Chris Renkel

Chris Renkel joined the Local 12 Sports Team in August of 2019. Growing up in Westlake, Ohio, Chris was an avid sports fan since he could crawl (seriously, his first word was "ball").

Before settling in the Tri-State, Chris spent four years at the CBS station in Birmingham, Alabama covering everything from motorsports at Talladega Superspeedway to the Crimson Tide football dynasty.

In the four years Chris spent in the Yellowhammer state, he covered Alabama’s run to four straight College Football Playoff National Championship games, Derrick Henry’s historic run at the Heisman Trophy, as well as Auburn’s run to the NCAA Final Four.

During his time in Alabama, Chris was awarded multiple awards including being named “Sportscaster of the Year” by the Associated Press, as well as winning a Regional “Edward R. Murrow Award” for sports reporting.

Before moving to the deep south, Chris started his career in Pocatello, Idaho covering local sports for the ABC/FOX/CBS affiliates. Living in the Rocky Mountains gave him the chance to explore the mountains and take in the natural wonder of Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks.

Chris graduated from Ball State University in 2013 with a degree in Broadcasting and served as the radio sideline reporter for the Ball State football team and play by play broadcaster for the women’s basketball team. Chris was awarded a professional EMMY for a feature story on two South Sudanese refugees who played for the Cardinals basketball team.

When he’s not working, you can usually find Chris in the gym or exploring everything Cincinnati has to offer. He loves spending time in the outdoors and finding adventure wherever it happens.