The last time OnMilwaukee.com profiled FOX 6 anchor and reporter Nicole Koglin, the Menomonee Falls native was about to get married. A mere year and a half later, she's pregnant and co-hosting the new and successful morning talk show, "Real Milwaukee," in addition to her continuing duties on the "WakeUp" newscast.
The personality-driven show that is "Real Milwaukee" has proven to be the perfect vehicle for Koglin, 32, who admits that she doesn't have a good poker face: what you see is what you get from the UW-Madison graduate, animal lover and soon-to-be mom.
We caught up with Koglin last week (over decaffeinated coffee, of course) to discuss her changing career, her official postal stamp and putting photos of her womb on live TV. Enjoy this latest Milwaukee Talks.
OnMilwaukee.com: Not everyone gets a second Milwaukee Talks in just two years, but given all the changes in your life, it seems like it was time for an update.
Nicole Koglin: I know!
OMC: I mean, really. Married, pregnant, doing "Real Milwaukee."
NK: So what you're saying is that the article ruined my life? No, I'm just kidding. I'm kind of a black-and-white person. When I decide to do something, I'm not going to do it until I'm ready. I didn't jump into the marriage thing. I took my time with the guy. It sounds like we're rushing things, but we dated for six years. Now I'm 32; I could've pushed off the baby thing for five more years, but I hear it doesn't get easier the older you get. I'm in a good spot, but you're right. It's all or nothing for me.
OMC: "Real Milwaukee" didn't even exist the last time OnMilwaukee.com talked to you, which is interesting, because you have already projected a lot of personality into your "WakeUp" show, anyway. But now, it's all personality, all the time.
NK: Be sorry what you wish for, right? Yeah, this is a neat opportunity because I've always brought that – good or bad. I've always been who I am on the air. That's why the morning show works for me.
OMC: In my research for this interview, I saw a video of you having a wardrobe malfunction. Your necklace falls off, you throw it to this side and keep going without missing a beat. And this was during the news. I found it typical of how you approach your job.
NK: Two things about that. First, that actually happened on New Year's Day, so there were probably two people watching, one of which was sober. And two, the same thing happened at my wedding. Walking down the aisle, I hugged my dad, and my necklace fell to the ground.
OMC: I talked to your colleague Katrina Cravy about the concept of "oversharing" on TV. Well, you just took it up a notch by recently showing a photo of the inside of your womb.
NK: That was a new high, or low, depending on whichever way you want to look at it. Having a kid, people are so nice and genuinely happy for me. It's really very fun. It was something we talked about doing. I didn't want it on the "Real Milwaukee" Facebook page after the fact, though.
OMC: So you just wanted to your womb only on live TV?
NK: What I didn't expect when I showed it, and I have a pretty tough skin, is that I didn't want anyone to insult (my unborn child).
OMC: Is it hard for you to turn on a time, to go from hard news to say, your womb?
NK: I'm off the desk for only a half an hour, so yes, it's difficult, and it's something I struggle with every day. It's probably the hardest part of the job, flipping that switch daily.
NK: Good!
OMC: Is that real or is that fake?
NK: There are some times that I look really bored, and those times I really am. I don't have a poker face, I never have. It's one of my biggest problems. It's pretty obvious. If I look like I'm having fun, I really am.
OMC: You guys were kind of thrown together for "Real Milwaukee." You didn't know Cassandra McShepard, right?
NK: I didn't know her at all. Rob (Haswell) and I have been working together for years; he's like my brother. There was a rumor floating around a couple of years ago that he and I were having an affair, both of us were so grossed out. Katrina worked the night shift, so I never saw her. I've been at the station for just over seven years, and I can honestly say that the people on the show are my best friends in the building.
OMC: Do you see them outside of work?
NK: Yes, and that's not something I really do with a lot of my other coworkers.
OMC: You came up doing traffic, right?
NK: I started in Milwaukee doing traffic three days a week on "WakeUp," then I was the weekend "WakeUp" morning anchor.
OMC: Did you have a feeling that your job would evolve to where it is now?
NK: No, I just took a job. I didn't know anything about traffic. They offered me a gig in my hometown, and I was like, "All right, I can talk about traffic."
OMC: What part of your job do you like better? Anchoring or "Real Milwaukee?"
NK: It's a neat balance right now. I really, truly feel lucky that every day I get a little of both.
OMC: Here are a few rapid-fire, unconnected questions. How are you planning on juggling motherhood and work?
NK: I have no idea, I'm scared out of my mind.
OMC: Will you be keeping your cat stroller?
NK: Yes, the cat stroller will stay in the family.
OMC: You're not a huge social media person. Why?
NK: I'm like a 96-year-old woman in a 32-year-old body. I'm really bad with change and need to be better about social media. I pride myself in having really good friends, the same since seventh grade. I keep in touch, and I don't need Facebook for that.
OMC: You're a huge Wisconsin sports fan. Tell me about covering the Super Bowl.
NK: It was awesome. Best assignment ever at FOX 6.
OMC: Give me a highlight.
NK: I can't even describe the feeling of being in the stadium when they won. It was like slow motion, and I was working, so it was really hard, but that moment was really surreal.
OMC: What's the deal with both you and Katrina marrying your coworkers?
NK: I know, what's that about? They trap us, they make us work such long, horrible hours. It's the only place you can get it.
OMC: Did I read that the post office made a stamp out of you?
NK: Heck yeah, they did. Do you want some for your Christmas cards? Katrina has one, too. She passed down the torch.
OMC: Right, you were judged to be one of the most influential women in Milwaukee. As an influencer, what do you want to say to the women of Milwaukee?
NK: That's scary. I'll have to think about it.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
