Adele Arakawa

Adele Arakawa (born August 31, 1957)^[1][2] is a retired American evening news anchor for NBC affiliate station KUSA-TV of Denver, Colorado. As of June 2007, she provides the female voice of the airport train system at Denver International Airport.^[3] She retired on June 30, 2017. She is also the former voice of the Denver International Airport Automated Guideway Transit System.

Adele Arakawa
Born	Adele Hausser (1957-08-31) August 31, 1957 (age 67)
Nationality	American
Spouse	Barry Tiller ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	1

Early life and education

Born Adele Hausser,^[4] Arakawa was raised in Hawaii and later east Tennessee. At age 16, she began taking college courses at Tennessee Tech University and working as a radio disc jockey in her hometown of La Follette, Tennessee. She also attended the University of Tennessee but dropped out after her freshman year.^[4]

Professional career

Following her entry into radio, Arakawa worked as a radio news anchor at WYSH in Clinton, Tennessee and as a disc jockey at WRJZ in Knoxville, Tennessee.^{[citation needed]}

In 1981, Arakawa made the transition to television news, working at WTVK (now WVLT-TV) in weather in Knoxville where she began using her mother's maiden name, Arakawa, at the suggestion of news director Hal Wanzer.^[5] Two years later, she moved to Raleigh, North Carolina to coanchor weekday evening newscasts for WRAL-TV with Charlie Gaddy and weatherman Bob Debardelaben.

Arakawa's career next took the family to Chicago in 1989, where she again anchored weekday evening newscasts, this time for CBS O&O WBBM-TV.^[6]

In 1993, she became a weekday evening newscast anchor for KUSA-TV in Denver.^[7] On December 6, 2016, she announced her retirement after 40 years in broadcasting. Her last day was June 30, 2017.^[8][9]

Arakawa was president of the Asian American Journalists Association in 1992 in Chicago and is a member of both the Japanese American Citizens League and the Japanese American Service Committee. Two of her grandparents were from Okinawa, Japan.^[10]

Personal life

Arakawa married her husband, Barry Tiller, in July 1977.^[11] Since retiring, she has lived in Tucson, Arizona.^[11]

Arakawa used to race cars competitively, and as of her retirement was still driving a race car on a road course.^[11]

Awards

• 1992: National Award, Asian American Issues (Television), Asian American Journalists Association^[12]
• 1997: Best News Anchor, Heartland Chapter, National Television Academy^[13]
• 1999: Best News Anchor, Heartland Chapter, National Television Academy^[14]
• 2001: Outstanding Daily Newscast, Markets 1-50 (with team), Heartland Chapter, National Television Academy^[15]

Best Interview / Discussion Program (with team), Heartland Chapter, National Television Academy^[15]

• 2004: Best News Anchor (tie), Heartland Chapter, National Television Academy^[16]