Winter 2014
Rachel McNeill wasn’t born in Texas—in fact, it was Jamaica. Her family moved to the U.S. when she was four years old. The local gal spent many of her early years preparing for her career in broadcasting: playing talk show host and asking hardball questions on the playground at Moore Elementary; researching a ninth- grade study skills assignment on schools, skills, and salary at Cypress Creek High School; and earning an inevitable broadcast journalism degree from University of Texas at Austin. The KPRC Channel 2 anchor pushed forward the old-school way, working markets from Midland to Raleigh, North Carolina and New Orleans before coming home to Houston in 2001.
Reporting Live
The news industry motivates her with its variety. “I grew up watching KPRC. This has been a chance to fulfill a dream,” she says. “Houston is a great market where a lot of local stories go national.” The Emmy Award winner has covered some dramatic headlines, such as the Newtown School Shootings, West Plant Explosion, and Andrea Yates Trial, which opened up a dialogue about post-partum depression and mental health. Married in Jamaica 10 years ago to Texas Children’s Hospital cardiologist, Wayne Franklin, the couple has two boys, Lionel, 6, and Hudson, 4.
There was a baby boom underway when McNeill announced her pregnancy at the station. She was the fifth pregnant employee at the time. “With everyone delivering babies, we wondered who’d deliver the news,” McNeill says. She worked up until her due dates, always rushing around. The second child came so quickly, he was born at the check-in desk. “No drugs, and no bed,” she jokes. Pursuing her goals at light speed suits her.
Becoming a mom changed her view of the world, especially when it came to reporting on Newtown. “The station felt it was important to send someone who was a mother,” McNeill says. “But there was no way I could get through doing eight live shots a day without crying.”
Life as a Mom
An average day for the anchor begins before dawn with her shift on the morning show. McNeill is up at 3 a.m., goes straight to hair and make-up, reads through the scripts several times, and goes live on the air for two-and-a-half hours. She also does preparation for the health report, pitching stories and shooting segments. The gung-ho gal laughs about having done every job in the newsroom over the years. Her early starts mean she finishes early, and this helps NcNeill feel like a stay-at-home mom. She is in the car pool and takes her sons to swimming and soccer, and they eat dinner as a family. Then, she says, “I go to bed at 8:30 p.m. like the kids.” Having grandparents only two streets away really helps, too.
Keeping Cy-Creek Close at Heart
McNeill recently attended Cy-Fair ISD’s Diamond Jubilee and served as the emcee for the event. This gave her a chance to share her personal nostalgia about the area’s growth and reconnect with favorite teachers, like her third grade math teacher, a science teacher, and her junior high drama coach, who prepared her for public speaking. The Cy-Creek Cougar was a leader on the drill team and was mentored by the instructor, who treated her like a second daughter. The latter involvement instilled confidence and direction in McNeill.
Mentoring Others
McNeill is passing it on, working with a variety of at-risk youth groups including: Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Zina Garrison Tennis Academy, and Dress for Success Houston.
When she meets other budding reporters, McNeill suggests, “Identify your passions early, be inquisitive, and creative. You must love to write, and you must intern. Seeing other people in action is a game-changer.”CFM
Reach Rachel [email protected]
Fast Facts about Rachel
- She was born in Kingston, Jamaica
- She could eat sushi 3 times a day
- She has been in news for 19 years
- Her first salary job earned $12,750
- She is obsessed with true crime books