Stay Tuned: With Kirk Baird

Meet WUPW-TV anchor Shaun Hegarty

Shaun Hegarty is news anchor/executive producer of WUPW-TV, Channel 36.

You have heard their voices on radio and seen their faces on TV. Now The Blade goes behind the scenes to introduce you to your favorite media personalities. Stay Tuned appears the third Monday of every month.

First job: When I was in sixth or seventh grade I was what's called a "rectory watcher." At my church in Penndel, Pa., I would work at rectory for three hours at a time and answer phones and the door. In my downtime I would do my homework or watch TV. There was far more TV than homework.

First salary: $4 an hour, so I would make a cool $12 a day.

My idol is: No one specific, but I admire people who are passionate about their causes and not afraid to talk about them.

Most embarrassing TV moment: When covering a tanker accident in South Texas I was standing in front of the camera, ready for a live shot. No one told me that at the very top of the show they were taking a live shot of the accident. So when the anchor said "Here's a live look at the accident," all they saw was a deer in the headlights look from me. I then ducked out of the shot with a look of complete shock on my face. Someone took a freeze frame of that look and posted it all over that station. I hope it has been long destroyed.

Highlight of my career: My first day of my first job is my highlight. I was producing the 6 p.m. news at the NBC station in Corpus Christi. So many people in my graduating class had already given up on broadcasting after it became so hard to get a job right out of school. It took me several months, several resume tapes, and lots of frustration. I knew once I had gotten my foot in the door in this industry I would be able to make it a career. There was a lot of relief when I finally got that call.

My favorite thing to do outside of work: Be a Dad. One day I am a puppy, the next day I am an airplane pilot, and the other day I was the conductor of her orchestra. My daughter keeps me very busy, but I love her. Being a parent is much more exhausting than I thought it would be. I would not trade it for anything.

I think Toledo's best-kept secret is: There are more people who love living in Toledo than others think. The negative people are sometimes louder, but I don't think they are the majority.

People may be surprised to know that I: Don't color my hair. It's all natural.

In five years, I see myself: Coaching my daughter's soccer team or maybe softball or maybe basketball. I wasn't really good at any of these sports so maybe assistant coach would be better.

My dream job is: I think it would be a cool gig to be the White House correspondent for a network. I'd like to see the inner workings of our government and press leaders on big issues.

Contact Kirk Baird at: kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.