Single in the city

Meghan Sparks

By Megan Malugani

Meghan Sparks’ colleagues at KTTC call the rookie reporter “a true light in the newsroom,” and it’s easy to see why. The self-described news junkie has boundless enthusiasm for her job (she loves to report inspirational stories about people overcoming the odds) and natural charisma in front of the camera (she performed in high school plays and started college as a theater major before switching to journalism). Meghan, who grew up in Eagan and graduated from the University of St. Thomas, has enjoyed her eight months in Rochester and is making it a goal to meet new friends. “I need to expand my horizons and meet people outside of the TV business a little more,” Meghan says.

Age: 23.

Occupation: News reporter at KTTC.

Family Ties: Meghan is the middle daughter in a “super close” family, and tries to visit her parents at least once a week. “Whenever I know my dad is making Italian, I make a run to the Cities.”

She Works Hard For Her Money: Meghan usually works from around 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. But even when she is off-duty, she is “kind of always on call. If a tornado or flood happens, you have to be ready to cover the stories. Young reporters are hungry for the best stories, so we don’t mind,” Meghan says.

Burn, Baby, Burn: Meghan doesn’t just report the news; sometimes she (accidentally) creates it. At KTTC, she burned a bag of microwave popcorn and sparked the fire alarm during the 5 o’clock news. The fire department showed up ready to fight the fire, and one of Meghan’s colleagues grabbed a camera and turned the debacle into a segment for the 10 p.m. news. “Everyone thought it was funny. If I would’ve burned the building down, they wouldn’t have laughed as much.”

Shoe Junkie: Meghan has a passion for bargain shopping, especially for shoes. “It’s funny, though, because at work I never know what I’m going to be doing on any given day. So for me, trying to be a fashionista and wearing gold sandals or bright yellow shoes with little high heels means that sometimes I’m wearing them out in a cornfield or in the dirt.”
Hangouts: Some of Meghan’s favorite hangouts are Chester’s, Kathy’s, City Café, and Söntés. At lunchtime almost every day, you can find her at Subway. “I eat Subway so much that I should be the female version of Jared [the man who lost 245 pounds eating nothing but Subway sandwiches], except I don’t think Jared would get the chocolate chip cookies.”

Words Her Friends Use To Describe Her: Kind. Energetic. Funny. “I don’t take myself too seriously. I take my job seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously.”

On Being Single In Rochester: There is no lack of single guys in Rochester, Meghan says, but “it’s always difficult to take that leap” from casual acquaintance to date. Meghan takes a conservative approach: she’s never gone on a blind date, and, she says, “I’ve never asked someone out and I don’t think I would ever do that.”

Onscreen Romance: Meghan’s favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally. “I love that movie. It think because it’s real—it’s not the fairytale romance.”

Words To Live By: “I think my mom always taught me growing up that anything is possible ... Even when you think something can’t happen, when you least expect it, it can happen.”