Why She’s Interesting: Growing up in rural Geauga County, Noreika was a loyal Fox 8 News viewer who took a day off from Cardinal High School to visit Fox 8’s Marginal Road studios. After meeting members of the station’s news staff, she was hooked. “It was foreshadowing my future,” says Noreika, whose deja vu moment came in 2016 when she joined Bill Martin as Fox 8’s co-anchor after stints in West Virginia and Massachusetts. She now anchors the 7 p.m. newscast as a member of the station’s “Cleveland’s Own” staff.
Tale of the Tape: Noreika graduated from Ohio University, where a graduate student made her a demo tape. “It was horrible — something about Britney Spears. I sent out 50 tapes, never thinking I would get a response. I got one phone call from a station in West Virginia. They hired me sight unseen.”
Eye of the Storm: Splitting her time between news and weather, Noreika had a baptism by fire. “I started out as a weather person, and it was absurd because I knew nothing about weather. I was terrified out of my mind and I say stupid stuff when I get nervous. There was a thunderstorm my first night on the air, and I said the angels were bowling in heaven.”
Pumping Iron: Followers of Noreika’s Instagram are accustomed to her posts from the gym, where she works out for two hours each morning, lifting weights and running on the treadmill. “I feel lifting weights is a huge stress reliever. I try to do everything I can to be as healthy as possible. My mom passed away from cancer at 62 and I watched as her body betrayed her. That’s always stuck with me.”
Local Knowledge: Noreika is a perfect fit with Fox 8’s homegrown talent. “It’s very personality-driven here. We embrace everybody’s individual personalities. I’ve worked in places where it’s tense off the air and even on the air. Here, it’s a fun environment. There’s nothing fake about it.”
Inspirational Interview: Her story on Katie Stubblefield, the Mississippi girl who survived a self-inflicted gunshot wound and became the country’s youngest face transplant recipient at the Cleveland Clinic, touched Noreika. “Any time you meet someone who has gone through something as traumatic as Katie and her family, it makes you realize things are never so bad you can’t get through them. The medical procedure was incredible, but what’s also remarkable is her attitude and outlook on life.”
Interesting Fact: Noreika’s rescue cat is named Harvey.
