It’s early, outside in the parking lot of the well-lit television station, and Felcia Rolfe arrives right on time. She steps down out of her car in black jeweled flats and a vibrant red dress.
“I’m here between 3:33 AM and 3:45 AM and we kind of scoot ourselves in and try to stay awake,” Rolfe said.
Walking in, Rolfe cheerfully greets her co-workers along the way and places both her lunch and makeup bag on her desk.
Before she puts on makeup, she records a radio spot. Picking up a script left by a producer, Rolfe steps into a small studio and reads, “Hi, I’m Felicia Rolfe. Here are today's headlines from 12 news…”
After recording the news for the radio, Rolfe heads to the break room to make breakfast, consisting of a packet of oatmeal poured into hot water. No toppings, just plain oatmeal.
“I’m going to get some oatmeal because I need energy to get through our four hours of talking and anchoring. I don't put sugar or anything, it’s unflavored water and oats basically. It really tastes like goo,” Rolfe said with a smile.
She heads over to a mounted television and checks in on an overnight CBS show that airs in the early hours of the morning.
“We turn this on so that we can see in case we miss anything,” Rolfe said.
As she returns to her desk, Rolfe turns on her computer and starts going through scripts.
“We have 55 minutes before we go on the air,” Rolfe said. “As you can see, we come in, undone, rollers and no makeup on and all that. So, we'll transform here in just a few [minutes].”
She then reaches down in her desk drawer and pulls out a black and yellow blanket with an image of WU, the Wichita State University mascot.
“Have to get my shocker blanket out”, Rolfe said. “I love my Shockers! That's what keeps me warm throughout the morning, because when we get in the studio, it is cold, super cold.”
Keenan Penn II, the new morning news reporter, stops to greet Rolfe before heading out the door to do live shots.
“See you on the air,” Rolfe enthusiastically responds.
“Brityne Rucker and I start at five,” Rolfe said. “Max Dutton starts at 4:30 and he does the first 30 minutes. So, we start going through the five scripts, and then if we have any questions, we ask.
“Viewers may not know that we are continuing to read over our scripts and edit throughout the next four hours. We're not done when we get [in studio].”
The producers do the writing for the anchors and the reporters, and Rolfe goes out into the studio and reads the news. She said anchoring for four hours can take a lot out of you.
“It’s very mental and physical,” Rolfe said. “Afterwards, we all have different routines. I take a nap pretty much every day for at least 30 minutes, but I like to get an hour and a half.”
Things have changed in Rolfe’s 20-plus years of working in media, including the use of technology.
“We used to have more people [in studio], because we would have a person on each camera, which there are three cameras, and then we'd have somebody also separate working the prompter. So now it's all one person.
“The prompter can go out, and it did just last week. It could go out right in the middle of your reading.”
Speaking of things going wrong, Rolfe was also reminded of another unexpected incident involving morning meteorologist, Jake Dunne — known for being an avid runner, who experienced a mini-stroke while at work.
“He was doing the weather, and when he got off, he didn’t feel very well, and between stories, I was like, ‘Jake, are you ok? Are you ok?’ We have a phone out in the studio, and I was calling people to say, ‘Hey, you need to check on Jake, you need to check on Jake.’
“So, we had the emergency people come in and get him, take him to the hospital while we were on the air. That was really tough, because I was trying to act like nothing was going on, while something was going on, reading into stories and trying not to be too emotional, seeing my friend over there getting taken to the hospital. Yes, so it could be anything.”
Despite the stresses and the ever-evolving nature of work, Rolfe said she continues to enjoy it.
“If you can still consider it fun after doing it this long, then you know that's what's keeping you going,” Rolfe said. “It’s something you like to do, and I like community, and the news is community. We share what the community needs to know, and so we are like the eyes and ears of the community, and that’s a lot of fun and we like being those people.”
When asked about how she deals with feedback from viewers on social media, Rolfe said it was important to be resilient.
“People have a lot to say about you in general ... how you look, your hair, your outfits, your clothes and we often do get emails that aren't very nice, all of us, so you have to get used to that, and so you have to have a really thick skin.”
Being in this job has also afforded Rolfe the ability to focus on stories that she is proud of. She shares examples of stories she produced during Black History Month.
“I did [a story on] the McAfee family, they're from Wichita,” Rolfe said. “They have the McAfee3 architecture firm, and a lot of people didn't know this, but they [played] a major role in the 1996 Summer Olympics. And I remember them doing the 1996 Olympics, but I still learned through that story some of the things that they did and what they had to go through as well.
“I also did [a story on] heart health. We have a Black heart doctor here, Dr. Quiana Kern, and I interviewed her about just being heart healthy for African Americans. [We] then focused on the Love family, [who’ve] had a lot of heart issues throughout their time. They've lost multiple family members to heart issues, so I highlighted them. I've known them for years and years and years, and so those are my two favorites.”
Rolfe has often been requested to emcee events in the community, which she said she loves doing. She is also the host of the annually televised Kansas African American Museum’s Trailblazers event. This Saturday, she’ll speak at the Sister Circle Brunch in Wichita.
“Since it's Women's History Month, we're talking about empowering women and charting your life story too,” Rolfe said. “Like what you've done through your life story to get where you are.”
Rolfe said it’s important to know what’s happening in your community.
“When you think about local news, this is where you live and work, go to school, interact, shop and do everything on a daily basis,” she said. “So, you have to know what's in your community, and that's what we do. We try to get that out to you on a daily basis. What is happening in our community, whether there's a water contamination in certain areas in the community, or even if there's a water main break.”
After more than 20 years in media, Rolfe says she stays motivated because she enjoys her work and fellow staff.
“It really makes a lot of fun when you like people you hang out with at work all day long,” Rolfe said. “So, we consider ourselves a family. We do things outside of work together, and so that makes it fun, because nobody likes to wake up in the middle of the night as early as we do, and have to look cute and talk without messing up.”
Rolfe takes down her curlers, puts the finishing touch on her perfectly placed eyelashes and replaces her jeweled flats with 4-inch heels. She puts in her earpiece before slipping into her anchor chair. Rolfe is very aware that her work as a morning anchor and journalist is a huge obligation.
“[It’s] a big responsibility, not only to the community, but to young people, to young girls, to my community, which is the African American community, and just overall, everyone who you know is looking at you,” Rolfe said. “You also have to realize that, being on TV, people see you in a different light. You have to carry yourself differently.
“I know people are watching, and especially young people, they need to see that they can do this too. If it's something that they want to do, it's attainable.”
