13 fascinating facts about Brooke Bouma:
• Both my parents come from families of Dutch immigrants. That explains my sweet tooth and frugal nature. Nederland heerst!!
• I have Oprah Winfrey to thank for meeting my husband. My friend Lora invited me and some of her other friends on a trip to watch a taping of the show. One of the women on the trip told me I should meet her friend Eric. A month later, we went out. A few months later, we were engaged.
• If I weren't in news, I would bake cakes for a living. Must be the Dutch thing.
• I am not the first Bouma to work at WHO-TV. My uncle Jim worked here in the early 80's as a weekend newscast director.
• I was also on The Floppy Show several times.
• I once got front-row center tickets to a Paul McCartney concert because someone with the band saw me standing in line for a drink at Wells Fargo arena and liked my blue velvet jacket.
• My senior year in college, I studied in London. Ironically, it's also where I got to shake hands with President Clinton.
• I am the quintessential Iowan. I grew up on a farm. My first job was de-tasseling corn and I was in 4-H. I also love country music. The really twangy kind.
• A chance meeting with Keith Murphy is the reason I work at WHO. I saw Keith at the wedding of a college friend in May 2000. I really wanted to work at WHO and had sent the news director my resume but hadn't heard back from him. At the end of the night, I finally got the courage to approach Keith and ask him if he would put in a good word for me. Two days later, I got a call from the news director. The rest
as they say
is history! Thanks again, Keith.
• Growing up, I played the cello.
• I learned to drive a tractor before I ever got behind the wheel of a car.
• I also had a pet goat in grade school. His name was Eugene.
• I get up at 2:45 A.M. to go to work during the week. This explains why I have had a cup of coffee every single day since my junior year in college. I tried to give it up but started getting bad headaches and couldn't function.
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Brooke Bouma returned to Channel 13 News in September 2007 and picked up right where she left off: anchoring Today in Iowa...weekday mornings from 5 to 7.
Brooke left the station in May of 2005 to spend more time with her husband, start a family and pursue other career interests which included working at Iowa Realty.
An Iowa native, Brooke grew up in rural Ottumwa graduating from Eddyville High School and Central College in Pella with a degree in Communications.
She started at WHO-TV in 2000 as a reporter. Brooke quickly moved to weekend evening anchor. In 2003, she moved to Today in Iowa . Before working at WHO-TV, she was the morning anchor then the weekend anchor and reporter in Topeka, Kansas at CBS affiliate WIBW-TV.
"I'm thrilled to be back at WHO-TV Channel 13. I grew up watching this station. My uncle even worked here in the early '80's." She has two younger sisters and says, "I'm happy to be near my family who live in Ottumwa." Brooke enjoys spending with her husband and their son, Evan.
