 7 a.m. and get a (sense of the) mood for the day."
She arrives at the station between 2 and 2:30 p.m. and immediately begins preparing for the 5 o'clock newscast.

"The moment we walk in we hold a big meeting to determine the rundown for 5 o'clock. Do we agree with it? What form should the stories take? We really get to pick the producers' brains. What information do the reporters have? What elements (of the stories) will we be talking about? What (highlights) will we be teasing during 'Oprah'?"

Then it's on to writing for the night's broadcast and tending to light housekeeping duties.

"Doug and I have this system down...we divide our duties. One person does one thing one day and the other person does another. After our meeting, we get (down) to work doing things like promos which we produce, write and (read on-camera); they air twice during the 'Oprah' show."

My interview with Ginny is scheduled between the 5 p.m. broadcast and her evening break.

"At 6:30, when I'm done doing (that)," Ginny says as she points out a lone camera, a teleprompter and an unglamorous stool sitting in the back corner of the newsroom, "I go home for about three hours - I could never do this shift and not go home to see my family. Almost all of us who work the night shift On-Air who've done it a really long time are able to squeeze that family time in. It's the only way we could do it.

"We have the kind of job that requires us to be at work when everyone else is at home. I come back at about 9 or 9:30 p.m. and stay until 12 a.m. When I come back in, I get up to speed on the 11 o'clock news, talk to the producer…start writing for that show and start looking for stories for the next day to share with the 5 o'clock producer."

More than a Pretty Face
Leah Hess says she is honored to be Ginny's friend and that the two became acquainted 10 years ago, while their daughters were enrolled in Pre-school together.

"What truly makes Ginny 'Ginny' is her sincerity and compassion for others. We became friends right from the start but when she called me the morning of 9-11, regarding what was happening in N.Y.C., I (noticed) what a 'real' person she was," Leah explains. "Her angst and deep compassion made me understand fully that (she's) a true friend without pretensions."

When asked to describe herself, Ginny used many of the same words her other friends and co-workers did: dependable, hard working, fun ("I like to have fun"), passionate and a little, well…impatient.
"I sometimes think this business breeds ADD. Everything happens so fast," Ginny admits before adopting a Don Adams "Get Smart"-alecky tone and saying, "'Tell me in 15 seconds or less how you feel…what's the point?'"

I'm duly impressed. This 'Rochester Woman' cover girl has a great face, a great personality and a great sense of humor on top of it all. What else is there to know?

"I'm not really a girly-girl," she tells me. "I know I wear all of this makeup but I think my husband would say I'm fairly low maintenance. I'm not into spa stuff, although I do like my face treatments. Probably more for career sustainability…"

So, then, are girly-girl shopping sprees out of the question?

"It's time consuming to do it really well…to bargain hunt, seek out good bargains and get great clothes. To get what you really want takes time unless you walk in and 'Boom!' there it is."

"For the last 17 years I've been really preoccupied with the kids," she says of raising 16-year-old Jeffrey and 13-year-old Caroline with the help of her husband, Jeff. "Like a lot of people, I've kind of pushed (hobbies) aside. When the kids are out of the house, I'd love to learn to paint or write more creatively – those kinds of things. I love my house, I love decorating and I love entertaining.

"I just don't have a lot of spare time…I feel like I can just about get the housework, exercise and all that stuff done and tend to my main obligations – my family and my work."

Naturally!

Christine G. Adamo is a Staff Writer for Rochester Woman Magazine.