CBS Names 2 More Anchors for New Local Morning Show on KCAL and KCBS Streaming

By Kevin Eck 

Rudabeh Shahbazi and Kalyna Astrinos have been named anchors of the new local morning news franchise launching on Los Angeles CBS owned station KCAL and the CBS News Los Angeles streaming channel in December.

Shahbazi will join Jamie Yuccas for the 7-10 a.m. portion of KCAL’s planned seven-hour, 4 to 11 a.m. weekday block. Astrinos will anchor KCAL’s 4 to 4:30 a.m. newscast and additionally serve as the station’s morning traffic anchor.

“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,” said Joel Vilmenay, president and general manager of CBS News and Stations’ local businesses in Los Angeles. “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.”

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Shahbazi was a reporter and substitute anchor at KABC from 2011 to 2015. Most recently, she was one of the original anchors and national correspondents for the cable news network NewsNation, based in Chicago. Before that, Shahbazi spent five years as a lead anchor at Miami CBS-owned station WFOR.

Astrinos previously served as a traffic anchor for KABC and local radio stations from 2009 to 2015. She has been a morning anchor at KTNV in Las Vegas since 2019.

“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.”

Coinciding with the launch of KCAL’s morning newscasts, sister station KCBS will air live broadcasts of CBS Mornings from 4 to 6:00 a.m. while continuing to carry the West Coast editions of the CBS News morning program from 7 to 9:00 a.m.

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

CBS said 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.

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