Renee Chou: 'Cherry News TV' comes with a heaping side of sweet

During the pandemic, people have taken up all sorts of new hobbies or projects to escape the craziness of the world: gardening, painting, baking bread, brewing beer or writing a book.

I decided to launch a news channel called "Cherry News TV." The network features North Carolina’s first mother-daughter news team, covering news to help you navigate the pandemic, with a sweet smile.

And the She-E-O, the creator and the brains behind this operation – my six-year-old daughter Elsa.

It all started in November, when I showed her the latest promo for WRAL's morning news. It was a fast-paced shoot that featured each member of the morning team quickly saying a line or two about what we aim to deliver every morning and why people should watch. Elsa would watch it over and over. And then one afternoon, she told me she wanted to record a promo with me.

Elsa told me about her idea to have our own network that she wanted to call “Cherry News TV.” Why cherry? She likes cherries and she wanted to do “sweet” news. Next, she painted a backdrop. And she wanted me to be in the news promo with her. So we brainstormed a quick script. I asked her what would make Cherry News TV interesting. Why would people want to watch? What is the goal of our news network? She scribbled in her notebook as we bounced off ideas and refined our lines, deciding who would say what. We then recorded a 17-second promo that promised to "deliver news… with a cherry on top.”

Little did I realize this was going to be the start of a prolonged project... for the both of us.

In December, Elsa said she’d like to do a "Cherry News TV" episode that showed people how to make a favorite holiday treat of ours—peppermint pretzels. Then in January, when she built a "sledding hill" using pillows and stuffed animals in our room, she said, “That would be a great Cherry News TV idea because we’re showing people what they can do during the pandemic!” As February approached, she took a huge interest in Groundhog Day. I asked her what we can teach people about Groundhog Day and she said she would find some fun facts about the rodents. I said five would be a good number and she started her research on Google.

I’m amazed at her enthusiasm and creativity with this. Every episode has been her idea. It's also offered me the opportunity to show her a glimpse of what I do and how I prepare to go on-camera. We talk about the content — what is relevant and most interesting. We discuss who will speak first and how to best transition from one fact to another. We have a rough idea of how the conversation will flow and do some practice takes. Of course we stumble a bit, or forget what we were going to say, and we laugh it off, especially when Mommy messes up! Through it all, I encourage her to speak clearly, to smile and to have fun with it. What's been a joy to discover is that Elsa has the ability to ad-lib and offer some unique insights of her own that really add to the episodes.

I edit and post these videos on Instagram and Facebook, for those keeping up. Viewer reviews have been very complimentary, saying Elsa will be taking my job soon. Truth is, she has no interest as of now to be a news reporter or anchor. Her sights are set on becoming a planetary geologist because she loves learning about the solar system. And of course that will change, as it has every year. Honestly I'm not trying to have her follow my career path. I know these skills we're working on now will serve her well no matter what she chooses to do.

I asked her why she likes doing “Cherry News TV.” After all, each episode takes a lot of effort—the brainstorming, the research, the writing, the collaboration, and the video setup. Elsa says to me: “Because I like doing things with you, Mommy.”

And I love doing things with you, sweetheart. That for me, is the cherry on top. ​