About Laura Diaz

Being a newscaster worker isn't easy. To have this kind of career is very hard, sometimes you will be assign into some dangerous issues. But to become one like Laura Diaz , it usually takes courage and faith and strong personality do have this kind of position in the media. Laura Diaz came along way, but she achieve the dreams and career she ever wanted. Read on to get familiar on how Laura Diaz become the Number One Leading Hispanic Television Journalists in the Nation.

Laura Diaz was born in Santa Paula. Her parents were farm workers trying to build a life for their children. At the young age of four, Laura and her family moved to the Santa Clarita Valley. When they arrived her family spoke little English and Laura learned then what family and friends were all about. Laura's teachers were very supportive and enthusiastic about her teachings. Laura attended a much-less crowded William S. Hart High School. At the time Laura was in high school our small town began to ignite into what it is today. While at Hart Laura was on the cheer leading squad and took much interest in her schooling.

After graduating from Hart, Laura went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. And that is where her journey begins. While attending Cal Poly Laura took on an internship at IBM Communications and it was there that she realized what she was supposed to do. She loved to write and above all, she loved public speaking.

Diaz landed her first job in television at KSBY-TV in San Luis. Which later followed with a job as a reporter and a substitute anchor in Fresno for KFSN-TV. With a giant smile on her face she says, "It was the best of times and the worst of times. I was in charge of shooting every shot, writing my own stories, and editing them as well." All in a days work for a struggling reporter trying to make it to anchor position. "I am eternally grateful for those times."

1983 brought change for Laura once more. Laura packed her bags and headed back to southern California where she took a job as a reporter for KABC-TV. The next two years brought more change. In 1985 she started her career as a TV news anchor and three years after that she was doing a weekday evening news cast. Diaz has covered historical stories that have occurred in southern California over the years; Stories such as the First Interstate Bank fire, the Northridge earthquake and the Los Angeles Riots. During the riots, Laura, while trying to gather a story, was held at gunpoint by angered Angelinos.

As many know the news never sleeps. The following years brought story, after story. The ground kept shaking, car chases grew in number, and Laura grew more popular with the Los Angeles community. In 1994 Laura was one of the two hosts of Vista L.A. Vista L.A. was the first public affairs show in southern California aimed at English-speaking Latinos.

After being passed up a few years prior for lead anchor, all of her hard work paid of in 1997 when she was named lead anchor for the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. Laura was the first Hispanic woman to ever hold such a title.

Perhaps in 2002 Laura made her biggest change yet. She moved from KABC-TV to KCBS-TV as co-anchor of the 5 and 11 p.m. news. "It was a transition that was welcomed with open arms," Laura explains. "Moving to CBS has opened the doors for more creativity." In the past three years CBS 2 has regained its power and is climbing to the number one station for news. "A newscast is a team sport," Laura went on to explain. "With out the help of 150 plus people the news would not be what it is on air."

Laura Diaz has co-anchored CBS 2 News at 5PM and 11PM since 2002. She is thrilled to be part of the team that helped transform CBS 2 into the ratings leader in Southern California.

A true local success story, Ms. Diaz is a Southern California native and first generation Mexican American. She has forged a strong bond with the Southland's Latino community. Ms. Diaz was born in Santa Paula, California where her parents labored in the fields. When Laura was four years old her family moved off the farm workers camp to Santa Clarita in northern L.A. County where she was raised. She graduated from William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

She is an eight-time Emmy Award winner, including an Emmy in 2006 for Individual Achievement in Feature Reporting. Ms. Diaz also won back-to-back Golden Mike Awards in 2005 and 2006 for best feature reporting. In June 2005, she landed the first in depth television interview with incoming Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. That story earned her a national Imagen Award in 2006.

After brief reporting stints in San Luis Obispo and Fresno fresh out of college, Laura returned home to Southern California. She has worked here ever since, becoming a full time anchor at KABC-TV in 1989.

In 1997, she became part of Los Angeles television history when she was appointed lead female anchor for the station's centerpiece 5PM and 11PM newscasts. That promotion made her the first Hispanic to ever hold that prestigious position at a Southland TV station. While at KABC-TV, Laura covered many historic and compelling stories, including the Northridge earthquake and the Los Angeles riots, where she and her camera crew were threatened at gunpoint. To find out more about Laura Diaz visit Visit Anchor Laura Diaz Today