The newest face on local TV

If you have been tuning in to the local TV news lately and have been wondering who the new girl is who has been covering the local and feature news at MCV, she is no other than Theo Wong, the newest gal in town.

Born Theonor Wong Beidler, 28-year-old Theo owes her very distinctive features to her Thai mother and German-American father. She was born in Easton Pennsylvania but grew up in Tucson, Arizona. After 10 years, Theo moved to Phoenix, Arizona where she pursued a double bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Management and Broadcast Journalism at the Arizona State University.

“I always enjoy writing and covering events,” she said, adding she has always been fascinated with editing and mixing media together, and has nurtured a passion for tinkering with electronic gadgets such as cameras and films.

Theo finished her internship in 2002 at Channel 5 KPHO, a cable television in Phoenix. She said she wanted to pursue a journalism career right after graduation but it was difficult getting a reporting job that time. She finally landed a job at a small cable TV station called MCTV in Scottsdale, Arizona.

She worked as an editor at the cable TV station from 2002 to 2004. Near the end of that stint, Theo submitted some demo tapes to prospective employers and received offers from different TV stations, including a firm offer from Scottsbluff, Nebraska for a reportorial job.

It was then that she said she stumbled upon an interesting option away from the mainland—a broadcasting vacancy at an island called Saipan.

Theo said she found Saipan on the Internet and saw that MCV was looking for another reporter. When she dug up more information about the island, she found the place very exotic and different.

“Saipan blew my mind and I had to make a choice,” she said.

The next thing she knew was opening her eyes one morning, looking at the ceiling of her room and realizing that she was already on Saipan—a decision that she describes as an outrageous change in her life.

At first she had difficulty adjusting, being so far away from her families and closest friends. She said it was hard to leave her loved ones whom she had been with for the last nine years of her life.

Despite this, Theo said she was not really homesick because when she set her foot on the island, she found the people very warm and welcoming. At the same time, adjusting to the culture and way of life on Saipan was not that hard.

Theo admitted that she is not an outdoor type but she has begun to love the small island. “I like it here,” she said. “I love Saipan now.” She said she has only been on the island for almost four months, yet she feels attached to the island now. “I’ll stay as long as they want me to,” she said.

Theo will not forget the first time she took on the view of the entire island from the peak of Mt. Tapochao. “I was so overwhelmed by the spectacular view. It was priceless. I felt I was in paradise up there.”

Theo currently covers a little bit of everything in her job as a reporter at MCV. Among her beats are education, health, and other feature stories. “They’re fun! I hear what people like to see and it allows me to know more of the island and I feel so connected to them,” she said.

This tall woman likes to read a lot and finds Robertson Davies’ works fascinating, with What’s Bred in the Bones her favorite. She also likes to walk along the beach, while swimming and diving are her favorite pastime. In fact, she said, she finds the Grotto a fantastic spot for diving.

“My absolute favorite hobby is baking,” she said. “I baked my sister’s four tier wedding cake.” She recalled that it was a major production at that time, with 24 egg whites over 10 pounds of chocolate. In college Theo said she was a cookie artist decorating cookies with extremely elaborate designs. “Awesome job and I also love cooking.”

A cat lover too, Theo said her cat Thai Peanut is one of her inspirations in life.