By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com
Alicia Booth Sprecher always knew that she wanted to be a news anchor. Once she read a Jessica Savitch autobiography, it was a done deal. “I thought this I can do. This is perfect for me. It just sounded like a great opportunity to meet a variety of people,” said Sprecher, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident and WJXT Channel 4 part-time anchor. Growing up, Sprecher had a strong interest in military strategy, nuclear strategy and military policy and often spoke on the topics at Rotary and Lions clubs during high school. At the University of Southern California, she majored in broadcast journalism, international relations, and got a certificate in defense and strategic studies. Sprecher soon found herself as the only female in military strategy classes. “I ran into a ton of chauvinism, but I love being told ‘no you can’t.’ That just piqued my interest even more,” said Sprecher. Her first job was at a station in Monterey, California, where she worked in military reporting. “I had to fight to get the military stories,” said Sprecher, who started as an unpaid intern and then was promoted to associate producer. Sprecher was eventually promoted to producer. After five years, Sprecher landed a job as the morning news anchor for an NBC affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. She would anchor the 5 p.m. news and then switch to police beat reporting for the 11 p.m. news. After eight years in Charlotte, Sprecher took a job in Cleveland, Ohio, focusing on medical reporting at an ABC affiliate. She reported on a Kent, Ohio, family who was dealing with an overwhelming number of medical challenges. Her Emmy-award winning stories brought out an amazing response from the community and touched the family dearly. “That’s at the heart of journalism. That’s what we do. We speak up for people who don’t have a voice.”
Q: You mentioned that your thesis in college was on the lack of defense forces in the Persian Gulf. You then had the opportunity to cover the first Gulf War and travel to Saudi Arabia. Share your experience.
A: I went to Saudi Arabia on board a C-5. The flight, for various reasons, took 47 hours. A group of local TV and print reporters from Monterey/Salinas were going to the Gulf to cover a couple of service and supply units from the 7th Infantry Division (Light) from Fort Ord. We were there for a few days before the proverbial “line in the sand” was crossed. President Bush was there at the same time. We were not allowed to go anywhere without our gas masks attached to our bodies. It felt as if everything I had envisioned for myself professionally was coming to fruition. My station had invited the deployed troops’ families to make video greetings for their loved ones which we took with us. We set up a viewing party for one of the units somewhere in the desert. We weren’t allowed to know where. That brought such joy to the soldiers. That, alone, was worth the 47 hours on a C-5.
Q: How did you meet your husband, Dr. Rob Sprecher, who is the Division Chief for Otolaryngology for Nemours Children’s Health in Jacksonville?
A: I interviewed him for a story on tonsillectomies back in Cleveland. So, when I met him, I told my friend, “I am going to marry that man.” I called him “Dr. Hottie.” Two years later, he called me, and we were married in 2006.
Q: How did becoming a mom to Lexi, 13, impact your full-time career?
A: I worked full-time until Lexi was three years old, and I realized that I could not sustain the workload with being a mom. I retired in 2011. When it came to work, I did not know how to work without being all in. The demand on television news reporters/anchors is phenomenal. I know there are a lot of women at my tv station who manage both beautifully, but I did not think that I could do it.
Q: What brought you to Ponte Vedra Beach?
A: We were looking for sunshine and a place where my parents and my in-laws could move as well. We all live here now. My parents and in-laws live in Nocatee in Del Webb.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I report to the tennis office almost every day. I play a lot of tennis at Sawgrass. I am in four leagues; I mostly play Country Club League or A1. We love to travel as a family.
Photo courtesy Alicia Booth Sprecher
Alicia Booth Sprecher with her husband and daughter.
[This online version has been updated to reflect two small corrections from the printed version of the story.]
