Karen Larsen larsen@kjrh.com Karen Larsen joined KJRH Channel 2 in May of 1996, and is currently anchor of Channel 2 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Her work on these newscasts has earned three Emmy awards, as well as honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Karen also produces reports for the "2-Works for You Healthcast" series which have earned awards from the Tulsa City-County Health Department and the Community Health Foundation..
Karen has produced, written and hosted award-winning documentaries dedicated to health issues. "2 For the Cure: Life Stories" focused on three women battling breast cancer. She followed that effort with another documentary on four people fighting four types of cancer. These programs have won state, regional and national awards; including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award from the RTNDA. "To this day, I am still in touch with several of the women I met during the making of these documentaries," Karen said. "They are truly inspiring, courageous women whom I am proud to know. In fact, they offered tremendous support and encouragement during my mother's fight with breast cancer."
In addition to health issues, Karen spent an entire year producing and writing the documentary, "Shaking the Silence: Prevention, Awareness and Education of Shaken Baby Syndrome." Larsen and talented photojournalists from KJRH followed a young father from arrest to conviction to the day he reported to prison for fracturing the skull of his girlfriend's baby. The documentary team also followed two young parents struggling to cope with their baby's brain damage and health challenges after his babysitter shook him violently and dropped him in his crib. The Parent-Child Center of Tulsa, regional hospitals and several high schools now utilize the documentary to help raise awareness of the danger of shaking a vulnerable baby. "Shaking the Silence" won Best Documentary awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters.
Karen was raised in California, but returned to her family's roots in Oklahoma in 1987. Just ask, and she will proudly tell you that her great-grandmother was born in Mountain View, Oklahoma before statehood. "My grandfather, Brian Jenkins, was born and raised in Fort Cobb in 1918. He is a lively 89-year old who loves to tell stories of riding the rails back to his beloved Oklahoma after the family moved to California during the Dust Bowl era," Karen added. She is married to Dennis, a Tulsa Police Deputy Chief, and together they share the joys and challenges of raising their three children. When she finds a spare moment, Karen enjoys home improvement projects, gardening, reading and searching out antique treasures.