Rachelle Murcia

Thank you, Kern County, for inviting me in your homes every weeknight as I anchor the newscasts for KBAK and KBFX. I officially joined the news team in August 2015, bringing with me more than 15 years of experience, a few professional awards, and love for the job.

I am from Muncie, Indiana. That is where the journalism bug bit me and never let go. I was attending Delta High School. In my senior year in speech class, my teacher, Mr. Jones, told me I was a good storyteller. That's when he introduced me to radio and television production. I could not believe someone could get paid while having so much fun. I went on to graduate from Ball State University with a degree in telecommunications. It's hard to imagine I went from doing the morning announcements in high school to reporting from the White House, and traveling the country, from market to market, covering local news.

My career began at WISH-TV, CBS News 8 in Indianapolis, as an intern. From there, I moved cross-country to Kennewick, Washington, to become the weekend anchor and eventually the morning anchor for KNDU. There, I covered the massive Hanford wildfire. It was the first story I covered that captured national attention. I was, running my own camera while rubbing elbows with national correspondents from every network, all covering the story.

After three years in eastern Washington, Las Vegas came calling. I left to join the KVVU news team as the morning reporter and fill-in anchor. There, I covered national stories like the white tiger attacking magician Roy Horn during a live show, Britney Spears' hours-long wedding and annulment, and Michael Jackson shutting down the strip, travelling in his limo through the city after child molestation charges surfaced.

From the Las Vegas, I joined the KOMO 4 news team in Seattle, Washington, for nearly seven years. While I started as the morning reporter and fill-in news anchor for the ABC affiliate, I transitioned to the traffic anchor, guiding drivers through the congested morning commute, while continuing to report on news.

In 2011, I moved to Bakersfield. I worked for KGET as the 6 p.m. anchor for four years before proudly joining the KBAK/KBFX news team.

I have been honored by being nominated for numerous Emmy awards, including my reports on Honor Flight Kern County. And, I have won multiple Emmy and Edward R. Morrow awards for my stations. But the biggest compliment I can receive is from a viewer telling me that I made them laugh, cry, think or become motivated to make a change.

This community has shown me so much love, I try to give back as much as I can. When I told viewers about my breast cancer diagnosis in January of 2020, I never anticipated the support you viewers gave me. Giving back to this community became a passion project of mine. I have served on the board of the Kern County Cancer Fund, the American Cancer Society, and volunteered for Links for Life. I am an active supporter of many local nonprofits, including Honor Flight Kern County, Wounded Heroes Fund, Kern Autism Network the Bakersfield SPCA, and the Housing and Opportunity Foundation of Kern.

In my spare time, I am a want-to-be "Iron Chef." I enjoy running 5k’s, 10k’s, and half marathons. I am a big NFL fan. Sundays during the season are reserved for my Colts. I am a proud rescue dog and kitty mom.

You can learn more about me and my life on and off the camera by following me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.