The faithful started gathering shortly after six, standing in the cold rain outside the studio in Pioneer Courthouse Square. As the downpour increased in intensity, some moved down the steps under the shelter of the overhang. A crowd standing around outside a television studio is nothing that unusual — it happens all the time when some celebrity is making the rounds, pimping their latest movie, or tell-all book. But this time the center of attention was a news personality herself: As Charlie mentioned earlier, Steph Stricklen was coming back to work.
When Steph arrived, she greeted the onlookers she knew, confessed that she’d already been crying about leaving her infant daughter at home, and ducked into the studio worrying out loud about whether her computer would still be functional.
As the clock counted down to the seven o’clock broadcast, more folks arrived, swelling the numbers of the soggy crowd. And then the show began. Folks chatted as the show progressed, waiting for Steph’s next appearance. She braved the inclement weather to come out and do some live shots from the Square, and her soggy fans gathered close.
Why? Why did so many people come out on such a wretched night to welcome a local anchor back from maternity leave? To see the answer, you need to know that unlike many users of Twitter, Steph has genuinely embraced the concise new social medium. Her followers have listened along as she discovered the absolute unconditional love of a parent, plodded through the trials of sleeplessness, and we winced at our own memories of having to put down the baby, walk out the door, and go back to work. She twittered about it, every challenging step of the way. She shared of herself, and because of it, her many followers enjoy a real relationship with her that goes beyond her day job.
This becomes obvious when you look at the people who came down to see her: They’re standing in a genuine downpour, umbrellas and hoods providing scant shelter from the wind and rain. As the time for her outdoor segment approaches, Steph comes back out onto the Square, and encourages everyone to come closer. Wet parkas converge around her, the bodies defining a small space on the bricks brilliantly lit by high-wattage lamp.
Steph turns around and chats with the crowd as she reviews her script, and watching her easy interaction with them, their mutual affection is obvious.
At some point it becomes easy to see why all these folks have come down here to stand in the rain: They really love her.
We really love her.
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