What she was is exactly what she wanted to be.
The local news lady.
Sure, Rachael Dierkes was another talented female reporter with WTRF-TV 7, and yes, veteran news director Brenda Danehart has mentored a great number of anchors straight out of town and to a larger media market, but Rachael wasn’t interested with all that larger market/moving away part.
Nope, she was happy with being that local news lady like Danehart was for decades before moving up the industry’s ladder. She wanted to be the Shadyside native who tells us about the first new baby every New Year’s Day, to report the names of each local high school’s summa cum lauds each May, and to offer us the next-best “Taste with Rach” every Thursday evening.
Rachael wanted to be the local news lady who tells us the good news along with the bad during the ultra-important 6-and-11 p.m. broadcasts, but … you see … Rachael wanted an Eric and an Aubrey even more.
And, of course, her husband and her little girl win that battle every single day.
For now, perhaps?
What is the one thing you miss most about being on the TV news?
I had to answer this question last. It’s like opening Pandora’s Box for me because I miss almost everything.
But my immediate response is always “Taste With Rach.” This will always be what I’m most proud of during my time on local news. It started as an opportunity to showcase locally owned restaurants and it grew into something so much bigger. I had no idea the stories I would hear.
The incredible people I would meet and still stay in touch with to this day. I laughed and cried over many plates of hand cut French fries, grandma’s pie recipes, sandwiches named after kids and tables built by hand. I’ve been able to sit back and watch some of these places flourish and grow, move to new buildings, expand menus, and open new locations.
I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to tell their stories. I always said even if a feature only brought in one new customer, I’d feel like I made a difference.
What is your daughter’s favorite TV show now and what was your favorite when you were her age?
There is a tie for a favorite TV show. It’s between Bluey and anything Mickey Mouse-related (You’d be shocked how many variations there are). While I’m sure many people are familiar with Mickey — let me turn you onto Bluey if you’ve never watched.
I’m not sure if it’s because I’m fully immersed into this life, but I could write a thesis statement on how incredible this show is. Each episode is only 7-8 minutes long, so it gets right to the point, but it’s essentially about a dog family that lives in Australia. The main character being the older daughter “Bluey.”
It’s hilarious and creative, the situations are incredibly relatable for any parent of young kids. We’ve learned so much about creative play and parenting from watching. And yes, it’s a cartoon.
I had to ask my mom about my favorite TV shows as a four-year-old. She said I loved Reading Rainbow (Maybe a pre-cursor to my future career reading on TV?). She reports I used to love to sing the theme song.
My all-time favorite movie was The Little Mermaid, though, and when we went to Disney this year, I actually teared up riding the Little Mermaid ride and meeting “Ariel.”
What have you had the most fun doing as a mother?
I have loved every second of watching Aubrey grow into her own little person. Developing interests and personality, making friends, finding things she enjoys doing, and figuring out what she does not like doing.
Plus, realizing the moment a new skill “clicks” for her, and seeing wonder in her eyes when we experience something new.
Being a parent is tough. There’s the obvious factor of being responsible for raising a child. It’s the most adult thing I’ve ever done. But I’ve also got to be a kid again in so many ways. I’ve enjoyed learning how to slow down in certain situations and just enjoy the moment. I get to sit down and play Barbies. I get to be silly. There are so many things I’ve learned to love again seeing it through a child’s eyes.
Who does most of the cooking at home?
I do most of the cooking. I always joke I never realized how mentally taxing meal planning was (I definitely took that for granted as a kid), but we spent a lot of our relationship before Aubrey rarely getting a chance to sit down and having dinner together. Because of my schedule, I went to bed many nights before Eric was even home from work.
Something I’ve cherished about my stay-at-home mom life is making it a priority to sit down at the table and have dinner as a family as often as possible. Like many things in my life, I used to make dinner so complicated and think it was too hard to accomplish. But once I started just going with the flow, I realized I actually enjoy cooking.
How often do you watch the local news on WTRF-TV 7?
This is tough for me because I wish the answer was more than I actually do get to watch. The short answer is “I’m busy” and rarely even realize what time it is to turn on the TV. I’m partial to morning news, so I always try to catch the last 10 minutes of 7News This Morning. We also try to catch the A-block of the evening shows.
When I’m looking to learn more about a specific story or situation, I will do better to tune in at watch. I think local news is something people take for granted. I knew when I was there and I know it even more now.
Even though I don’t have the time to tune in like I’d like, I know it’s going to be there when I need it.
