PHOENIX — Longtime Valley favorite, Javier Soto, joins Katie Raml on the ABC15 anchor desk during the evening newscasts, starting today.
The Emmy Award-winning journalist has been part of the fabric of Arizona for almost 18 years. He has covered every major story in Arizona including the Jodi Arias murder trial, the Yarnell Hill wildfire, Senate Bill 1070 and the major protests that followed, the contempt-of-court cases against former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Phoenix serial shooter, and the death of Arizona Senator John McCain.
In Part 1 of his interview with Katie Raml, Javier explains his excitement to join the team and his main drive to continue serving communities all across Arizona.
Soto is a proud graduate of California State University in Long Beach. He started his career as a producer at KTLA in Los Angeles. After a few years of producing, he decided to try his skills in front of the camera. Soto got his first on-air position at KPVI in Pocatello, Idaho, as a reporter/anchor while continuing to work behind the scenes in several capacities. After two years, he accepted a job as the Northern Arizona Bureau Chief for KTVK. After taking over as the morning reporter on the station’s morning newscasts, he was promoted to weekend anchor and finally morning anchor before joining ABC15. Soto replaces Steve Irvin who retired last month after nearly 20 years at the station.
“ABC15 has an amazing reputation in Arizona,” said Soto. “I am thrilled to be part of a station that values community-changing journalism. I cannot wait to get started.”
In part 2 of his interview with Katie Raml, Javier answers a range of fun questions to get to know him better.
“I have been friends with Javier for more than a decade,” said Katie Raml, ABC15 anchor. “He is deeply committed to this community. He represents the values of ABC15. I am energized to now work alongside him every day.”
“Javier is a solid journalist with a passion for storytelling,” said Mitch Jacob, news director at ABC15. “He understands the needs of Arizona and will hit the ground running day one in the newsroom. Javier is a wonderful addition to ABC15.”
When he is not bringing you news of the day, you will find Javier and his wife Beatrice exploring Arizona. You will likely see them at various events across the Valley supporting great causes, trying new restaurants, and rooting for the local sports teams.
Getting it right; That’s the promise Javier Soto is committed to keeping for ABC15 viewers. He shares his thoughts on what it means to represent the community in his interview with Katie Raml.