Chera Kimiko is the main weekday anchor for the 5:00 and 5:30 newscasts and the twice Emmy nominated 9 PM newscast. Chera has won many journalism awards. Some include an Edward R. Murrow, the Russell L. Cecil Medical Journalism Award given by the Arthritis Foundation for her story "Joints In Motion," the International Communicator Award of Excellence for her part in the series "Portraits of Courage," and the Outstanding Friendship Award given by Tulsa International Airport and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She has also been named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Leaders in the state of Oklahoma, and recently was chosen to be part of the Who’s Who International Association of Business Leaders.
Chera's 5:00 newscast has also won a Katie Award from the Press Club of Dallas for best Newscast, and her nine o'clock newscast has been nominated twice for a regional Emmy. For the past 8 years she has been voted by Oklahoma Magazine as the Best Local Media Personality.
Chera studied at Richmond University in Kensington, England and at Colorado State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree. Her journalism career began in news radio at KHOW in Denver, Colorado, and switched to television at KYMA in Yuma, Arizona. She has also worked at KTVK in Phoenix, KCOY in Santa Maria, California, and at KVBC in Las Vegas, where she was voted one of the top three favorite local anchors.
Chera is involved with many local organizations, including the American Heart/Stroke Association, and the American Lung Association. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has also named Chera as one of Tulsa's Top Twenty Leaders, and she also devotes much of her time to the Muscular Dystrophy Association searching for a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease. Having worked as an anchor and reporter, she has also expanded her resume to columnist and author.
Chera writes columns for Oklahoma Magazine and is currently one of 50 journalists to co-author a book for charity called Faces of Freedom, a collection of stories from each of the 50 states on young men and women who have given their lives in the current conflict. The proceeds from this book go to the Wounded Warrior Project and Fisher House.
Chera loves to exercise and enjoys running marathons. Her first was the Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando, Florida to benefit the American Heart and Stroke Association in honor of family members who have had strokes and heart disease. The other marathons are also for charities such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and for PJ Allen, the youngest survivor of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
Chera enjoys golf and acrobatic flying and is also a former competitive figure skater. One of her most entertaining and fun “live on-air moments” included ice skating pairs during a newscast with 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist Brian Boitano. And finally, it's been an ongoing process, but Chera still plans to begin studying for her pilot's license.
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