mikemcguff.com: Sabirah Rayford joins FOX 13 Seattle

Sabirah Rayford is joining FOX13 News Seattle KCPQ as a weekday evening anchor after leaving KPRC 2 Houston as a reporter/anchor in October 2023.

Here is what Rayford posted on Instagram:

"I’m thrilled to join FOX O&O’s FOX 13 Seattle news team as a weekday evening anchor.

I’m looking forward to working alongside a group of talented, passionate journalists.

While visiting the Emerald City I fell in love with its landscape— the mountains, the waterside and its cultural diversity.

The gratitude I feel is indescribable. Thank you to all my wonderful mentors over the years. 'Nobody knows where they might end up' — and that’s the beauty of the universe."

On September 20, 2021, Rayford started her journey with KPRC 2, assuming the role of a weekend morning anchor. Rayford left weekend mornings in March of 2023.

She came from NewsChannel 5 WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida where she had been nearly four years where she was a multimedia reporter and fill-in anchor. According to a KPRC press release at the time of her hiring, Rayford spearheaded the station’s racial justice coverage days after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Rayford started her TV journalism career with WKYT 27 in Lexington, Kentucky during her sophomore year of college, initially in the sports department, and later evolving into a multimedia reporter and fill-in anchor. Remarkably, Rayford achieved a significant milestone at WKYT, becoming the first college student to report on air for the station, as noted in the previously mentioned KPRC 2 press release.

Rayford's journalistic work earned recognition in 2015 when she received an Associated Press (AP) award for her story titled "Transgender."

As a proud alumna of the University of Kentucky, Rayford interned for the UK athletic department and WKYT in Lexington, Kentucky. She also contributed as a student reporter for ESPNU Campus Connection.

Notably, Rayford stands as a distinguished recipient of the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award, a prestigious recognition presented to one UK African American alumnus from each of the school's academic colleges. This award acknowledges individuals "whose faith, hard work, and determination have positively impacted the lives of people on the UK campus, in the city, state, or nation," as outlined on the university's website.

Other KPRC 2 personnel changes include Daji Aswad joining the weather department and assistant news director Aaron Fernandez-Wische leaving for FOX 26 KRIV.