Heather Claborn
Station Manager & News DirectorHeather Claborn joined KACU as news director in January 2018. She oversees daily newscast and feature reporting and works with KACU’s news anchors to develop newscasts. She also conducts two-way interviews, reports for newscast and feature stories and maintains the station’s social media and website content. In 2020, Claborn helped staff develop the daily newsletter that is delivered by email.
Claborn began working in public radio in 1998 as a fill-in "All Things Considered" host at WFCR in Amherst, Massachusetts. She then accepted a position with Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR) in Hartford, Connecticut as the "Morning Edition" host. Over the years, Claborn assumed more responsibility and shifted roles to become the daily news editor. She also continued reporting, filing feature stories for NPR news programs and contributing regularly to NPR’s business and hourly newscasts. During her time with with the Harford station, Claborn produced television news reports for CPTV, and served as a panelist on CPTV’s election debates. Heather Claborn won awards from the Associated Press and the Society for Professional Journalists in Connecticut.
After moving to Illinois in 2006, Claborn taught Radio News and Interviewing and other journalism and communications classes at Olivet Nazarene University. Kankakee Community College began operation of public radio station WKCC in 2007, and the fledgling station added Claborn to its staff soon after. She hosted the daily morning news programming and produced two-way interviews and feature reports for the station. She also contributed reports to the statewide collaborative of pubic radio stations.
Claborn earned her BA at the University of North Texas, majoring in Radio, TV and Film and Political Science. During her college years, she worked for the short-lived KEWS, all-news, FM radio station in Dallas, and the USA Radio Network. She also interned for KDFW FOX 4 news in the Fort Worth office.
Claborn returned to central Texas in 2017 with her husband, David and children Cal and Molly. She enjoys the longhorns, landscape, and scenery that is unique to this part of the state.
heather.claborn@kacu.org
325-674-4939
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Families, friends, and church communities have increasingly found themselves divided along politically partisan lines, either unable to discuss important issues or estranged. Is there a way to come back from the current status quo? -
School districts around the state have had to adjust spending for this school year. Some have had to close campuses or cut programs or staff to balance their budgets. This week, Abilene ISD’s board of trustees approved a spending plan for the year that reflects a deficit of $13 million. -
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz visited Hartmann's Inc. Monday -
KACU’s Heather Claborn spoke with Abilene City Manager Robert Hanna about the city’s economic position and the proposals the Abilene City Council will consider in meetings that start Monday. -
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The total eclipse was not only an important event in science and history; it was also a lovely moment of connection for the Abilene community. -
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The United Way of Abilene is hoping this year’s Winter Lightfest will have better attendance than last year’s. -
The actors strike ended after 118 days. Producers of the Texas-based independent production The Chosen are already thinking about the possibility of strikes next year.
