#MediaMonday – Kim Tobin
Today’s Media Monday is a reunion, of sorts.
Kim Tobin has returned home to Arizona as a weekend anchor and reporter at ABC15 News after stints in Bend, Ore., and Albuquerque, N.M.
Kim, welcome home.
I am so happy to be home! I grew up in Prescott and went to Bradshaw Mountain High School. I was lucky enough to grow up in a state with an excellent journalism program, and Phoenix was not far from home. I attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I was a reporter and anchor for the student-run newscast, Cronkite NewsWatch. I always loved telling stories since a very young age. I had my “big shining debut” in seventh grade when I “anchored” our student announcements and it was broadcasted live to the entire school.
As soon as I graduated college, I packed up what fit in my car, and drove to the Northwest, where I had never been before. Bend, Ore., was the start of my career. There, I was the weekend anchor/producer and reported three days a week. I learned the ropes in my first market, producing all of the shows I anchored, shooting and editing all of my own video, and overseeing all operations during the weekend newscasts. In Bend I covered everything from raging forest fires, to a major sex scandal at a charter school, to Bend’s continuously growing craft brewing industry.
Missing the desert and plentiful sunshine, I moved back to the Southwest for my next job and took on a full time anchoring role. In Albuquerque, N.M., I was the morning anchor, setting my alarm for a 2 a.m. wakeup call. I had a chance to cover several stories including the Roswell middle school shooting, the Department of Justice’s scathing report about police brutality in the local police department, and I even had a chance to meet and interview Jimmy Fallon, as he was about to take over the Tonight Show. I also had a chance to emcee various events that supported local charities and the Asian American culture festival.
Now, in this new role, I am happy to have a later wakeup call (sorry morning folks). A lot of people don’t like working the weekends, but it’s exactly what I wanted to do. I have a mix of anchoring and reporting each week. And in a state as vibrant as Arizona, there is always something going on, even on the weekends. When news hits, like severe monsoon weather, we are all over it. And we take action to keep our viewers safe and informed. I am especially pleased to be back in my home state where I can tell the stories that matter to the people of Arizona.
When I’m not working, I like to feed my adventurous side. I am a little new to all of it, but I am a certified SCUBA diver, recently learned to rock climb and I love to stand up paddle board and surf. I also love yoga and hiking. Camelback is one of my favorite mountains, and now it’s in my own backyard. On top of outdoorsy adventures, I love to eat! Sushi, pasta, pizza and Indian food are some of my favorites. A couple fun facts: I was born on the 4th of July, I am half Japanese and half Irish, and I am double jointed in my shoulders (It’s gross– you don’t’ want to see).
If you have any story ideas, or great places to explore or eat, please let me know! You can reach me here… on Facebook and on Twitter @KimABC15.
