Amanda Palumbo, KCTV Channel 5 producer, battles oak mites, savors Sour Patch Kids and stalks Andrew W.K. in The Pitch‘s Questionnaire

Occupation: KCTV Channel 5 senior executive producer of news and investigations

Twitter handle: @amandapalumbo

Hometown: Grand Prairie, Texas

Current neighborhood: Overland Park.

What I do (in fewer than 140 characters): I manage content, producers, reporters and our investigative team. Forty percent of it’s telling Brad Stephens, “No. You can’t do that.”

What’s your addiction? Sour Patch Kids. They burn the taste buds off your tongue, but it hurts so good.

What’s your drink? Beer so dark it’s like drinking a loaf of bread.

Where’s dinner? Gram & Dun’s Not-So-Standard Potato Chips are reason enough to go there. Oklahoma Joe’s for barbecue. (I refuse to call it Joe’s Kansas City.) Also, Taco Republic. I used to stalk their food truck.

What’s on your KC postcard? That view of the city facing Union Station. Kansas City has a pretty incredible skyline.

Finish these sentences: “Kansas City got it right when …” It started investing money and efforts to revitalize the Troost Corridor and east Kansas City. These areas have been neglected for far too long. It’s a good first step, but it has a long way to go. I hope everyone continues to follow through with the projects.

“Kansas City screwed up when …” Neighborhoods opposed the extension of the streetcar through Brookside and Waldo. While I understand the concern over what it would do to the Trolley Track Trail (something I ran on constantly in my three years of living in Waldo), it would have been huge for the businesses and nightlife in that area. Plus, there were other routes proposed that would have saved the trail but still brought it through those neighborhoods.

“Kansas City needs …” More adequate public transportation. It’s one of the few things I get jealous of when I travel to other cities.

“I always laugh at …” Howard Dean’s speech in Iowa in 2004 when he did his infamous “Hiyeaaahhhh!” at the end. I still send the link without context to colleagues who I think are having a bad day.

“I’ve been known to binge watch …” Quantum Leap. I have a Scott Bakula obsession. Don’t judge.

“My dream concert lineup is …” Jack White and the Black Keys. It will never happen because they despise each other, but a girl can dream. That would be a lot of angsty hotness on one stage. Or if Savage Garden got back together and did a reunion tour.

“I just read …” A snide, reactionary letter from an unnamed state agency about a Kansas Open Records Act request I sent them.

The best advice I ever got: Don’t get out of journalism.

Worst advice? You should just highlight your own hair.

My sidekick? My dog, Fats Domino, who has no concept of boundaries.

What is your spirit animal? A sloth

Who is your hero? Edward R. Murrow

Who (or what) is your nemesis? Carbs. Also, oak mites.

What’s your greatest struggle right now? The constant battle between my personal and professional life. I’ll let you guess which one usually wins.

My favorite toy as a child: This stuffed cat doll my dad got me one year for Christmas. I think I was 5. I’m allergic to cats, so it’s the closest thing I can have to one.

My dating triumph/tragedy: The time my Tinder date didn’t show up. I sat at Fric & Frac at a table by myself. I figured he died, so I had beer and nachos in his honor. I then drew him in the form of a SnapChat so I wouldn’t be lonely.

My brush with fame: I stalked Andrew W.K. on Twitter when I found out he was a keynote speaker at a music festival when I worked in Tulsa. I kept sending him messages asking if he would come on my show. He finally agreed, and we offered to let him fill in for our meteorologist. His weathercast was posted to YouTube and it has 1.2 million views. Super nice guy.

My soapbox: Crunchy peanut butter should never have been created, and that nonsense needs to stop.

What was the last thing you had to apologize for? Holding up the circle drive at KCI to give someone a farewell hug BECAUSE THEY WERE LEAVING THE COUNTRY, ANGRY HONKING CAB DRIVER.  

Who’s sorry now? That assistant news director that told me I would never make it in news.

My recent triumph: Kicking bad habits and living a somewhat healthy lifestyle.