ANGELA KENNECKE
TIRELESS ADVOCATE AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
1966 • CATEGORY BUSINESS
• HOMETOWN SIOUX FALLS, SD •
NOMINATED BY ELIZABETH MEYER
When Angela Kennecke was 5-years-old, her grandfather introduced her to the tape recorder. She loved to interview family members and then listen to the recording. When she was 12, Angela was watching a Barbara Walters Special on TV and knew she wanted to conduct interviews when she grew up. Angela pursued her dream of becoming a journalist, beginning by writing for her town paper while in middle school. She was editor of her high school newspaper and worked for a publishing company, writing grammar and vocabulary textbooks, starting at the age of 18. Angela graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa and later received her master’s degree from Webster University in communications management. She started her career with KELOLAND Media Group as a Rapid City Bureau reporter in 1989. Her first assignment
26 • 2021 HONORS CEREMONY
was on the set of the movie, Dances with Wolves, filmed in the Black Hills, starring Kevin Costner. She thought it was going to be a very glamorous job. It wasn’t. After that first exciting story, she covered everything from the city council to car accidents, as the reporter, videographer, and editor. In the spring of 1990, Angela was promoted to weekend reporter in Sioux Falls, followed by morning news anchor and producer. At the age of 25, she moved into the coveted top spot on the evening news; only the second woman at KELO-TV to hold that position. She created the franchise “Your Money Matters,” which is still a popular news feature today. She spent 22 years on the nightshift while raising her three children, many of those years as a single parent. As an investigative reporter, Angela has uncovered fraud and corruption, resulting in changes to state laws. For three years,
