WBNS-10TV’S Angela An to join afternoon news as co-anchor
A big change is ahead for WBNS-TV (Channel 10) “Wake Up CBUS” co-anchor Angela An, who will begin co-anchoring News at Four with Yolanda Harris and News at 5:30 with Andrew Kinsey on Monday.
“I’m literally flipping the dial. My day has started at 1:30 a.m. for at least 20 years. Now I get to see how the other side of the world lives,” said An, joking that this will be the first time she’ll be able to sleep in since joining 10TV in 2000.
A seven-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, An said switching to afternoon news will also bring a shift in audience. “I think morning news is so unique in and of itself — you start people’s day and tell them what happened overnight while they were sleeping,” she said.
“Doing the news (later) will give me an opportunity to help people know what happened while they were at work, so they’ll still feel engaged with what’s going on.”
An said another thing she is looking forward to is being able to spend more time with her family, especially her 11year-old daughter.
Among her numerous accomplishments at 10TV, An helped to launch Crimetracker
10, which focuses on crime trends in neighborhoods. She also initiated 10TV’S Gratitude Project and Nextdoor partnership sharing positive stories of people doing good deeds during the coronavirus pandemic.
Of the many stories she’s done, An said the one that affected her the most was covering the deadly tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004. “It was a worldwide catastrophe. When I arrived, people saw me and my photographer and ran up to us with photos of loved ones who were missing. They were so desperate; it was just palpable,” she recalled.
“That will change anyone, and I think that’s why I continue to do what I do. You have to find the compassion — that’s what storytelling is about.”
An said what she cherishes most about her job, whether working mornings or nights, is getting to know the community. “There are so many different people ... I treasure getting to know what they do and why, what motivates them, what moves them,” she said.
“There have been some stories that moved me and made me realize this is what humanity is about and why journalism exists.”
bpaschal@dispatch.com