2005 Cronkite School hall of fame
Rising star Katie Raml By Regina McCabe
C
lutching her Palm Pilot, Katie Raml strides through the double doors of the KNXV-TV/ABC15, newsroom. She is calm, beautifully turned out and clearly in command. How does Raml, one of the youngest evening anchors at a major market TV news station, keep the adrenaline high and the stress low as she delivers the news Sunday through Thursday at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.? She chalks it up to balance. “Balance is a daily quest,” Raml says in between returning two phone calls. At the same time she answers e-mails, her French-manicured nails tapping the keyboard. “I’d love to hear your story,” she tells a caller. One of the newest members of the Cronkite School Alumni Hall of Fame — and the youngest at 29 — Raml graduated from ASU just seven years ago. Associate Professor Craig Allen recalled the first time he watched Raml on camera. She was filling in for another student, and he immediately noted how comfortable she was and how well she communicated. “She has a winning combination of reporting and communicating,” he said. “She happens to know what to do without teaching — it’s a natural instinct.” Raml hadn’t even seriously considered broadcast news as a career until she got in front of the camera. She favored English and video production classes. But with Allen’s encouragement, she dived into broadcast journalism, taking courses year round and earning her bachelor’s degree in 1999. By the time most of her classmates
“Balance is a daily quest.” – Katie Raml
Katie Raml
Anchor, KNXV-TV/ABC15
were just settling into their careers, Raml was already a local news celebrity. She landed her first job right after graduation at KNDU-TV in Kennewick, Wash., as a general assignment reporter. Within four months she had become the anchor on the top-rated morning show “Northwest Today.” In 2002 Raml moved back to Phoenix to be a reporter, then a news anchor, for ABC15. She earned an Emmy the following year for a series she did on border issues and was named Associated Press Anchor of the Year for 2005. That was the same year the Cronkite School inducted her into its Alumni Hall of Fame. “It was flattering and exciting” to be asked to be part of the Hall of Fame, Raml said. She credits the Cronkite School — and the advanced course ASU NewsWatch, in particular — with teaching her what she needed to know to be successful. NewsWatch, she said, “gives you a real life experience in what your job will be like.”
Raml, who is in her first year of a fiveyear contract at ABC15, is single — for now. She said she plans on marrying and having children, but is in “no rush.” Meanwhile, she spends hours a week working out — she goes to the gym after getting off work every night at 11 — and she does a lot of charity and community service work in the Valley. In 2003 the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation honored Raml and 19 other Valley leaders for their work for the organization. As an honoree, she committed to raising $2,000 for the foundation, and within seven months she had raised $10,000, said Jean Gnojewski, special events coordinator for the Arizona chapter. “She’s a godsend to any organization she helps,” Gnojewski said. Raml said she attends more than 50 charity events a year, raising thousands of dollars for the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and other organizations. The Palm Pilot that never leaves her side says it’s time for the daily 2 p.m. editorial meeting. With a steno pad in hand, she heads to the Monsoon conference room to pitch ideas for that night’s newscast.
career milestones 1999 ASU NewsWatch, anchor 1999 B.A., ASU, broadcast journalism with a minor in French 1999 KNDU-TV, Kennewick, Wash., general assignment reporter
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2006-2007
1999 2002 2002 2003 2005
KNDU-TV, anchor KNXV-TV , Phoenix, reporter KNXV-TV, co-anchor Emmy for a series on border issues Rocky Mountain Emmy for
Best Anchor 2005 Associated Press Anchor of the Year 2005 Cronkite School Alumni Hall of Fame