Giselle Fernandez is about to reset her alarm clock. Los Angeles’ Spectrum News 1 is set to announce that the broadcast news vet will anchor a new three-hour weekday program onLos Angeles’ Spectrum News 1 dubbed “The Rush Hour” starting Aug. 19.
Fernandez’s move to afternoons is part of an anchor shift at the local cable news outlet. Fernandez had previously hosted “Your Morning on Spectrum News 1”; now those duties will be handled by Kelvin Washington, who’s moving from midday. Taking over “Your Afternoon on Spectrum News 1” is anchor Amrit Singh, who will also continue to host the political interview show “Inside the Issues.”
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Spectrum News 1 said it was making the shift after recent research showed an increased interest in the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daypart for local news — which it has dubbed a “new primetime.”
“Spectrum Networks launched Spectrum News 1 in Southern California with the goal of transforming the news landscape in LA, meeting our audience where they are, rising to viewership from over one million households per month just six years later; ‘The Rush Hour’ is the next step in that journey,” said Cater Lee, Spectrum News 1’s vice president of original programming and on-air talent development.
“’The Rush Hour’ will feature breaking news and weather along with Spectrum News 1’s signature coverage of local news, prioritizing community-based storytelling,” she added. “Giselle will ascend to this role and continue to delve deeper into stories impacting Angelenos. Supported by a team of journalists reporting from the field, Giselle will provide viewers access to objective local news that affects their everyday lives. The additional moves for Kelvin and Amrit will allow them each to bring their signature styles to other dayparts.”
The shift comes as the Fernandez-led “Your Morning on Spectrum News 1” just won the L.A. Area Emmy award for morning newscast last month. Overall, Spectrum News 1 scored 17 nominations — up from 14 last year — at the 2024 L.A. Emmys, making it second only to PBS SoCal this year.
“I take great pride in what we have built at Spectrum News 1 in the LA market over the last six years,” said Fernandez. “We have remained committed to bringing unbiased, trusted and hyperlocal coverage to the Southland at a time when comprehensive contextual storytelling should be at the forefront. While it’s hard to say goodbye to the great morning team, I am eager to expand our mission of great storytelling in an exciting and fast-changing new television landscape.”
All three anchors have been with Spectrum News 1 since its 2018 launch. Fernandez, who has won nine Emmys, also hosts the Emmy award-winning weekly series “LA Stories” and is a three-time recipient of the LA Press Club’s Journalist of the Year award (receiving the org’s President’s Award in 2023.)
Washington, who won a Golden Mike award in 2021, hosted Spectrum News 1’s “50 Years of Hip Hop: From the Westside” and is a frequent contributor on Spectrum News 1’s “LA Times Today.” Singh has hosted “Spectrum News Challenge” and the Golden Mike-winning limited series “Music Diaries.”
