Renee Chou

Contact

Recent Stories

• Governor tours NC tornado damage areas
• Cary leaders want to talk reassignment with Wake school board
• Man's body found in Jordan Lake
• Court rules against parental consent in school calendar battle
• 911 calls released as search continues for soldier's killer

Reporter/Anchor

Professional Experience:
2004 to present: anchor/reporter, WRAL-TV; 1998 to 2004: anchor/reporter, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; 1997-1998: general assignment reporter, KOMU-TV, Columbia, Mo.

Awards & Recognition:
2002 Iowa Associated Press Broadcasters Association: first place for general reporting; 2002 Cedar Rapids Women of Achievement honoree; 1998 Missouri Broadcasters Association: first place for TV documentary; 1998 William Randolph Hearst Journalism Award finalist

News Philosophy:
To tell fair, accurate and compelling stories that matter.

Education:
Bachelor of  Journalism, 1998, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Mo.

Hometown:
Farmington Hills, Mich.

Hobbies, Interests & Community Involvement:
I'm a jack of all trades. I play tennis, play the piano, sing and dance -- but I don't perform any of those talents well enough to give up my day job! I'm a current board member, past president, and founding member of the North Carolina chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. I also enjoy working with elementary school kids as a Junior League of Raleigh volunteer. In my spare time, I'm most likely relaxing with friends, immersed in a good book or trying out new recipes.

Family:
Fiancé Mike; parents, brother, sister-in-law and niece in Michigan.

Favorite Books:
Here's a partial list of the books that still resonate with me today -- "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt; "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom; "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden; "The Opposite of Fate" by Amy Tan; "Longitudes and Attitudes" by Thomas Friedman; "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou; "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson; "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Favorite Movies:
I enjoy everything from dramas to romantic comedies. A sampling: "The Sixth Sense," "A Beautiful Mind," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Office Space," "Waiting for Guffman," "Moulin Rouge," "Love Actually," "American Beauty," "Traffic," "Ocean's Eleven," "When Harry Met Sally," "Gone With the Wind"

Favorite Web Sites:
WRAL.com (of course!); the network news Web sites; FoodNetwork.com; Shape; TENNIS.com; Poynter Online (amazing resource for journalists and provides analysis and perspective on the job we do every day); Asian American Journalists Association

Likes Best About North Carolina:
Friendly people and the mild winter (when you compare it to the bitter cold and snow of the Midwest!)

Most Memorable Assignments:
Two stand out: 1) covering the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses because of the opportunity to interview several presidential candidates and see democracy in action; 2) going to Los Angeles to cover the premiere of "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace" -- the people who had camped out for weeks just to get tickets were bizarrely fascinating!