Latest news with #Kirkconnell
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WKRG News 5 wins 2025 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Gulf Coast journalism
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — News 5 has been selected to receive the 2025 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence. Video: Watch WKRG News 5's 'Overall Entry' video — submitted to the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award judges — in the player above. WKRG News Director Gene Kirkconnell made the announcement in a Thursday email to the station's staff. 'It is with pride and gratitude that I share with our WKRG-TV family members that News 5 has been selected to receive the 2025 Edward R. Murrow Regional Award for Overall Excellence,' Kirkconnell said. 'This award validates the hard work and creativity that our news team puts in every day to earn the trust of viewers and serve them with the highest quality news, weather, sports, and community news available along the Gulf Coast on all platforms; TV, digital, and social media,' he said. In this article, we'll look back at the entry that won WKRG this top industry honor. But first, here's some background information on the award itself. The Radio Television Digital News Association is 'the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to broadcast and digital journalism,' its website states. The RTDNA, founded in 1946, aims to 'promote and protect responsible journalism.' The RTDNA's Edward R. Murrow Awards have annually honored 'outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism' since 1971, the site states. 'Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.' The awards are named after , an American broadcast radio and TV journalist whose achievements included reporting on World War II live from London; exposing Sen. Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist tactics; and setting standards for transparency and integrity in broadcast journalism. 'News stations, networks, syndication services, program services, and digital news organizations are all eligible to enter the awards,' the RTDNA's rules state, noting that Edward R. Murrow Awards are presented to news organizations, not individuals. On Thursday, RTDNA announced the Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards' 2025 winners in Region 9. This region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to its website. WKRG won the 'Overall Excellence' award in the 'Television | Small Market' category. News 5's 'Overall Excellence' entry featured the station's best investigative journalism, weather, sports and breaking news on broadcasting and digital platforms in 2024. Here are some examples: News 5's Asher Redd uncovered a video showing child abuse at a local daycare. He spoke to the child's mother, who watched footage of a daycare worker grabbing and throwing down her daughter, violating DHR guidelines. Watch the report: News 5's Kathryn Bruch took viewers behind the scenes of a months-long undercover drug operation. She followed a team of Mobile Police Department detectives as they confiscated large amounts of crack cocaine and other drugs and arrested dozens of people. Watch the report: Sports Director Simone Eli's exclusive report showed how a scoring error in a Vigor girls' basketball game cost the team a shot at the state title. Eli talked to the coach and showed viewers how the error was made. Watch the report: Asher Redd reported live from Hurricanes Helene, Milton, and Francine. Our First Alert Storm Team warned viewers of threatening tornadoes, tracked dangerous weather, and gave the all-clear when people were safe. News 5 also provided hundreds of stories and live shots to Nexstar stations across the country and News Nation. WKRG was live on the scene as a window-washer dangled on the side of the RSA Tower, Alabama's tallest building. Anchor Devon Walsh narrated the heart-pounding rescue as Mobile firefighters brought the man to safety. Watch the report: WKRG was also live on the scene as parents rushed to pick up their kids from Foley High School after reports of a fight and gun on campus. Watch the report: In addition to breaking news, like coverage of and a , WKRG's 'Overall Excellence' entry included soul-stirring feature stories. The entry said, 'WKRG-TV shares the stories of our viewers that touch the heart.' WKRG's Debbie Williams reported on Gulf Shores High School offensive lineman Tyler Burkett, who began his senior year on the sidelines with cancer, not knowing if he would ever again play the game he has loved his whole life. Watch the story: Devon Walsh told the story of a groom whose bride gave him a kidney soon after the two started dating. (His then-girlfriend learned he would need a kidney or would not survive.) Watch the story: And, the Regional Edward R. Murrow entry noted, 'Many of our stories are just plain fun.' Like Simone Eli's piece, ',' in which she teaches News 5 employees who are not from Mobile, all about Carnival season. 'The newbies go through a boot camp to learn the best way to catch a moonpie, and avoid getting pelted in the face with beads,' the entry notes. News 5's 'Overall Excellence' entry featured the year's best digital coverage, which included: The launch of '5th Quarter Extra,' a popular livestream for sports fans Exclusive reporting on Hoover football coaches humping and pushing players A leadership change within the Mobile Police Department The death and remembrance of Alabama broadcasting icon Mel Showers A rare look at News 5's social media comment moderation policy after viral coverage of an Alabama pageant queen led to cyberbullying And in 2024, News 5 spotlighted our local military and law enforcement with franchises '' and '.' News 5's showcased a police K-9 who jumped off a bridge while chasing suspects. Police bodycam video showed the dog leap off the bridge, proving that two-legged officers aren't the only ones . showcased former , who used the skills he gained during his service to form a commercial diving and consulting business. Part of that was consulting for the film industry, where he made his on-screen debut in the Steven Seagal film 'Under Siege,' filmed on the USS Alabama Battleship in Mobile. The 'Overall Excellence' entry also featured News 5's commitment to community service, with the following projects: News 5's Boys & Girls Club Telethon, which raises money for underserved children. The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama provide, among other things, academic programs, social skills training, health and nutrition classes, on-site counseling, and college and career guidance. News 5's Stock the Pantry Food Drive, which feeds children during the summer months when they can't receive breakfast and lunch at school. News 5's Paddle & Raquet Battle, which unites tennis players and pickleball players in a combined tournament that raises money for the American Heart Association. News 5's Magical Christmas Toy Drive, which collected more than 35,000 toys valued at more than a half-million dollars in 2024. The annual effort ensures children across the Gulf Coast receive Christmas gifts. WKRG General Manager Jesse Grear summed it up following the announcement about News 5's Regional Edward R. Murrow Award. 'Congratulations to the entire team!' he said. 'Ya'll are the best! Neil Costes contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Us Weekly's 5 Hot Stories: Rachael Kirkconnell Talks Matt James Split, Dax Shepard Podcast Warning
Two months after her split from former Bachelor Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell admitted she 'still' feels like the breakup came 'out of nowhere.' In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Kirkconnell hinted that James might have 'some regret' about how he ended their four-year relationship, noting that the breakup 'didn't have to go down the way it did.' Despite feeling 'sad' about splitting from James, Kirkconnell is hopeful about the future. 'I'm a very firm believer in thinking that it was a blessing in disguise and everything happens for a reason, and that that's just something that needed to happen in my life,' she told Us. The former couple met during season 21 of The Bachelor in 2021. James and Kirkconnell didn't get engaged but chose to continue their relationship off camera. In January, James announced via Instagram that he and Kirkconnell split for good. Kirkconnell later revealed that she was boarding an international flight from Japan — where the breakup occurred — when James posted his statement. Scroll below for more top stories: Dax Shepard sent a message to 'Armchair Expert' listeners before comedian Andrew Schulz's 'really political' appearance on the podcast. Karlie Kloss announced that she and her husband, Joshua Kushner, are expecting their third baby after welcoming sons Levi and Elijah. Justin Baldoni's lawyer weighed in on whether the actor will reach a settlement with Blake Lively before their It Ends With Us legal battle heads to court. Gene Hackman's doctor claimed in a recent interview that Betsy Arakawa 'didn't die on Feb. 11,' as previously predicted by medical officials. Visit sign up to get daily news via email and follow Us on Instagram or Facebook for more news, exclusive interviews and intel, red carpet dispatches and beyond.
Los Angeles Times
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Rachael Kirkconnell of ‘The Bachelor' sheds light on Matt James' infamous break-up post
Rachael Kirkconnell is opening up about her abrupt breakup from 'The Bachelor' star Matt James, saying she was blindsided by her ex-boyfriend when he announced their split on social media. She says she is still grieving the relationship. The Bachelor Nation star revealed on Tuesday's episode of the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast that James released his now-infamous prayer about their breakup without her knowledge, on the same day they broke up and just before she was stuck on a 12-hour flight from Tokyo to Atlanta. 'It almost seemed like [him] saying it like a prayer was the easier way to say it than to say something real, something authentic to our actual relationship,' Kirkconnell told host Alex Cooper. 'It's very him. I guess it didn't surprise me that he said it like that, I guess I was just surprised that he said it at all. That he posted that.' James, who starred in the 2021 season of the ABC dating competition, announced in mid-January on Instagram that he and Kirkconnell had split up after four years together, writing, 'Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts.' He also prayed for 'peace about this decision to end our relationship.' At the time, Kirkconnell, 28, only hinted online that James had made the call without her. In her interview this week, the graphic designer — chronicling her experience with the controversial season of 'The Bachelor' and its aftermath — went into further detail about their emotional split, saying that she forgives him but feels 'that he disrespected me by doing that.' 'As hard as it is, I think the right decision is to stand up for myself and be on my own,' she said. The dating-show contestant admitted to feeling 'really, really insecure' in her relationship with the former NCAA athlete and said she had a hard time trusting him. (However, she did deny reports that he had been unfaithful.) Kirkconnell said their first two years of dating 'were really fun,' and by the third year she started to ask James about where their relationship was going. She said they seemed to be in lockstep in terms of an engagement, a wedding and having kids. 'It's confusing to look back on now because when we would talk about things, he always seemed like he was on the same page. Privately and publicly, whether we were doing interviews, whether he was replying to people in comments talking about getting married,' she said through tears. 'So ... the words were there, and us talking about taking the next steps, but the actions obviously weren't there.' On their most recent trip, Kirkconnell said, they continued to talk about their joint future. Though they never moved in together, she said they practically lived together because of the amount of traveling they did with one another. In Tokyo, the night before their breakup, Kirkconnell said she had been 'overwhelmed' because she was scrambling to find a place for dinner, since much of James' career depended on filming content of 'good food spots.' When she finally picked a place, it wasn't what she expected and she had a 'little meltdown' because she felt she had disappointed James. 'It was just one of those things where I'm tired, cranky, emotional, on my period, feeling terrible, overwhelmed with looking for a dinner spot for like an hour, and then we get there and it was a disappointment,' she said. 'So I started tearing up at dinner. Two tears. One, two. We're done. [I] didn't allow myself to get upset after that, just tried to calm down.' But, she said, they stayed silent through dinner. When they got back to their hotel, James told her he was concerned about her getting so upset. She said she was confused by his reaction and was disappointed about a lack of comfort and support from him. 'He was trying to express to me like, 'If you get emotional about little things like this, what is going to happen in life when something really terrible happens?' [He said,] 'How are you going to be able to react to things that are actually really scary or disappointing or sad?' And ... it just hurt to hear. ... I felt like I was being punished for crying.' Another little disagreement on their way to a Tokyo market the next day opened up 'a can of worms,' she said. That led to a bigger argument that gave way to 'a bigger conversation' about how James had been feeling for a while. She added that James said 'he felt the weight of marriage really heavily on him' and told her that they weren't compatible. 'It was definitely out of nowhere. He said that at the end of the day, there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife,' she said, adding that he told her she had trouble taking accountability for her mistakes — despite her being the one to apologize first, even when she wasn't at fault. She said he told her that he should want to marry her by now but still didn't feel ready to propose — and couldn't see himself proposing to her at all in the future. 'It was really a lot to hear at once because a few days before, I'm hearing the opposite. ... He does love me and wanted it to work, but I guess at the end of the day he still doesn't think I'm the person for him.' She called the split 'very, very hurtful.' Shortly after their decision to end the relationship, she made her way to the airport to catch a flight back home on her own. When she was onboard the aircraft, a friend frantically messaged her about James' Instagram post, which she had not yet seen. Then the plane took off and she couldn't connect to the internet until it landed. She said she sat worried about what people were saying about his post and their breakup. 'I still don't know if he reacted out of anger or spite, or if he didn't mean it. And, to be totally honest with you, if he didn't post it so publicly, like right after he broke up with me, I don't even know where we'd be right now,' she said. 'Because I think that when someone tells you that to your face — 'I don't think you're my person, I don't ever picture us getting married' — it's your time to walk away. 'Like I can't stick around after that, even if I want to, even if it's hard for me to let go. I love him so much and I wanted him to be my partner but when someone says that to you, you have to give it up at that point.' James, a real estate broker, entrepreneur and community-organization founder, has not yet commented on Kirkconnell's interview, and a representative for the reality star did not respond immediately Wednesday to The Times' request for comment. Kirkconnell said he has since acknowledged that he didn't make the right decision in posting the statement without giving her a heads up. James was the first Black male lead on 'The Bachelor' and previously appeared on Hannah Brown's season of 'The Bachelorette' as a friend of contestant Tyler Cameron. Before James' run, attorney Rachel Lindsay was the first Black person of either sex to lead the franchise as 'The Bachelorette' in 2017. The former football player and Kirkconnell made headlines during their 2021 finale after he made the decision to give her the final rose but wanted to continue dating her rather than get engaged. Their 'After the Final Rose' — the reunion special that updates viewers on events since the season completed shooting — went sideways when James and Kirkconnell were presented with the racist backlash that had tainted much of their season and forced a racial reckoning on the show. The controversy about an antebellum South-themed fraternity party from Kirkconnell's past also led to the ouster of longtime 'Bachelor' host Chris Harrison, who became embroiled in the fallout when, during an interview with Lindsay, he minimized the 2018 images featuring the contestant.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rachael Kirkconnell was 'in total shock' after Matt James posted about their breakup on Instagram: The biggest revelations from her 'Call Her Daddy' interview
Rachael Kirkconnell is ready to tell her side of the story. Two weeks after her boyfriend and former Bachelor Matt James suddenly announced on Instagram that he and Kirkconnell, who received his final rose in March 2021, had broken up after four years, the Season 25 winner sat down with podcaster Alex Cooper on the Jan. 28 episode of Call Her Daddy to set the record straight. News of James and Kirkconnell's split sent shockwaves through the Bachelor Nation fandom, with many even speculating that James had been hacked or that the breakup was a hoax. Following their brief breakup in 2021, James and Kirkconnell were seemingly solid. In their four years of dating, they've made near-constant appearances on each other's Instagrams. As far as fans following the pair on social media were concerned, nothing indicated that there was trouble in paradise. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'I wanted to do this for me,' Kirkconnell said of her decision to go on Call Her Daddy. 'I just really wanted to do it just to help myself move on and get some closure. I just feel like after four years and after all this craziness, something just needed to be said.' Kirkconnell's interview was rife with surprising and heartbreaking revelations. Here are the standout moments. Kirkconnell said that it was during their third year of dating when she began asking James about the future of their relationship. She told Cooper she didn't need details on when a proposal was happening, but she wanted to ensure she and James were on the same page. At the time, James made her feel as if they were. 'We talked about rings. He told me a few months ago to start saving some things, picking things out or that we should go look at some. That was a big deal, I would say, for him to say,' Kirkconnell said. As their relationship continued, Kirkconnell felt like James was becoming more open to discussions about their future. 'I think, at first, I could tell [marriage] was something that did scare him a lot or it was a really hard thing for him to talk about and it just seemed easier and easier [to talk about] as our relationship went on, so I felt like that was a good sign,' she said. 'I think when he started talking about kids and picking out a ring and wedding food and where we want the wedding… I used those things just to hold on.' Kirkconnell and James were traveling together in the weeks leading up to their breakup. She'd met up with him in London, and the pair flew to Tokyo, where their breakup ultimately took place. Knowing that James's livelihood is tied to producing food-related content on social media, the night before their breakup, Kirkconnell said she felt pressured to pick a good restaurant for dinner because when you're traveling 'every meal counts.' The meal ended up being a disappointment, and Kirkconnell responded emotionally because she felt like she'd let James down. James was concerned about her 'getting so upset." While on the way to get food the next morning, Kirkconnell said James 'kind of snapped' at her when she was trying to show him videos on her phone. She stood up for herself, telling James, 'Even if I'm annoying you, don't treat me like that.' They later got into an argument that opened 'a can of worms,1" eventually leading to them breaking up. '[James] said that at the end of the day, there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife,' she said. 'It was one of those things where I think he just had this realization that, I should want to propose to you by this time … and I should be ready for that, but I'm not still.' Kirkconnell had asked James if he felt like his 'perfect person' was still out there. ''Do you want to make this work? Do you think that it's me or is it something with you? Are you scared? … Is your perfect person somewhere out there? Is it not me?'' she recalled asking him. 'He came to the conclusion that he didn't think it was me and he said he didn't want me to end up resenting him by wasting more of my time if it wouldn't happen.' When Kirkconnell learned of James's bombshell Instagram post revealing they'd broken up, she had just boarded her flight back to Atlanta. She found out about it after one of her best friends texted her. 'I'm freaking out because [I] just got broken up with and now a few hours later, it's for the whole world to see,' she said. 'I'm still trying to process it. I'm still in total shock. Then knowing the whole world is seeing this. I'm like, 'This is so crazy, I can't even wrap my mind around this right now.'' She said the post went up two to three hours after they called off their relationship. Kirkconnell told Cooper she thought James's caption for the breakup post was 'interesting ... because it almost seemed like saying it like a prayer was the easier way to say it than to say something real. Not that a prayer's not real, but just something that was authentic to our actual relationship.' 'But it's very him,' Kirkconnell said. 'I guess it didn't surprise me that he said it like that. I guess I'm just surprised that he said it at all.' James called Kirkconnell five days after their breakup. During their conversation, which lasted over an hour, James apologized for announcing their split on Instagram. While Kirkconnell hopes she and James can stay friends, she doesn't see herself ever getting back together with him. 'I don't think I can,' she said. 'I think when someone says those things he said, 'I don't think you're my person. I don't see us getting married,' I think that's when you have to call it quits. And just the way he handled all of this, and his post and everything. I forgive him but … I felt like he disrespected me at the end of the day doing that. It's just one of those things where you have to stand up for yourself even if you don't want to.'
The Independent
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The Bachelor star Rachael Kirkconnell reveals why Matt James ended their relationship: ‘I'm mad'
Rachael Kirkconnell has revealed she was blindsided by her boyfriend of four years, Matt James, when he broke up with her while they were on holiday together in Tokyo. The reality TV star appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast to share her version of events after James issued a shock statement on 16 January announcing that they had split. During the episode, Kirkconnell claimed that the pair had been discussing picking out an engagement ring and having children in the months before he broke up with her, and that James shared his breakup statement – without consulting her – while she was at the airport to return home days after the split. The pair met and fell in love on the 25th season of the ABC dating show The Bachelor. They had tumultuous start to their relationship when Kirkconnell was embroiled in racism controversy after pictures of her at an antebellum plantation-themed party in 2018 surfaced online. At the time, The Bachelor host Chris Harrison defended Kirkconnell against the racism controversy, which ultimately led to his exit from The Bachelor franchise in June 2021 after 20 years with ABC. In response to the controversy, James and Kirkconnell split, but they were spotted together a month later and rekindled their relationship. Since they repaired their relationship, the couple had been sharing loved-up pictures of their travels together, which meant that their January 2025 split came as a shock to fans – and to Kirkconnell who has said she was blindsided. In her first time speaking about the breakup publicly, Kirkconnell told Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper that in the days leading up to the breakup, she felt that things were tense between herself and James and that they were bickering over dinner. Speaking about the day of the breakup, she said that the pair were travelling to a restaurant when he 'snapped' at her. 'So we were on the way to get some food and I was scrolling through my phone, showing him a bunch of videos. I guess I was bothering him. I was annoying him. … [He] kind of snapped at me to where I got mad at him because I was like, 'You know, even if I'm annoying you like, don't treat me like that.' And so then it seemed like we were both kind of mad at each other or annoyed with each other.' When they got back to the hotel, Kirkconnell said that James raised his concerns about their long-term compatibility. 'He said that at the end of the day, there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife,' Kirkconnell said. 'At the end of the day, there are things that we aren't compatible with and the whole accountability and saying sorry and all that was really the main thing. It was just one of those things where he just had this realisation that 'I should want to propose to you by this time. Like, at this point in our relationship, I should be wanting those things and I should be ready for that.'' Kirkconnell grew emotional as she explained she felt thrown by James's decision, claiming she had been 'hearing the opposite' in previous months when they had casually discussed 'picking out rings', wedding plans and the possibility of having children. 'We talked about rings, he told me a few months ago to start saving some things, picking things out,' she said. 'That felt like such a green flag to me. I felt like that was a good sign. I don't know, when he started talking about kids and picking out a ring, wedding food and where we want the wedding. I don't know if there were any actions following those things but when you're told these things you just wanna hold on to them,' she said. Kirkconnell admitted she was shocked when James posted his breakup announcement without warning while she was at the airport to travel home. 'I was freaking out. I just got broken up with and now a few hours later, it was out for the whole world to see. My phone was blowing up.' 'When I step back, I'm mad,' she said. 'He should not have done that to me after four years. He didn't even text me to give me a warning, like, saying, 'Hey, I'm posting this.'' Kirkconnell admitted that the pair have had contact since the breakup and James called her at 1 am 'four or five days' after his breakup post and has tried to check in on her. 'I confronted him about the post. … And that's when he was like yeah, 'I fully admit that I could have handled this a lot better.' And he apologised.' 'It really sucks to look back at how things ended for us. It's heartbreaking.'
