Stephanie Riggs

Stephanie Riggs is a veteran journalist who has won just about every prestigious award in television news. She anchored the news for more than 20 consecutive years around the country and has earned dozens of Emmy awards.

In 2010 Stephanie developed her own call-in radio show; called Divine Calling with Stephanie Riggs - M-F at 2 p.m. on 94.7 FM KRKS or listen online at www.krks.com. Since 2007 Stephanie has also been hosting Denver's Movers and Shakers on VIstaTvDenver, a lifestyle TV show on Comcast channel 19 M-F at 7 p.m., Sat/Sun at 9:30 a.m., or watch online at www.vistatvdenver.com click here to watch a sample of her current TV interviews.

In 2006 Stephanie created her own television show titled Fitting In. The pilot premiered on ABC Family in June of 2008. The program takes a compassionate look at the nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity. A team of experts worked with a group of children and their families. The transformation inspired a nation. Click here to see a clip.

AVIVA -- made Fitting In possible.... I chose them as our title sponsor because AVIVA is the first life insurance company to reward healthy living. It's the first time people can lower their life insurance premiums just by leading a healthy life style. In fact, I believe in this company so much, I agreed to be their national and international spokesperson.

Please log onto to: www.avivausa.com for more information about the Wellness for Life program!

April 30, 2005 Pepperdine names Stephanie the University's Most Distinguished Alumnus.

Stephanie Riggs is the region's Emmy Award Winner for Best Anchor in 2003.

2003 Emmy Award Winner for Best Journalistic Enterprise for her series focusing on Aids orphans in remote eastern Africa, "A Place of Hope".

Stephanie's series, "A Place of Hope" also won two national Gracie Allen Awards for best news series and best documentary. This series was also received the National Gabriel Award, and National Telly Award.

Stephanie has Anchored the #1 Rated Evening Newscast at the CBS, KCNC-TV, Denver for the past twelve years. Riggs received the prestigious Emmy Award for "Best Journalistic Enterprise", for her News4 investigation on Colorado Child Care. Her in-depth look at the serious problems with Colorado child care and solutions to those problems also won Best Documentary from the Associated Press and the Clarion Award from Women in Communications.

She also earned Back-to-Back Emmy Awards for Best Documentary and the Colorado Association of Black Journalists Excellence in Television Award. Riggs traveled to Senegal, West Africa for "Embracing a Dream: The Legacy of Oumar Dia". Riggs told the story of an African immigrant murdered in Denver while waiting for a bus after running luggage at the downtown Hyatt and how Colorado responded. A random act of violence resulted in spontaneous acts of kindness all over Colorado. A quarter of a million dollars in donations transformed Oumar Dia's village and Riggs showed how after his death his dream came true. Riggs sold photos she took of her trip to raise $5,000 for medical supplies for the village. The Rocky Mountain News featured a journal written by Riggs and her photos in the spotlight section on Easter 2000 and the story also appeared on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood and the Crier Report on Court TV. The Colorado Broadcasters Association named it Best News Series and Best Documentary. The documentary also won the National Headliner Award and a Gracie Award.

Riggs also won an Emmy for "Latinos in Colorado: One Family's Journey." She followed up 35 years later on a family struggling for social and financial equality in Denver in the 60's. What she found was a remarkable success story.

In The Regional Broadcast Television Category Stephanie Riggs of KCNC TV (CO) took first prize for her excellent segment "What It's Like to Have MS," which followed her through several ordinary activities in downtown Denver - riding a bus, visiting a mall - while experiencing simulated symptoms of MS.

Riggs picked up back-to-back-to-back Gracie Allen Awards from the American Women in Radio and Television, the Associated Press as well as the Edward R. Murrow Award for the Best News Story of the Year and Best Documentary titled: Never Sell Yourself Short. It's the story of a teenager living with dwarfism. The series is based on a best selling children's book written by Riggs also titled Never Sell Yourself Short (Albert Whitman and Company which has been publishing children's books for 80 years about children with special needs). Riggs is giving all of her profits from the book to the Little People of America organization to help with adoptions. The book resulted in interviews with People Magazine, Zenith Magazine and the Rocky Mountain News. But most importantly it resulted in a greater sensitivity toward short statured people. Hundreds of restaurants around the country added benches in their public restrooms to better accommodate little people. The Documentary also Won Two Emmy Awards for Best Documentary and Best Writing.

Stephanie reported the story of Colorado's conjoined twins Lexi and Syd from birth to their successful separation at Denver's Children's Hospital. Riggs was also the correspondent on CBS's 48 Hours for the separation story.

Riggs is a two-time winner of The Colorado Broadcasters Association Citizen of the Year for community service. She followed a child with Leukemia from diagnosis to cure and ran the London marathon to help raise more than 120-thousand dollars for research. She is the National Winner of the 1996 Russell L. Cecil Medical Journalism Award for her documentary about a teen who walked out of a wheelchair after overcoming debilitating arthritis. The National Association for Retarded Citizens named riggs journalist of the year. Stephanie was also named The Leukemia Society of America's National Journalist of the Year.

The United States Navy's Blue Angels selected Stephanie to fly the speed-of-sound in an FA-18 Hornet over Colorado this year, a once in a lifetime chance.

Colorado's Governor appointed Stephanie to his commission on early childhood care and education. She is also on the board for the Leukemia Society and was the highest individual fund raiser for the Rocky Mountain chapter in 1997.

Stephanie was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She completed high school in three years, then completed college in three years and graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and was on the National Dean's List. Stephanie was one of 20 students selected for a year of international studies in the honors program in Heidelberg, Germany.

After graduation from Pepperdine she moved to Kearney, Nebraska as writer, photographer/editor, general assignment reporter and morning anchor at KHGI-TV, an ABC affiliate. About a year later she moved to Fresno, California to KSEE-TV, the NBC affiliate, to anchor the number one rated Noon and 5pm Newscasts. A year later she anchored the number one rated weekend broadcasts at KOVR-TV, the ABC affiliate in Sacramento, California for two years. She came to Denver from WKRC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio where she anchored the top rated evening newscast for three years.

From her sponsorship to run and complete the New York City Marathon in November of 1993, the London Marathon in 1996, the Kona Marathon in 2005 and the Loveland, Co Lake to Lake Triathalon in 2008 Stephanie has help raised more than 100-thousand dollars for Leukemia Research and Heart Disease on behalf of four patients who are all healthy and in remission today.

Stephanie plays classical piano and has performed with the Northern Kentucky Symphony.

Stephanie Riggs
Anchor/Journalist

• Emmy Award winning anchorwoman for #1 rated evening newscast CBSO&O, Denver
• National Emmy Award nomination, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning
• Produced five documentaries honored in The Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Only full time regional anchor to receive coveted Journalistic Enterprise Emmy—twice
• Colorado Broadcast Association’s Citizen of the Year for Community service—twice
• Pepperdine University’s Most Distinguished Alumnus

Experience

Anchor/Journalist

KCNC-TV, CBS O&O Denver, Colorado, September 1994 to present
WKRC-TV, ABC Affiliate, Cincinnati, Ohio, September 1992 to September 1994
KSEE-TV, NBC Affiliate, Fresno, California, January 1988 to September 1991

Weekend Anchor/Journalist

KOVR-TV, ABC Affiliate, Sacramento, California, September 1991 to September 1992

Anchor/Journalist, Photographer, Producer

KHGI-TV, ABC Affiliate, Kearney, Nebraska, January 1987 to January 1988

Community Involvement

Raised $10,000 for The American Heart Association by completing Kona Marathon in Hawaii, 2005

Wrote best selling children’s book, Never Sell Yourself Short, donating profits to Little People of America to help fund adoptions, 2003

Highest Individual Fundraiser for Leukemia Society, 1995 & 1993

Raised $10,000 for research by completing the London Marathon
Raised $8,000 for research by completing the New York City Marathon

Performed with The Northern Kentucky Symphony, Piano Accompaniment, 1994

Education

Pepperdine University, BJ & Three-year Graduate:  Dean’s List

Three-year High School Graduate:  National Honor Society     

Heidelberg University, Germany