For almost 10 years, CBS Mornings, previously CBS This Morning, has been enjoyed by millions of people as a consistent part of their daily routine. When viewers tune in, they see plenty of friendly faces on camera. But for Associate Professor in the Journalism Department Karen Turner (she/her), it is extra comforting to know there is a friendly face behind the camera.
Klein College of Media and Communication alumnus and Turner’s former student Chris Stover, KLN ’09 (he/him), has been at CBS Mornings for seven of the 10 years that the show has aired.
“I know he has a hand in what I find so appealing about it,” said Turner, an avid watcher of the show. “It makes me proud to enjoy his work.”
After working at CBS 19 in Charlottesville for four and a half years, Stover randomly applied to work at CBS Mornings with what he considered a rather direct cover letter. Luckily, his application was received well, and he started working as a writer for the show in the summer of 2014.
About three years into his time at CBS Mornings, Stover transitioned to the more managerial role of supervising producer in 2017, which he has maintained ever since. In this role, he is involved in editorial decision making, approving scripts and assigning stories. And, though it is a morning show, Stover works some pretty late hours. In order for the show to be ready each morning, Stover worked 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. for a long time, but recently started a new shift that has him start at 3:30 a.m.
“I’ve never worked ‘normal people hours’ in my career,” Stover said. While most people would dread night or early morning shifts, Stover stays positive. His 9 p.m. start allowed him to get dinner with friends at the end of their workday and the start of his, and his 3:30 a.m. start has him back in the control room after 18 months of working remotely due to the pandemic.
Despite his seven years at CBS Mornings, Stover never expected to be working in New York City at a major network show. Instead, he saw himself hopping around the country and reporting on-air for different local stations. However, he loves his job. CBS Mornings, he said, has taught him what real journalism should be: relevant, accessible and objective. He is proud of his work and can confidently say it’s what he wants in his career.
Though he has been settled at his job for quite some time, there was a time when Stover felt like he would never find the job for him. As he was finishing his studies in broadcast journalism at Temple University, he sent out 283 job applications to TV stations across the country. Because of the tough job market in 2009, he only got about five responses to his applications, one of which was from CBS 19 in Charlottesville.
After spending the summer of 2009 finishing his work as an Owl Ambassador giving tours and the fall of 2009 freelancing for Temple’s Strategic Marketing and Communications Department, he moved to Charlottesville where he started as a web producer before becoming a general assignment reporter and anchor for CBS 19.
In addition to being a tour guide for his four years at Temple, Stover was heavily involved at The Temple News. Just as he never expected to become a supervising producer at CBS Mornings, Stover also didn’t expect to become editor-in-chief at The Temple News.
“It was the most rewarding thing I got out of Temple,” Stover said. In addition to the real-world experience he got while working at the paper, Stover also formed lifelong friendships with his staff.
“When you have something in common, or a lot of things in common, and you’re all working toward the same goal, great friendships are going to come out of it,” said Managing Director of Student Media John DiCarlo KLN ’98 ’06 (he/him). He noted that Stover and his friends were a particularly tight-knit group of students, and Stover echoed that sentiment.
DiCarlo loved being able to joke around with Stover, but they still enjoyed some heartfelt moments together. After a staff trip to Longwood Gardens, they stopped at Stover’s mom’s house, where she fed them cookies and Italian food.
“I knew the job that was meant for him would come along eventually, he just had to keep up his spirits,” Turner said. She is grateful that she has kept in touch with Stover, but said that even if she hadn’t, she would always remember him anyway. She has also had the pleasure of watching Stover talk to her students and seeing the wonderful impressions he made on them.
For now, you can find Stover enjoying his time back in the control room at CBS Mornings and playing piano in the Sound on Tape, CBS’s work band!
“It is exciting because every day is different. I never know what I’m walking into when I start my shift. The news stories always change, the way we cover stories always changes, and it’s fun to be a part of that every day,” Stover said.