'KTLA 5 Morning News' anchor Michaela Pereira joins CNN morning show

‘KTLA 5 Morning News’ anchor Michaela Pereira joins CNN morning show

By Greg Braxton

March 28, 2013 12 AM PT

Veteran “KTLA 5 Morning News” anchor Michaela Pereira will be leaving the station at the end of May to join CNN’s new morning show in New York. Pereira will be the news anchor for the show, which will be hosted by Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan.

The announcement was made jointly by KTLA and President of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker, who is aggressively shaking up the struggling network’s lineup and personalities.

“I’ve been looking forward to this announcement since I first joined CNN,” Zucker said in a statement. “Chris, Kate and Michaela are a dynamic team that will give our viewers in America a new way to start their day. We were floored with excitement when we saw Chris and Kate together on screen, and adding Michaela to the mix we feel we have something very special.”

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Pereira, who joined KTLA in 2004 as a morning news anchor, said she had mixed feelings about her departure.

“While I am beyond thrilled and excited by the next stop on my professional journey, I leave KTLA and Southern California with a heavy heart,” she said in a statement. “I came here nine years ago, wide-eyed and eager but was met by a community that welcomed me with open arms.”

She continued, “Thank you for inviting me into your homes and allowing me to get your day started as part of this extraordinary team at KTLA 5. You allowed me to marshal your parades, speak at your gatherings and hug your children. For this, I am deeply grateful.”

Said news director Jason Ball in a statement: “We’re of course saddened that Michaela is moving on, but happily for us she is part of an amazing morning news team that Southern California has embraced for many years.”

Executives at KTLA, which, like the Los Angeles Times, is owned by Tribune, said said they had no immediate plans to name a replacement for Pereira.

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