Anchors Latest Inductees to Hall of Fame

Two major-market television news anchors are the newest members of the Alumni Hall of Fame of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Ellen Leyva, a 1986 graduate of the Cronkite School, is a 5 p.m. co-anchor on KABC-TV in Los Angeles. Katie Raml, a 1999 graduate, is a 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. co-anchor on ABC15 in Phoenix.

Ellen Lyva, KABC-TV, Los Angeles

Leyva, a native of Tucson who spent much of her time in Mexico with her mother’s family, started her broadcast journalism career as a CBS network intern. She joined KABC 10 years ago as a health reporter, then quickly moved to anchor the morning weekday show. She has been an “Eyewitness News” at 5 p.m. co-anchor for the past three years.

“Even as a student in my production class 19 years ago, Ellen had that same spark and enthusiasm for the profession that she shows each day to millions of people who watch her on Channel 7 in L.A.,” said Mike Wong, the Cronkite School’s TV news director and a 1999 Hall of Fame inductee.

Raml, a Scottsdale native, spent two years reporting in the Northwest before returning to the Phoenix area to join ABC15. For the past three years, she has been weekday co-anchor of the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts.

Katie Raml, ABC15, Phoenix

Earlier this year she was named Best Anchor in Arizona by the Associated Press and won the Rocky Mountain Emmy Award for Best Anchor.

Dean Christopher Callahan, who believes Raml is the youngest inductee into the Cronkite Hall of Fame, said she is an inspiration to current Cronkite School students.

“In journalism schools around the country, you often hear the refrain from students: 'I want to be the next Katie Couric.' In the halls of the Cronkite School, you’re more likely to hear, 'I want to be the next Katie Raml',” Callahan said. “Both Ellen and Katie are great role models for all of our students.”

Leyva and Raml are the 36th and 37th members of the Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame. They join ABC sportscaster Al Michaels, Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor Don Podesta, Wall Street Journal correspondent Pamela Sebastian, Fox11- Los Angeles anchor Christine Devine, ABC News correspondent Bill Redeker, Phoenix Suns Senior Vice President Ray Artigue and Jayne Clark of USA Today.