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Elaine Ambrose

Bestselling Author, Ventriloquist, & Humorist

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KMVT-TV to Celebrate 70th Anniversary

May 26, 2025 By Elaine Ambrose

KMVT-TV in Twin Falls, Idaho, went on the air on June 1, 1955, as KLIX-TV, a sister station to KLIX radio (1310 AM). I was hired in June 1973 as the State’s first female television news reporter and talk show hostess. I’ll be participating in the 70th Anniversary Celebration on Monday, June 2 in Twin Falls.

(Note: Our official photo for the news team attempted to portray a “happy family.” The hand on my shoulder wouldn’t be appropriate today.)

Over the past few decades, I’ve written about my life’s experiences, ranging from humor to horribly hapless, and I’ve relied on my early journalism training skills including who, what, why, when, and where to tell a story. The “Why?” seems to be a recurring theme.

I wrote about my days at KMVT in my award-winning humor book, Midlife Happy Hour.

“In May of 1973, I packed all my worldly possessions into my Pontiac Firebird, inserted a John Denver cartridge into the car’s eight-track tape player and drove away from the University of Idaho with the idealistic enthusiasm of a college graduate who believed she could do anything and everything. More than five decades later, maturity and truth have tempered the exuberant optimism, but the outcome has surpassed my original expectations…

After spending a night with my parents in Wendell, Idaho, I drove to Twin Falls to find a job. I turned onto Elizabeth Boulevard and parked beside an outdated, flat-roofed, ramshackle white building with huge red letters that read KMVT-TV. I gathered my bulky resume and marched into the building.

“I want to apply for a job,” I told the receptionist. She had two pencils stuck into her beehive hairdo and she smelled of Avon’s “Unforgettable” cologne mist. My mother had the same perfume in a pink bottle with the gold collar and had used it only for special events since she received the gift in 1960. She never attended too many galas while down on the farm, so the pretty bottle remained full and fragrant on her dresser.

The receptionist peered over her reading glasses. “There aren’t any secretarial positions open now, but I can take your application.”

“I’d like to apply as a news reporter,” I said, blinking back the tears from my eyes. Her perfume was potent. After a painfully long silence, she spoke.

“We don’t have any openings right now, and we’ve never had a female on the news team.”

Those two facts should have sent me out the door, but I had a vision of living with my parents for the rest of my life and smelling like “Unforgettable” cologne mist as I rocked on the front porch, a knitted shawl in my lap.

“Could I interview with the news director?” I asked, mentally scrambling for any reason to get beyond the gatekeeper. I could tell by her negative expression that she wanted me to go away. I turned to leave and bumped into a man hustling into the building. He smiled and I noticed his nametag: Dick Tuninga, News Director. It was now or never.

“Hello,” I said, offering my hand. “Could I have just ten minutes of your time for an interview?”

He was in a good mood and invited me to his office. I felt Perfume Lady’s eyes burning holes in my back as I followed him down the hall. The newsroom had three metal desks beneath a bank of flickering television sets. Assignments were scribbled on a blackboard on the wall, and piles of video tapes and papers covered a battered credenza. The nearest television station was one hundred miles away in Boise, and this was the best news department in southern Idaho.

Mr. Tuninga was shorter than I was, so I hunkered down. He moved a box of supplies from the only guest chair and asked me to sit. I did.

“What brings you here?” he asked, hoping for a personal interview that could bring him some publicity.

“I want to be on your news team,” I said and offered him my portfolio. He looked disappointed.

“Well, we don’t have any job openings, and…”

“And you’ve never had any females in the news department. But, I promise you will never regret hiring me.”

He seemed amused by my cocky attitude and picked up the resumé. After reading several pages, he looked up and stared at me. I stared back.

“Have you ever been on live television before?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered. It wasn’t a lie. When I was five years old, I had been a guest on thechildren’s show on KMVT with the host named Happy Holly. In college, I had concentrated on print journalism and had taken only one required class in Radio-Television but had neverparticipated in a live interview or telecast.

Another man entered the room and Tuninga introduced me to J.J. Alexander, the other person on the news team. He was short, too. “This little lady wants to work with us,” Tuninga said.

Alexander stared at me in the same manner as his boss, and I returned the look.

“We could be the first in Idaho,” he muttered. “Boise doesn’t even have a full-time female news reporter.”

That was my hook. For once, my gender was an asset. I worked it.

“It’s time you had a female on the air. I know the community, I have a proven portfolio, and I’m a good worker.”

I could tell their main focus was to beat the Boise markets. I could have been a female one-eyed, pole dancer, but I didn’t care. I wanted the job. They led me into the studio and told me to read some copy in front of the camera. I performed like a pro. They introduced me to the General Manager Harold Hirte, and he echoed the same sentiment. “We’ll be first.” I nodded with conviction. I would lead the tiny station into glory and prestige.

He offered me a full-time job and said the station could pay $450 a month with a raise in three months. I shook his hand and agreed. The job would begin the next day.

I floated to my car, began driving back to my parents’ house, and pushed the music cartridge into the tape player. Elton John sang about sitting on the roof and kicking up the moss. I sang along at the top of my voice, “How wonderful life is when you’re in the world.” The title was “Your Song,” and this one was for me. I was 21 years old.”

Ad in TV GUIDE
Summer 1973

One of my most memorable assignments was to interview Senator Frank Church in Sun Valley. I drove alone on the two-hour journey from Twin Falls, set up and turned on the camera, moved in front to interview the Senator, turned off the camera, and drove back to the studio to develop and edit the film in the basement of KMVT. I wrote the script and delivered the B&W video and story live on air.

April 1974

Since then, I’ve enjoyed numerous other jobs and lived in 25 homes, in 11 towns, and in three states. I’ve retired to Eagle, Idaho, and continue to write stories and cause mischief. However, I’ll never forget that first job at KMVT-TV. It was, by far, my favorite job.

Filed Under: blog, events Tagged With: #author, #humor, #Idaho, #KMVT, #universityofidaho, career, news

Menopause Sucks Less – 14 Years Later

August 8, 2022 By Elaine Ambrose

My daughter and son assisted with the premiere party for “Menopause Sucks” on August 8, 2008.

 

Menopause Sucks premiered in Eagle, Idaho on August 8, 2008. The event remains one of the highlights of my long and festive life.

I was divorced, and my son and daughter helped me organize the premiere party at Seasons Restaurant (now known as Bacquet’s French Restaurant.) My 15-month-old granddaughter attended as a special guest. I worked on the final edits of the manuscript while waiting for her to be born.

Prior to Menopause Sucks, I had written and published The Red Tease – A Woman’s Adventures in Golf and two children’s books. The Red Tease won the bronze medal for humor from the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year program, and the award helped me obtain a literary agent.

My agent, Andrea Hurst, secured my contract with Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for me to coauthor Menopause Sucks with bestselling author Joanne Kimes. We worked on the manuscript for several months, sending chapters back and forth, and laughing at every exaggerated description. We included factual information approved by medical professionals and added our own creative humor. We never met in person. The book continues to sell in paperback and eBook formats.

Publisher’s Author Photo

Here are some excerpts from Menopause Sucks.

“Warning: Over 38 million women are going through menopause, and some of them are really irritated. If you’re one of them, you know that it’s a crying shame that you could live to be 100 but only twenty of those years come with youthful vigor, shiny hair, smooth skin, multiple orgasms, and a flat stomach. To understand what is happening to your mind and body, just put down that shotgun and find a cool spot to read the book Menopause Sucks by menopausal maniac Elaine Ambrose. You’ll find answers and laughs as you learn about hot flashes, incontinence, hair loss, age spots, flatulence, mood swings, and hot sex after forty. This isn’t your mother’s medical manual.”

“While it is better than dying too young, living past forty often comes with unpleasant and bewildering challenges. For the most part, every single symptom of menopause is caused by one reason, and one reason alone: hormones. It seems that your body makes several different kinds of hormones that love to cavort through your body and play havoc with your sanity. Two major players are called estrogen and progesterone. In medical terms, estrogen is produced in your ovaries and acts as a chemical commander in chief, telling your female body what to do. In not-so-medical terms, imagine a teeny tyrant running through your brain yelling, “Grow pubic hair now!” “Ovulate from the left ovary!” or “Make that boob bigger than the other one!” As with most power-hungry rascals, estrogen likes to change the rules every now and then just to confuse you.”

“As perimenopause begins, your ovaries are tired of taking orders, so they decide to reduce the production of estrogen. “Attention All Sectors. Estrogen is leaving the body. Farewell party at noon in the pituitary gland.” Then all hell breaks loose and you start to experience symptoms of perimenopause. The fact that you live through this chaos is definite proof of your magnificence. A lesser species would have become extinct millions of years ago.”

“It’s a rather cruel trick of nature that you could be raising teenagers and caring for aging parents while your Generalissimo Estrogen is barking orders at your female parts, your Busy Bee Progesterones are frantically fixing up the uterus for the Sperm and Egg Combo, and your Naughty Testosterone is working your libido like a tigress in heat.”

My son managed the sales at the premiere party.

Since 2008, I’ve written or published 18 more books, moved six times, and met a cute guy I call Studley. Due to a recent heart attack, my projects have been postponed, but ideas for future books continue to swirl in my brain and beg to be written. The proposed title of my next humor book is Midlife Reboot – Stories of Revival.

 

Reading excerpts from “Menopause Sucks”

 

 

 

 

 

Friends from college and work attended the premiere party.
My 15-month-old grandbabe was an honored guest at the party.

 

 

 

Filed Under: blog, books, events Tagged With: #author, #book signing, #family, #humor, #menopause, anthology, book awards, premiere party, publishing

Author Featured in KNOW BOISE Publication

August 17, 2021 By Elaine Ambrose

 

KNOW BOISE is an annual publication known as the Who’s Who of Boise and features women leaders and business owners in virtually every industry. Women are nominated by members and vetted through peer-review. The premiere issue was introduced in August, and Elaine Ambrose was included in the showcase of entrepreneurs as a bestselling author, workshop facilitator, and creator of Mill Park Publishing. The local chapter is affiliated with the global organization, KNOW WOMEN, and offers workshops, master classes, conferences, and networking opportunities.

The following page was included in the Boise, Idaho publication:

KNOW WOMEN is a global media company and community dedicated to amplifying the voices of female leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs. According to Sarah Benken, founder and CEO, “When successful women are lifted up for their hard work and achievements, they inspire the next generation of female leaders.”

 

Filed Under: blog, books, events Tagged With: #author, #Boise, #publisher, #theknowwomen, #women, entrepreneur

Idaho Author to be Featured at PNBA Event

July 29, 2016 By Elaine Ambrose

 

happyhour_sketches_v3

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association recently invited Idaho author Elaine Ambrose to be a featured author and introduce her new humorous book Midlife Happy Hour to help start the 2016 PNBA Tradeshow in Tacoma, Washington on September 29, 2016.

As a featured author, Ambrose will meet with the PNBA Board of Directors and booksellers from throughout the Northwest to sell books and discuss potential author events at their stores. Ambrose will be a guest of the tradeshow which runs from September 29 through October 2. PNBA Tradeshows and educational workshops are open only to book industry professionals, including booksellers, authors, exhibitors, publicists, librarians, and volunteers. The shows are not open to the general public.

elaine ambrose portrait #2

Elaine Ambrose is a #1 bestselling author of eight books. Her book Midlife Cabernet won two national humor awards, Publishers Weekly reviewed it as “laugh-out-loud funny!” and Foreword Reviews wrote that the book was “an argument for joy” similar to Erma Bombeck. Her nationally-recognized syndicated blog posts are published on several websites, and one humorous post was named as one of the most read posts in the history of The Huffington Post. 

In Midlife Happy Hour, Ambrose boldly writes her latest kiss-my-attitude book as a sassy sequel to Midlife Cabernet. Ambrose shares her festive life experiences and career-crushing anecdotes as she explains how to remain relevant after age 50, why grown children make great travel companions, and how to balance midlife without falling over. Ambrose notes that her feminine mystique sprung a leak after years of competing as a funny female in a serious male job market. Now the hard work is done, and she invites midlife women to join her for Happy Hour. The book, published by Brown Books Publishing, is available for pre-order and will be in book stores across the country in October.

The book premieres in Boise on October 13 at Telaya Winery. The winery will introduce a red wine that features the cover of the book as its front label. Elaine lives with her patient husband in Eagle, Idaho. Read about her books, blogs, and speaking events at www.elaineambrose.com.

PNBA logo

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association  is a nonprofit trade association representing the interests of literacy, free speech and independent bookselling in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Members include: owners and managers of independent and chain bookstores; publishers; publishers’ sales representatives; distributors; authors; publicists; librarians; book reviewers; producers of sideline items; and other friends of the trade are represented as associate (non-voting) members.

 

Filed Under: blog Tagged With: #author, Ambrose, booksellers, Midlife Happy Hour, PNBA

Shameless Plea for Votes for Best Author in Reader’s Choice Awards

April 21, 2014 By Elaine Ambrose

Click on this link to vote for your favorites in the Idaho Statesman Reader’s Choice Awards. Please consider voting for me for Best Author – I’m not getting any younger!

Reader’s Choice Awards for the Best of Treasure Valley & Boise ID | IdahoStatesman.com
www.idahostatesman.com

Filed Under: blog Tagged With: #author, #Idaho Statesman, #Midlife Cabernet

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