Vicki Louk Balint
Writer/Producer
Read Vicki's blog.
Listen to RAKRadio.
Watch RAKVideo.
Write to Vicki.
Vicki produces RAKRadio and RAKVideo.
She writes the monthly Q & A column "A Conversation with..." for the magazine and is a contributor on health topics and lead features. She also edits
"Off Camera" &mdash a column written by 12News Anchor Lin Sue Cooney, with whom she also
co-produces weekly "Raising Arizona Kids Reports" that air during the 5 p.m. news broadcast each Friday on 12News.
Hometown: Fairfax, Va.
Education: B.A., College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia; Master of Mass Communication, Arizona State University.
Number of years in the Valley: 25; we moved here when my oldest, Cory, was 5 weeks old.
Life partner: Frank Balint, a lawyer. We met in college and have been married 27 years.
Children: Cory (25), Frankie (21), Robert (17), Annie (15). Also, Philipp, our exchange student from Germany.
Pets: Three spaniels: Copper, Ginger and Daisy.
When I'm not at work I: Read. I'm pretty much a news junkie so I check lots of websites. I do pilates and work out almost everyday.
I volunteer at my kids' schools and at Sun Sounds of Arizona, a radio reading service for the visually impaired. I admit it &mdash I'm in love with the microphone.
Favorite food: Dark chocolate from Germany, not to be confused with the American version of German chocolate with coconut and caramel.
A highlight of my year was the day a box arrived with seven pounds of chocolate from Phil's family. True lusciousness.
Favorite thing to do with my family: Spend time in the Outer Banks, in North Carolina, watching the ocean and eating crabs on the balcony.
Favorite things to do by myself: Sit on the beach with a good book. Read it if I stay awake.
Most people don't know this about me: When I was in the second grade, I shut the door on a boy's finger. The tip of his finger flew off.
I don't remember what happened after that.
What I love most about Arizona: The sunsets and the margaritas.
Theme song: Grateful Dead's "A Touch of Grey" Listen to the words if you're having a bad parenting day. It helps.
How I came to Raising Arizona Kids: I've known Karen since her son David and my son Frankie pushed oversized Tonka trucks
around in the sand at preschool. She's a dear friend and a top-notch editor.
What I love most about my job: Talking to parents, experts and teens around the Valley about their lives. I consider it a privilege to gather
information on parenting topics firsthand and then share what I find out with others. I am always in awe of the challenges people overcome.
EDITOR'S NOTE: We are proud to report that Vicki received two prestigious awards in 2007:
- An award for her work as producer, talent and audio engineer for the Sun Sounds of Arizona Community Calendar at the 2007 International Association of Audio Information Services Conference.
- An Arizona Press Club award for her December 2007 article, "Parental Alienation."
Vicki's story explained the toxic effects a divorce can wreak on children when their parents turn the aftermath into a competitive battleground instead of a collaborative effort to respectfully co-parent. It's a story any family experiencing divorce or divisiveness will benefit from reading.
Read about other Raising Arizona Kids magazine staff members and contributors.
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