Jackie Kostek

My first day at CBS was the Monday after the 4th, five years ago. It was a company holiday so we were short-staffed. Late in the day, a road rage incident broke out in Cicero. My manager did a slow swivel in her chair, “you want to go cover it?” I smiled, “sure.”

I’ve been on air just about every day since - anchoring, reporting, covering news and sports at all hours of the day and finally landing on a segment with my name attached.
When I was a kid, I ‘hosted’ The Jackie Fun Show daily during lunch. Jumpstart with Jackie is a natural evolution, albeit with an earlier alarm clock and bigger audience.

In all my early resume letters, I used the same line - “TV is a team sport and I am a team player.” I knew it before I had any examples of it. Now, I could write a book about the only-in-TV-news moments I’ve had with some of my favorite people, who happen to be among the most talented in the game. Bumping along in live trucks, jamming out or sometimes rolling up the windows and screaming just to let off a little steam. The times we look at each other and say, “we are so lucky to do this.” And on the hardest days, “this is why we do this.” To gather and share critical information, to remind each other what it means to be human. We are always in it together.

It is a privilege, especially now, to get to smile on camera every day - one I do not take for granted. But it’s also a reflection of what I believe to be true - there will always be more good than bad. It’s important to share that too.

Just before graduating from Columbia Journalism School almost 15 years ago, I remember a professor describing the job like this: you get to go out into the world, figure out what’s going on and tell people about it. It sounded like the best job in the world. It still does.

Five years went like *that.* Thankfully I have a million bloopers to show for it and hopefully, a million more on the way. 📺❤️

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