Laural Porter is an anchor at KGW in Portland, Oregon. She can be seen weeknights on KGW News.
She also co-anchors KGW News at 11 and hosts KGW's current affairs show "Straight Talk," which airs Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m.
Laural won the 2015 Northwest Regional Emmy for best host/moderator of Straight Talk. Her winning entry included exclusive interviews with former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber as he faced scrutiny for the failed Cover Oregon health insurance exchange and a scandal involving his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes.
Laural and photojournalist, Kurt Austin, also won the 2015 regional Edward R. Murrow award for Feature reporting. Their award winning story followed Jeff Daly's search for his long lost sister, Molly, who had been institutionalized in the 1950s. Porter and Austin's reporting, over a decade, chronicled Jeff and Molly's reunion and ultimately, their final emotional goodbye.
Laural was also honored with the prestigious national Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting in 2011. She won a national award from the Mental Health Association for her coverage of mental health issues. She is a six-time northwest regional Emmy award winner and 2012 winner of a western regional Associated Press award for feature reporting. She's earned numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalism, Associated Press, and Oregon Association of Broadcasters, as well as many awards during her reporting and anchoring years in Idaho.
One of the highlights of her career came in February of 2015 when she was invited to interview President Obama at the White House on trade issues. She was the only Oregon anchor and one of only four nationwide to meet with the President and members of his Cabinet and then report live from the White House.
In 2013, Laural was invited to moderate an interfaith panel discussion with His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, at the University of Portland. His Holiness presented Laural with a traditional Tibetan Khata, a symbol of respect and gratitude.
Laural joined KGW in 2000 after a varied career in broadcasting. She started in radio at KSON radio in San Diego as a news writer, and as the "KSON Cowgirl" making public appearances for the station. She worked her way into radio "on air" news reporting.
She took her first television position at KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls, Idaho, doing weather reports and feature reports called "Porter Reports." She was an anchor and reporter at KTVB (NBC) in Boise, Idaho; KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California; and WESH-TV (NBC) in Orlando, Florida.
Laural has run the Portland Marathon several times and qualified for the Boston Marathon, which she ran in record heat in 2004. She has also run marathons for the Leukemia Society's "Team in Training" and over the years raised $7,000 for the Society. Laural says it's one of the most rewarding things she's ever done. She ran in memory of her stepfather who died from leukemia.
Laural also served for several years as the honorary co-chair for the "Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure" in Portland and Vancouver. She was one of the race's top 100 fundraisers for three years. It's an important cause to Laural. Her mother-in-law is a survivor, and she lost her stepmother, who also battled breast cancer.
She currently volunteers with the Achon Uganda Children's Fund to help children left orphaned by Civil War and to help improve the quality of life for people in Northern Uganda. She became involved after doing a story with founder, Julius Achon, a former Olympic runner from Uganda, who lived in Beaverton.
Laural received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She was named the UCSB Communication Department's Outstanding Graduate.
Laural is married. She and her husband, Mike, have four children, whom she says are the light of her life.
