Jan 7, 2008 12:30 pm US/Eastern
Maggie Rodriguez: New Co-Host Of CBS Early Show
Maggie Anchored At CBS4 From Aug. 2000 - June 2007
NEW YORK (CBS4) ―
A local face is getting even more national exposure as former CBS4 anchor Maggie Rodriguez began as co-host of the CBS Early Show on Monday.
Rodriguez joins Harry Smith and Julie Chen, along with news anchor Russ Mitchell and weatherman and features reporter Dave Price.
The Early Show not only has a new co-anchor with Rodriguez but also a brand new studio in the General Motors building in Manhattan.
Maggie left CBS4 and Miami to become co-anchor of the "The Saturday Early Show" and less than a year later, was promoted to co-anchor of the weekday "The Early Show".
"Maggie is a terrific addition to "The Early Show" with so much experience in live anchoring," said Shelley Ross, Senior Executive Producer of the broadcast. "In the time she's been working with our 'Early Show' team, we've come to both respect her as a journalist and really enjoy her as a colleague. Our weekday viewers already know her from her work on the program, most recently in our autism series and last week's breaking news in Aruba, and I look forward to having her join the team, working with Harry, Julie, Russ and Dave every day."
"This is my dream job," said Rodriguez. "I get to utilize the journalistic skills I've developed over the past 15 years and have fun at the same time with feature segments. To do that with a group of people I like and respect as much as 'The Early Show' team, who've made me feel welcome from day one, is wonderful."
In addition to co-anchoring 'The Saturday Early Show', Rodriguez has reported for and substitute-anchored the weekday edition of the broadcast. She also has reported for the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric' and 'CBS News Sunday Morning', as well as substitute-anchored the weekend 'Evening News'.
Before joining CBS News, Rodriguez anchored the 5:00 PM and 11:00 PM newscasts at WFOR-TV, the CBS Owned station in Miami. While there, she reported on and anchored coverage of a wide range of major news events, including many hurricanes and, from New York, the one-year anniversary of 9/11. Rodriguez also was first on the air with coverage of the transfer of power in Cuba from Fidel Castro to his brother, Raul. Ultimately, the newscast received an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for its coverage of that story.
Before that, she was anchor of the midday news and of a weekend magazine show at KABC-TV Los Angeles.
Rodriguez also was a field reporter and covered a wide array of stories, including earthquakes, mudslides and the O.J. Simpson trial.
She also served as a reporter for the Univision Network in Miami. Rodriguez' career in journalism began at WLTV Miami, a Univision-owned station, where she was an associate producer, field producer and assignment editor.
She has received a total of seven Emmy Awards and two RTNDA Murrow Awards.
Rodriguez' alma mater, the University of Miami, awarded her the first-ever "Alpha Epsilon Rho Professional of the Year Award," its top honor for professionals in the communication industry. She also is the recipient of the Hispanic Heritage Council's prestigious "Young Hispanic Leadership Award" for professional accomplishments and community service.
Rodriguez was born in Miami and grew up in South Florida. She attended American University in Washington, D.C. and graduated from the University of Miami in 1991 with a degree in broadcast journalism and Spanish. Rodriguez and her husband have a daughter.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
