She felt just as most did when she was graduated from high school in the 1980s. She was getting out of here.
It was a popular notion because the local economy continued to decline with one closure after another whether it was a manufacturing plant or a retail store in downtown Wheeling. The rust had started to show in a tri-state region that produced the steel that helped develop the rest of the country.
But Sherrie surprisingly stayed after becoming an imperative part of a news team on WTOV that ranked at the top of ratings. Once she became the primary reporter during the TV 9 broadcasts of Jamboree in the Hills, people of all demographics knew the name, “Sherrie McCutcheon.”
But then her mindset changed following tragedy and that’s when her existence took on a new direction. Instead of informing folks of all of the bad news in the Upper Ohio Valley, Sherrie opted instead to concentrate on the reasons to live life without a reliance on daily disappointment.
Simply, she wanted to help without the hurt.
How does it make you feel when local residents approach you with their memories of you on the news each evening?
That doesn’t happen to me much anymore. I did have a gentleman and his wife recognize me a few weeks ago and was shocked that I wasn’t still at WTOV 9. When I share pictures of the past like Jamboree in the Hills or recently the Shadyside Floods, that is when people talk to me about how much they enjoyed watching me and Jim and the rest of the crew. They always say that it was the best local TV crew in news. That makes me smile because we worked very, very hard to get to #1.
Why did you decide to leave television?
I decided to leave news after the death of my second son, Brandon. Suddenly, my priorities in life became very clear, and I knew I needed to be home with my oldest son, Trey. I tried going back for a year following Brandon’s death, but I lost the capacity to compartmentalize. What I mean is there is a way you can set aside the atrocities you report and the life you want to spend with your family and friends. I think my grief caused something inside of me to open up, and I could no longer do that. So, I NEEDED to leave. In hindsight, I realize news was not where I should have been. While I was proficient and some might say, quite good at my job, it was not really what I was called to do.
You were a host on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) for several years, but then you decided to delve into a different line of work. Please explain what it is that you currently do for a living?
I hosted The Broadcast for nearly 12 years on the Watchdog, and I loved every second of it. For once I was able to talk about things I wanted to talk about and actually have an opinion on them. It was great fun, and my time spent with Lola, Kelly, and Matt was filled with wonderful memories. My job at WKKX was the perfect solution for a working mom. I could drop off my son at school, come in and do my show, go home and be Mom the rest of the day and prepare the next show after bedtime.
But once Trey grew older, I felt called to write a book. When it was finished, I realized I needed money to publish it and started an anti-aging business. That kind of took off, and so did my book, so I literally prayed for God to guide me. Three days later, I was told that I would have to start talking about politics and sports and that kind of made my decision for me, since I hosted a politics free/sports free show. But I truly enjoyed my time at WKKX. I now am an Inspirational speaker, grief educator and podcast host. I also run a positivity group on Facebook called ALL THINGS AWESOME
With so many scams in the world these days, how do you prove to potential clients that you and your products are legit?
I believe you are referring to my anti-aging products. Umm.. because of science.
Most of our products are first-to-the-market products that do what no other products on the market do. They are backed by scientific studies, three-party studies, and many of the ingredients are patented.
They are nature based, and clean, meaning we don’t use toxic ingredients. WE encourage people to take their pictures and compare their results and we offer their money back if they don’t like it. No gotchas.
You and your husband have chosen to remain here in the Upper Ohio Valley. Please explain why.
When I met Rob, I was looking to leave, and he was living in Cleveland looking to return home. My intention was NEVER to live here once I graduated from high school, and yet here I am.
So why am I here? Because I believe this is where God wants me to be, and for years I had a hard time with this. That’s when I asked to start seeing what was awesome about the Upper Ohio Valley instead of what was wrong with it. I started spending a lot of time at Oglebay and enjoying the many cultural events in the area, and I started to fall in love with my home!
And now with the Internet, I can work from anywhere, so I don’t have to be living in a big city to find big-city opportunities. So, I now have the best of both worlds. Small town living/access to nature, and global opportunities, as well. Our parents live here, and our son does too, so we are very fortunate to have those we love most close by, especially during these uncertain times.
I can’t imagine trying to navigate this pandemic with my family spread out all over the country.
