Adele Arakawa has been in broadcasting since 1974.
She began her career at age 16 as a radio disc jockey in her hometown of LaFollette, Tennessee. Adele spent a total of 7 years in radio, also working as a radio news anchor at WYSH in Clinton, Tennessee, and again as a disc jockey at WRJZ in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was the first female disc jockey in Knoxville, working a Top 40 format for 5 years.
She began college at age 16, attending Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee, and later, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Adele married in 1977, at age 19, to a sheriff's deputy.
In 1981, Adele made the transition to television news, first working at WTVK-TV in Knoxville. There, she filled several different roles, including video photographer, reporter, producer, and news anchor. In 1983, she and her husband moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she anchored the weekday 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts, with Charlie Gaddy at WRAL-TV. While there, Adele and her husband welcomed a son into their family, who was born in Raleigh in 1985.
In February 1989, Adele and her family moved to Chicago. For 5 years, she worked for CBS, at the network's owned-and-operated station, WBBM-TV. She anchored weekday evening newscasts, with both Bill Kurtis, and Lester Holt.
In December 1993, Adele made the move to Denver. She has anchored the weekday evening newscasts at 9News (KUSA-TV) for nearly 18 years, working with co-anchors Ed Sardella, Jim Benemann, and Bob Kendrick.
She currently anchors with Mark Koebrich, who has been with 9News for more than 30 years.
Adele has received 7 regional Emmys in the Heartland Region NATAS awards, including 4 for Best Anchor. In 1997, the Emmy was awarded for coverage of the Oklahoma City Bombing. In 1999, the recognition came for coverage of the Columbine shootings. Another Emmy for Best Anchor was awarded in 2004. Additional Emmys include Outstanding Newscast, and in the category of "Interview and Discussion" in 2001. Her most recent Emmy for Best Anchor was awarded in 2011. Adele also won an Emmy the same year in the category of Breaking News for coverage of the 4 Mile Canyon Wildfire. Most recently, Adele won Best Anchor in 2012.
She has also received a national 1st place award in 1991 for reporting from the Asian American Journalists Association. The report was a 3-part series on the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Adele has received numerous other awards from both community and professional organizations.
Adele served as president of the Chicago chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association in 1992. She is a member of the Japanese American Citizens League, and the Japanese American Service Committee.
Arakawa is Adele's mother's maiden name, which is Japanese in origin. Adele's mother is from Maui in the Hawaiian islands. Her grandparents were from Okinawa, Japan.
As for hobbies, Adele and her husband are avid golfers. The entire family also enjoys racing cars. Adele is a certified driving instructor for the Rocky Mountain Region Porsche Club and the Colorado Exoticar Association, and holds a Club Racing license with PCA. Her husband and son are also licensed to race competitively in PCA Club Races and her son is also a licensed instructor.
Adele has raced in such venues as Daytona International Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Denver's Grand Prix, Barber Motorsports Park, Heartland Park Raceway, Motorsports Park Hastings, Pikes Peak International Raceway and races regularly on the Denver metro area's newest race track: High Plains Raceway outside Byers, Colorado.
Adele and her husband, who has since left law enforcement and now works as a general contractor, have been married for more than 34 years.
They have two grown children; a daughter who lives in Texas with her husband and three children, and a son who is engaged to be married in September 2013.