Today for the 20th day of the "Women's History Month" project, we are celebrating this fabulous woman
Meet Sharon Rose, 54, daughter, sister, mother of 2, a fantastic journalist, entrepreneur and lover of life.
"Sis, breathe. There ain't no award for overworked female of the year" - MJ Harris
“Effective immediately, I’m taking you off the air. And if you want a future in this business, you should stick to what you’re good at, behind the scenes, as a producer.”
Those are words Sharon Rose will never forget. Dream-crushing words that made her stomach clench and tears well up in her eyes. She says, “It was like seeing all my hard work over the last several years to become a full time TV news reporter crumble into dust.”
But today, as the longtime co-anchor of Maine’s top rated morning news program, Sharon’s story is proof that hard work and perseverance pay off, that a set-back is really a set-up for a come-back, and that it’s okay if things get a little messy along the way.
Sharon was hired at NEWS CENTER Maine (then known as 6-Alive!) in August of 1989 as a weekend news producer. She also worked three nights a week as a tape editor. It was her first job out of college, and a foot in the door. It was also in Maine. Significant, because Sharon had visited Maine with her family when she was 14 years old, fell in love with the state, and decided right then and there she would live in Vacationland when she grew up.
Sharon eventually convinced her boss, the news director, to let her do some feature reporting. Over time, she worked her way into a regular reporting slot two nights a week in addition to her producing and editing duties. She was sure she was on her way!
Then her boss left the business. Her new boss (who shall remain nameless) was the one who told her, essentially, that she wasn’t good enough to report. The words stung and Sharon had to excuse herself to go to the bathroom and let the tears flow. It was a pivotal moment in her career and in her life. “I had three choices,” she says, “Resign myself to a career as a producer, which was not what I wanted to do; get out of the business altogether; or prove him wrong.” She decided to prove him wrong.
For the next couple of years, Sharon worked at being the best producer she could be, getting promoted to a Monday-Friday position, while also sending demo tapes all over the country, hoping to land a reporting job. After countless rejections, she almost took a job at a start-up station in Oxnard, California for $14,000 a year. But when they wouldn’t cover her moving expenses, she decided cost of moving herself, plus the low pay, was too much of a financial risk, and she backed out.
As more time went on, Sharon’s resolve began to wane. She started to think her boss may have been right. Frustrated and unhappy in her job as a full-time producer, she began to entertain thoughts of leaving the business. Meantime, the news director who took her off the air had left the station, and the position had turned over two more times. But none of the new bosses would give her another chance to report.
Then, one day in the Summer of 1993, Sharon got an unexpected call from Jeff Marks, the General Manager at her company’s station in Bangor, WLBZ. They were anticipating an opening on the anchor desk and wanted her to audition for the job. She couldn’t believe it! “I was so nervous going up there for that interview,” Sharon says, “But the news director, Judy Horan, and I hit it off right away. I drove home that day feeling optimistic that this could be the break I had been waiting for!” She was right. And over the next three years, Sharon’s career took off.
After working in Bangor for about 18 months as the 6:00 and 11:00 pm anchor, Sharon was transferred back down to Portland to co-anchor the noon news with Rob Caldwell and help launch a magazine-style show called “NewsCenter Afternoon”. Despite Sharon’s hard work, often putting in 10-15 hour days, the new show was a bit of a flop. But the new management at the station could now see Sharon’s potential. When they decided to expand the morning newscast from one hour to two hours, they asked Sharon to join the wildly popular team of Lee Nelson and Kevin Mannix. So, in October of 1996, at the age of 29, Sharon began working in her dream job, a position she has held ever since.
“I’m not going to say I never gave up hope,” Sharon says, “There were plenty of times when I felt hopeless, like I was never going to get that break I was waiting for. But it’s in those dark moments, when we decide to push through the fear and disappointment anyway, that really define what we’re made of.”
Sharon credits her grit and work ethic to her blue-collar upbringing in Vermont. Her late father owned a dairy equipment sales and service business and her mother worked for the United States Postal Service. She also has an older brother who is now an electrician. Sharon can remember working since she was 13 years old. Her first job was picking strawberries at a local farm. She also worked as a restaurant server through High School and College, in addition to various jobs on campus, one summer as a Guest Relations Hostess at EPCOT Center in Florida, and one summer as an intern at WNNE, a station in White River Junction, Vermont that no longer exists.
When it came time to choose a college, “I had no idea what I was doing,” Sharon says with a chuckle, “Neither of my parents went to college so I hardly knew where to start. So, true story, my high school guidance office had a cool poster from Ithaca College on the wall. And that’s how I decided to apply there. Fortunately, they also have a great communications school, which is what I wanted to study.”
Sharon says she spent her four years at Ithaca working hard and playing harder. Despite her regular appearances at the local bar known as The Dugout for dime beer night, she graduated Cum Laude in 1989 with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and a double minor in Business and Speech Communications.
Soon after Sharon started working on The Morning Report at NEWS CENTER Maine, she and her then husband, reporter Chris Rose, decided they wanted to start a family. Miranda was born in 2000 and Duffy, in 2003. “I know it sounds cliché, but my whole perspective on life changed when my girls came along,” says Sharon “Up until that point, I had been very career driven. I mean, like obsessed I remember that, while I was pregnant with Miranda, I was working very long days on an in-depth report about what happens to children who are orphaned when their parents die by murder-suicide. In fact, I watched the report air while I was giving birth.”
Sharon says, once she became a mom, that became her top priority. “I’m proud of a lot of things in my life, but helping two amazing, smart, kind, beautiful girls make it to adulthood without screwing them up too, too badly is my greatest accomplishment by far,” she says with a grin, “It’s going to be really fun to see what they do with their lives.”
Reflecting on her life so far, Sharon says it’s been quite a journey. “I’m proud of my career. I worked super hard for many years, and now I get to coast a little. And I still love it. Lee (Goldberg) and Todd (Gutner) are like brothers to me and I just love our whole morning team. Sometimes, I honestly can’t believe they pay me to do what I do.” She adds, “I’m also proud of my kids, of course.”
“My personal life on the other hand,” Sharon says, “Well, at times, if you’ll excuse my language, has been a bit of a shit-show. Just being honest. I mean, married and divorced twice kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it?” But Sharon says through it all she has learned to be humble and more empathetic toward others. “The hard parts of life are where we grow the most,” she says.
As she approaches her 55th birthday next month, Sharon is excited for the next chapter of her life. A couple of years ago, she started a side hustle with Arbonne International – a holistic beauty, health and wellness brand – that she intends to build into a second career. “Embracing a healthy lifestyle has done wonders for me, and I love sharing that with others,” she says, “It’s also a chance for me to come into my own as a leader, something I find a bit scary and exhilarating all at the same time.”
Sharon says she also plans to travel more, take up salsa dancing, and continue doing whatever she can to make a positive impact in the world. “I still have goals and lots of fun things I want to do,” she says, “I’m not done living it up, nor making my mark on the world.” She continues, “Some people, at my age, just want to retire and fade away into a comfortable life. Not me. I intend to live all-out to the very end. And I still have some surprises up my sleeve,” she says, “As they say in my business, stay tuned…”
Here are a few quotes that Sharon loves and lives by:
"Love is my religion" - John Keats
"Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be" - Marianne Williamson
*****
Thank you, Sharon, for sharing you journey with us all! You are an inspiration!
#whm #womenshistorymonth #womanoftheday #womensupportingwomen #womenempowerment #mainephotographer
17 Comments
Mar 22, 2022, 3:34:40 PM
Judy Minervino - Sharon Rose is a gift from upon! The morning show with Lee Todd is so entertaining! Good luck
Mar 22, 2022, 10:13:44 AM
Suzanne Rouillard - Beautiful story to read. Ditto here on two marriages and divorces, but “we are good people “, just something predisposed us not to do that choosing of partners well.
Mar 21, 2022, 6:49:07 PM
Emmy Deering - I have enjoyed watching over the years. The article was written well. Congratulations Sharon Rose
Mar 21, 2022, 6:47:08 PM
DEERING Emmy - Beautifully done. Have enjoyed seeing and watching the growth over the years
Mar 21, 2022, 4:39:45 PM
Elizabeth Saucier - Way to go Sharon, thank you for sharing your story. I'm 58 years young, and changing my career now. Sometimes I think I'm crazy and I should be getting ready to retire, thanks for the inspiration to keep going! You're amazing
Mar 21, 2022, 2:28:22 PM
Deborah Carpenter - Have watched Sharon sense she started on Newscenter 6 in 1996 Love the team and love the team now.She always makes me smile
Mar 21, 2022, 8:22:51 AM
Cynthia Toher - These are amazing photos. ❤️
Mar 21, 2022, 7:24:21 AM
Marc Paradis - Sharon,really enjoyed you sharing a small sliver of your life with us.always look forward to watching the morning show everyday.you are so talented,and genuine.rock on pretty lady.
Mar 21, 2022, 7:04:13 AM
Joanne - Thank you for being you.
Mar 21, 2022, 6:54:26 AM
Gary Stevens - Fabulous Story of endurance and endless hours of hard work! Just amazing Sharon! Congratulations! You are a true inspiration to women everywhere.
Mar 21, 2022, 6:48:14 AM
Brenda Arnall - Great article & pictures. Thank you for the "humaness" you bring to the news.
Mar 21, 2022, 6:22:56 AM
Debra Stanley - I love watching Sharon. She actually makes watching the depressing news enjoyable. Love the interaction she has on screen with Lee and Todd.
Mar 21, 2022, 6:04:13 AM
Michael Manzo - Great article and portraits Sharon!,and relatable to most. I also believe that our trails and tribulations steer us along the way. I was told in school by a couple teachers, that I'd be a failure,prooved them wrong, and then taught trades, mostly for young men and women, but also to haunt them.(lol) That was one, another was college in my fifties,proved that SOB wrong,with a return message he was WRONG,graduated!
Mar 21, 2022, 5:15:17 AM
Shelly Gingras - Sharon, thank you for sharing your bio with us. You truly are an inspiration and a rare beauty. We love watching the morning news with your crew as an extended part of our own family! We live in NH and can’t get wash where we are, so when we’re at our place in Maine, we look forward to seeing the morning news from Portland! Congratulations on all your success and thanks again for sharing with us!!
Mar 21, 2022, 1:46:48 AM
Velma Orcutt - You are an awesome person and so enjoyed the article. Have watched you on the morning news for years and a great start to my day. Keep doing what you are doing! Follow your dreams. You so deserve it!
Mar 20, 2022, 8:53:27 PM
Grace Jameson - Very impressive story about an impressive lady with gorgeous pictures. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Mar 20, 2022, 8:47:09 PM
Paul Aiken - Bravo! Congratulations Sharon