What's Your Favorite with Cindy Klose

The popular KWCH anchor shares her favorite things

Occasionally, when she feels like being anonymous, Cindy Klose climbs into her SUV and drives to the store without wearing makeup. When she speaks, however, it’s always an instant giveaway. “People will hear my voice and say, ‘You sound just like Cindy Klose.’ And I’ll say, ‘For some reason, I hear that all the time.’” By now, there aren’t many locals who wouldn’t recognize the long-time anchor for KWCH 12’s Eyewitness News.

Before Klose started at KWCH 17 years ago, she was a reporter and anchor for CNN Headline News. Every week, she commuted from Denver to Atlanta and crammed five days worth of work into three. “I know CNN’s formula so well that I can get what I need quickly,” she says.

She moved to Wichita in 1991 to be closer to her family. “This really is home,” says Klose, who grew up all over the world as the daughter of an Army colonel. “I’ve lived here longer than anywhere else.”

A typical day begins at 2 p.m., when she arrives at the station. Klose checks the news, puts together story ideas and meets with the news team. She then prepares for the 5 and 6 p.m. shows before going home for dinner and returning for the 10 p.m. newscast. She always welcomes the challenge of breaking news. “Any time we do important stories and do them well, that’s very rewarding,” she says.

Family and/or pets:
My husband, Bob Hull, is a former Shockers assistant coach. We have two kids who are 15 and 12. We also recently got a Labradoodle named Bella.

Makeup tip:
Blend! We’re all nervous about hi-def because everyone can see every blemish.

Book/author:
My favorite book is probably Night by Elie Wiesel. It’s only 115 pages, but it had such an impact on me. Basically, the moral of the story is that it only takes one person to stand up and say, “This isn’t right,” which is something I can relate to as a journalist. We can each do something in our own way.

Favorite news person:
I’ve always joked that it’s Walter Cronkite because people tease me about having a deep voice like him.

Most embarrassing moment on air:
I have two moments. Once, a co-worker said something funny right as we went on air, so I was cracking up while doing this heart-wrenching story about Poland. Another time, someone told me there was breaking news and just told me to go off the teleprompter. So I go on air and say, “We have breaking news.” And then nothing comes on the teleprompter. I had to apologize and move on.

Movie or actor/actress:
George Clooney or Antonio Banderas—and it’s not for their acting skills.

Local restaurant & dish:
I’m a vegetarian, so it’s probably rice and beans at home.

Workout:
I run three days per week, do yoga and I recently took up tennis lessons.

TV Shows:
ER, Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me

Motto:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” I have kids, so that saying means a lot because I’m teaching them to live it.

Something people don’t know about you:
My age. And I’m going to keep it that way.

Most memorable interview:
Oprah. We had a half hour for the interview, and she was very nice to everyone. At one point, there was a technical glitch and she could have stormed off, but she was patient and kind about it. I also interviewed Bob Dole and Charles Koch when I first started at the station.