Reporter and Sporting KC Sportscaster Kacie McDonnell

When you meet Kacie McDonnell, reporter and fill-in anchor at KSHB-TV, Channel 41 in Kansas City, you wonder how so much positivity could be packed into this petite young woman. Warm, outgoing, sharp, knowledgeable and with gorgeous eyes that easily affirm a past job as an eyelash model on QVC, Kacie is bringing her own style of broadcast news to the Kansas City metro.

“I’d describe myself as fun, outgoing, fearless and driven,” the 24-year-old stated. “I absolutely love what I do because I love telling stories, meeting new people and finding out about them. I enjoy giving people this outlet, and I’ve always wanted to go into broadcast journalism.”

Through the years this camera work has included being an on-air model for QVC, appearing in commercials back in her native Philadelphia and hosting her alma mater Villanova University basketball’s annual Hoops Mania event. After graduating in May 2012 from Villanova with a bachelor’s degree in communication and specializations in journalism and media production, Kacie got her start in broadcast journalism at the Fox news affiliate in Philadelphia. She spent two years at Fox 29 as the Morning News and Good Day Philadelphia traffic anchor and fill-in co-host. She also hosted The Trend, an up-to-the-minute look at what is trending on the web. “I’m a Fox baby,” she laughed. “We did everything. We did crazy things. I like the crazy and the wild!”

Also during that time she reported from the Philadelphia Eagles’ sideline and tailgate at Lincoln Financial Field. This helped develop a new career avenue for her–the sports journalism segment of broadcasting. After just four months in her job at KSHB, she was approached about a new role. In January of this year, she was asked to become the Sporting KC TV network host. In the role, Kacie anchors Sporting KC’s soccer pregame and postgame shows and conducts postgame interviews with players during locally televised matches.

“This is a dream come true,” Kacie enthused. “I’ve always thought that if I could get a melting pot and throw sports, news and entertainment into it, I’d have my dream job.” She joins play-by-play announcer Nate Bukaty, color commentator Andy Gruenebaum and lead analyst Jake Yadrich on the SKCTV broadcast team for the club’s 20th season in Major League Soccer. The shows can be seen on KMCI-TV, which is KSHB’s sister station.

“I love sports, especially football, soccer and hockey, and being the host of Sporting KC TV is perfect for me,” she revealed. “I travel for all of the games and report on stats, the players, matchups and predictions for Sporting KC and the opposing team. It’s a bigger role and I was ready for that in my career. Sure, I have things to improve and that’s okay, but I’m working hard every week. I see that the Sporting KC TV host job can really be a breakout role for me.”

On top of this full-time position, Kacie is still working 40-plus hours a week at KSHB as the traffic reporter, news reporter and fill-in anchor for the morning news and midday show or when co-workers are on vacation. “Who needs sleep when you’re having fun?” she laughed. “I love KSHB because it helps me with what I want to do. I call it ‘TV University’ for me because it’s so hands-on with shooting, writing and editing responsibilities. I love the platform that TV gives you to change the world and leave a mark.”

While this brunette beauty is honing her craft, she has her sights set on other roles for her broadcast career several years down the road. “If I have a dream job, I’d be Kelly Ripa,” Kacie smiled. “She gets to do everything, and I think she’s great. Given the success of her show Live! with Kelly and Michael and her soap opera career on All My Children, I’m not the only one who thinks this. When the viewers invite you into their homes by watching your show, they’re saying that they want great entertainment and, most importantly, a friend, too.”

Friends and family are extremely important for Kacie and offer a solid foundation for a good life. “I’m really content, but I do miss my family. However, I have people to lean on, and I’m a tough cookie, too” she shared. “I’ve never been away from the East Coast, so this is good for me.”

She grew up in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, a small town of about 14,000 located in the central part of the state. Her parents still live there with a sister in high school, and her brother is a prelaw senior at Villanova. Her home life was wonderful and laid a firm groundwork for the hard work ethic and solid core values she employs now in her life. “There’s something to be said about being raised in a small town. I could not have asked for a better upbringing,” she remembered. “When I go home, I can feel it, and my roots are deep there. For my children, I’d want to raise them just like that in a suburban setting.”

Right now Kacie’s focused on building her résumé of good work and impressive credentials to enable that dream job to become reality. Her two full-time jobs give her plenty of experience to add to her broadcast résumé, and she is an expert at using the far-ranging aspects of social media to help her reach out to others. “Society is forcing news to go digital, and my generation doesn’t want the fluff. The hurdle is that consumers don’t need to wait for a newscast and want news immediately; that’s why we must focus on social media to meet that demand,” she stated. “We push digital, digital, digital because it’s now the driving force and the way most people communicate. For instance, your phone is glued to your hands and you’re constantly checking it during the day. It’s up to us in the news business to crank out content for that drive. We focus on interactive and engaging content to help us grab that person’s attention.”

Kacie has the social media stats to back that up. On Twitter she boasts 64,000 followers and on Instagram she has 95,000 followers. She’s constantly posting work photos from the scene and videos of her shows. This gives her fans a familiarity that one couldn’t offer before social media. “You can’t just be cute,” she stated. “You have to hone your skills and know your brand.” When asked to describe her brand, Kacie sums it up by sharing: “I’m a lot more like the average person than you’d expect. I’m just a normal 24-year-old woman who’s trying to figure it out.”

It seems that Kacie McDonnell has it figured out very well. Not only does she work long hours; she’s dedicated to giving back to her community. For the past several years she has been active in raising awareness for pediatric cancer through partnerships with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Alex’s Lemonade Stand. She is also a supporter of our active duty military men and women and their families. In between, Kacie follows KC sports teams and loves to cook and bake, occasionally trying new recipes. She listens to hip hop and country, goes to concerts and sings when nobody’s listening. She is a TV series binge watcher, occasional fisherwoman and wishes she could be a better golfer.

While she fondly remembers her mother’s favorite, but loving saying, “Don’t get too big for your britches,” Kacie takes that advice to heart, remembering that it’s the people of Kansas City who are inviting her into their homes, a role she takes very seriously. Her positivity about life is bright and refreshing. She loves her work and she loves people, which are a perfect combination for the career she’s chosen. This petite broadcast beauty who grew up in Small Town, U.S.A. has the chops in place for a big-time career.” HLM