Cache Valley TV host Doug Smith stumbled into the job that's right for him

By Seth Quillen

February 2, 2005 | A handwritten message on the Valley Channel wall reads, "I won't be ignored DOUG, love your biggest fan."

Doug Smith laughs about the inside joke, referring to the movie Fatal Attraction, at Logan's local television channel. "You're never really big until you have a stalker," he said. "That's when people notice you."

He may not have any real stalkers yet, but he is well on his way to local stardom. It was only two months after his first on-air appearance on the Cache Valley television station that he was recognized for the first time, at the American West Heritage Center.

On a recent morning, the guests on Cache Valley Today were the owners of Beaver Mountain Ski Resort and a representative from the IHC. But before he brought out the first guest, Smith, who was sporting short spiky hair, a goatee and thin glasses, took a moment to introduce National Bouillabaisse Day -- "Who knew?"

A series of fortunate events led him to the couch.

"This whole thing has been a series of flukes. If you take out any piece of the puzzle it would have gone a different direction," Smith said.

Smith, originally from California, says he has adapted well to Logan's small town feel but misses "the fact that it's probably 75 degrees out there and it's freezing here today."

"And I miss baseball, I'm a huge Angels fan and I used to go to 20 or 30 games a year," Smith said. "I don't miss having to send my kids out with Walkie Talkies to make sure they are all right. Logan is a great place to raise a family."

Smith's TV career started when his wife, Candace, started sending out random resumes in preparation for their move to Utah.

"I received a resume out of nowhere from Candace and I really wanted to hire her but I had nothing to give her at the time," said station owner Earl Rouse. "Later when I finally had a spot for her I called up and Smith answered the phone. He said she was already working but he needed a job. I liked him so I hired him."

After doing sales for the station for about a year, Smith got his big break in the form of an early morning call. Smith was informed Zane, the regular weather man, couldn't make it in and the channel desperately needed a guest host.

Smith jumped on the opportunity and rushed out to the station.

"I had never done this stuff before so they gave me the five-minute breakdown class on how the whole thing works," Smith said. "I was ready to do the weather segment."

Smith will always remember his first time on air. He was sitting on the stool next to Sharalyn Harwell, who was also filling in as host for the day.

"I asked the guest a question and thought they would be talking about that for a while. So I could take a minute to study over my notes, and get ready to tell the weather," Smith said. "Then I notice that there was no talking and they were both looking at me because apparently one of them had asked me a question."

"I had no idea what they had asked so I just had to say, on air, 'I got nothing,'" Smith said. "The good thing was that when you do so horrible your first time, you can only go up, and it has been all up since then."

He continued to fill in for the next several months, whenever the station was in a bind or needed an on location report, Smith was the guy. Then the station started making some changes to liven up its image. Rouse decided to start by revamping the Morning Show format.

"The old show was a lot more serious, the previous hosts were great and very professional but it lacked a certain energy," said Smith's current co-host Tobey Roos, who was an intern at the time. "The old Morning Show focused primarily on weather, and it was only a half-hour long."

"When the station decided the show was going in another direction, Doug was it. The show was now going to be an hour long and we wanted it to be more relaxed," said Roos.

That's when Smith and the previous co-host Harwell teamed up together. The show moved away from the weather and guest became the main focus, along with segments from local vendors around the valley. Then Harwell moved to Colorado. That's when Roos and Smith teamed up and the magic began.

Smith loved being on air so much he continued even after he left the sales job at the station. He had planned on going back to his old job as an army recruiter. The morning show was the only thing he was doing for a couple of months. After deciding not to re-up he took on a job as the employment officer for Addeco.

"I was not originally getting paid to assume the role on camera," Smith said. "I was doing the show for nothing because it was fun and it fueled my ego."

He claims that he has not had any training other then the fact that "I watch TV for about seven to eight hours a day."

But Roos praises him for his work and loves how the show has evolved: "Doug and I just do a lot of improv, neither of us really follow a script, we just always crack ourselves up.

"He knows what he's doing and he is very professional. He is kind of a connoisseur because he knows what he likes and he knows a lot about those things. He has a lot of experience. He is very spontaneous and he cares a lot about the show. It's nice to work with him."

Roos, who has been on air with Smith since May, remembers, "The first month I was doing the show I was so nervous, Doug was talking all the time because I was a little afraid to talk. Doug was really great; he said just follow my lead and it always turned out great."

Despite his professionalism, Smith would love to go back to school. In the beginning he didn't think he need it because he never believed it would last this long.

"I thought they would have got sick of me after a couple of months," Smith said. "But now I feel like it's not fair to do this and not know everything people go to school for and I would love to learn what the heck it is I'm doing wrong."

Candace never doubted that the station would keep him around and felt Smith hosting a show was a long time coming.

"I thought finally, because he was always meant to do something like that, it's a good use of his personality. I've always thought it would be a waste for everybody not to know what he is like," said Candace. "And it would have been a shame if not enough people got to know what a great guy he is.

"Actually he has some groupies at my church, there are a couple of girls who just think he is a riot. It's his sarcasm and sense of humor that grabs people's attention."

Candace worries however that people only see the funny side of Smith, "He has a very soft and generous side to him that may not come across on TV," she said.

But Smith says he prides himself as being the same person on the set as when he's off.

"I'm pretty much an open book. It's easier to be you, then try to be something else and then try to remember what you are every time you go on air," Smith said. "I do always try to put some sort of funny spin on things, but you don't have to tweak it to much because reality is pretty funny."

Smith is thankful for this opportunity and appreciates all the interesting local people he has been able to meet over the past year.

"It has been a great experience, I'm the star of my own show," Smith says. "It's fun, there's just no other way to put it."

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