(From left: Rudabeh Shahbazi and Kalyna Astrinos)

Nov. 1, 2022 – Award-winning journalists Rudabeh Shahbazi and Kalyna Astrinos have been named anchors of the local morning news franchise that is expected to launch in December on KCAL-TV and the CBS News Los Angeles streaming channel. Shahbazi will join Jamie Yuccas to anchor the 7:00-10:00 AM, PT portion of KCAL’s planned seven-hour, 4:00-11:00 AM, PT weekday news franchise. Astrinos will anchor KCAL’s 4:00-4:30 AM, PT newscast and additionally serve as the station’s morning traffic anchor. The announcement was made by Joel Vilmenay, president and general manager of CBS News and Stations’ local businesses in Los Angeles.

Shahbazi is returning to Southern California, where she served as a reporter and substitute anchor at KABC-TV from 2011-15 and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Pepperdine University. She most recently was one of the original anchors and national correspondents for the cable news network NewsNation, based in Chicago. Prior to that, Shahbazi spent five years as a lead anchor at WFOR-TV, the CBS-owned station in Miami.

Astrinos is also returning to Southern California, where she previously served as a traffic anchor for KABC-TV and local radio stations from 2009-15 and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and social behavior from the University of California, Irvine. She is making her return to Los Angeles from Las Vegas, where she has been a morning anchor at KTNV-TV since 2019.

“KCAL has established itself as one of the most-watched and trusted local news stations in Southern California – primarily because of its nightly three-hour primetime newscasts that were a first-in-the-country experiment when they were launched in 1990 with an anchor team that included Jerry Dunphy and Pat Harvey,” Vilmenay said. “Now the time has come for another bold venture: the expansion of KCAL News to mornings. We are thrilled to welcome Rudabeh and Kalyna as the two newest additions to our anchor team. They are familiar faces to Southern Californians and bring a wealth of local knowledge and passion for the communities we serve.”

“It’s an honor to be a part of something new and filled with such great potential, along with the legendary talent at KCAL, both on air and behind the scenes,” Shahbazi said. “I’m thrilled for the privilege to break news in the community I care so deeply about, and know we will also have a lot of fun as we wake up together every morning. After living and working all over the country, I truly feel at home here in Southern California.”

“The opportunity to come home to Los Angeles and contribute to the launch of a seven-hour morning show is an offer I simply could not turn down,” Astrinos said. “I am thoroughly impressed with the commitment CBS is making to launch KCAL’s morning news. From the exclusive partnership with the Total Traffic Network, to bringing on board the legendary Jeff Baugh as our airborne reporter, I am confident that KCAL and CBS News Los Angeles will provide the absolute best traffic reporting in the market. I am also thrilled to continue to serve as a news anchor and provide community-driven segments that will help my fellow Angelenos start their day the right way.”

Shahbazi’s background also includes working for stations in Phoenix; Pasco, Wash.; and Oakland, Calif. While in the Bay Area, she earned a master’s degree in television production from the University of California, Berkeley.

Astrinos’ background also includes three years as a reporter and anchor at KGTV-TV in San Diego. Additionally, she served as morning reporter and substitute anchor at KBAK-TV and KBFX-TV in Bakersfield, Calif.

Coinciding with the launch of KCAL’s morning newscasts, sister station KCBS-TV, the West Coast Flagship of the CBS Television Network, will expand its commitment to national and global news coverage by airing live broadcasts of CBS MORNINGS from 4:00-6:00 AM, PT while also continuing to carry the West Coast editions of the CBS News morning program in its longtime 7:00-9:00 AM, PT time period.

KCAL’s morning news will air on both KCBS and KCAL during the 6:00-7:00 AM hour.

The addition of KCAL’s morning news franchise will give KCBS, KCAL and the CBS News Los Angeles streaming channel a combined total of 91.5 hours of regularly scheduled live local newscasts per week – more hours than any other station in the Los Angeles market.

***

Press Contact: