Everyone has their favorite TV network, right? The one the TV’s guaranteed to be set to when you turn it on? My husband loves ESPN and the Food Network. Sure, the Food Network’s great, but I start experiencing feelings of culinary ineptitude after watching for a few hours. For me, my go-to station is QVC (one of the world’s largest multimedia retailers).

I even watch QVC when I’m alone at the gym at 5am. I kid you not. Some might find motivation in music videos and old re-runs of The Cosby Show. I happen to find mine in the form of sterling silver, 14 karat gold, and fabulous handbags.

That being said, you can understand my delight when I discovered that my favorite QVC program host, Mary Beth Roe, has connections that aren’t just of the “born in the Midwest” variety. She actually lived and worked right here in Eau Claire back in 1981. Once I discovered this, I decided I needed to interview her. I sent the network an email, and not only did I hear back from QVC, but they agreed to let me interview Mary Beth via telephone.

Mary Beth told me she was hired as a television anchor by WQOW right after her graduation from Bethel University; the first female television anchor in Eau Claire. How cool is that? WQOW was a new station at the time, and though she did have her own billboard, she was never promoted as being the first female to anchor the news in Eau Claire.

During our chat, I reassured Mary Beth that as cool as Eau Claire was back in 1981, it’s at least 10 times cooler now. She loved living here, and only moved to Minnesota (where she first started working as a television shopping host for a network called CVN in Plymouth) to be with her husband. After QVC purchased CVN, she was asked to make the move across country to host for the new network. Today, she remains one of two hosts currently working for QVC with beginnings at CVN.

I’m always fascinated when I read about local residents hitting the career jackpot. While Mary Beth Roe wasn’t born in Eau Claire, she certainly made a little bit of history during her few years in the area. I’ve grown so accustomed to watching a woman co-anchor the local news that it never occurred to me there was a time when this wasn’t the case.

If I can really stretch it ... I’d say that QVC is the television equivalent of our fine city. Mary Beth testified to the fact that QVC is all about the customer. While QVC might officially stand for “Quality, Value, Convenience,” she said she really feels like it stands for “Quality, Value, and Customer Service.” It’s driven by the people it serves. That’s what Roe loves most about her job. Being a journalist was great, but she prefers the connections she can make as a show host. She gets to be herself in a capacity that broadcast journalism doesn’t allow.

Isn’t that a lot like Eau Claire? This city is only as good as the people living here. Of course a city is driven by commerce and industry, but none of that’s possible without people to drive it. I’ve lived in this area for almost 30 years and hardly recognize this city in many ways. The progress we’ve made is off the charts.

And while I do love our local news broadcasts, I’ll still be watching QVC while I put in my morning miles on the treadmill.