Meta description: Kris Van Cleave biography covers his local news start, nearly 8 years at WJLA-TV, his CBS News roles since 2015, 12 regional Emmy Awards, and his Phoenix base. Read 5 career phases with dates and sources.
Who Is Kris Van Cleave?
Kris Van Cleave is an Emmy Award-winning American journalist and senior transportation and national correspondent for CBS News. He is known for covering aviation and transportation, including the Boeing 737 Max crashes. He is based in Phoenix, Arizona.
What Are the Key Facts About Kris Van Cleave?
The table below lists documented facts about Kris Van Cleave. Each row names a category, and the second column gives the detail.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Profession | Broadcast journalist |
| Employer | CBS News |
| Current title | Senior transportation and national correspondent |
| Base location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Education | B.A. in broadcast journalism, University of Southern California |
| Transportation correspondent period | September 2015 to January 2021 |
| Regional Emmy Awards | 12 |
| Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards | 9 |
| Fellowships | RIAS Berlin Komission (2011), East-West Center (2013) |
Where Did Kris Van Cleave Go to School?
Kris Van Cleave earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California. He is a 1994 graduate of the Clairbourn School. He attended 6 schools in 9 years before reaching Clairbourn for 8th grade.
How Did Kris Van Cleave Start His Career?
Kris Van Cleave began his television career as a producer of the syndicated “CyberGuy Report” at KTLA-TV/Tribune. He then worked as a reporter at 2 smaller stations.
His early roles include:
- Producer of the “CyberGuy Report” at KTLA-TV/Tribune
- Military beat reporter at KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Reporter at XETV/Fox 6 News in San Diego, California
What Did Kris Van Cleave Do at WJLA-TV?
Kris Van Cleave worked as a reporter and anchor at WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 in Washington, D.C., for nearly 8 years. He also anchored the 6:00 PM newscast on NewsChannel 8.
Major stories from this period include:
- The mass shooting at Washington’s Navy Yard
- The Virginia Tech massacre
- The 2012 South Carolina Republican presidential primary
- The Haiti earthquake, reported on location
- Local troops in Afghanistan
When Did Kris Van Cleave Join CBS News?
Kris Van Cleave joined CBS News as a correspondent for CBS Newspath, based in New York City. CBS Newspath is the network’s 24-hour newsgathering service for CBS stations and broadcasters. He spent 7 of his first 12 months at CBS on the road.
What Has Kris Van Cleave Covered at CBS News?
Kris Van Cleave has held 4 correspondent roles at CBS News since 2015. The table below lists each role. The columns show the title, period, and main coverage.
| Role | Period | Main coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation correspondent | September 2015 to January 2021 | Aviation, Boeing 737 Max crashes, autonomous vehicles |
| Congressional correspondent | January 2021 to January 2022 | 117th Congress, January 6 attack on the Capitol |
| National correspondent | January 2022 to February 2023 | Breaking news of national importance |
| Senior transportation and national correspondent | March 2023 to present | Transportation and national stories |
What Did Kris Van Cleave Cover as Congressional Correspondent?
Kris Van Cleave covered the 117th Congress and gave live reports from the Capitol’s west lawn during the January 6 attack. That coverage was part of the CBS Mornings Emmy win for Best Live Newscast. He also covered impeachment, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and budget reconciliation.
What Awards Has Kris Van Cleave Won?
Kris Van Cleave has won 12 regional Emmy Awards and 9 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. He was also part of the ABC7 team honored with national Edward R. Murrow Awards for breaking news in 2010 and 2013. He twice received the Emmy Award for best general assignment reporter in the D.C. region.
Where Is Kris Van Cleave Based?
Kris Van Cleave is based in Phoenix, Arizona. He has worked from 4 cities at CBS News: New York, Washington, Dallas, and Phoenix.
People Also Ask
What does Kris Van Cleave do at CBS News?
Kris Van Cleave is a senior transportation and national correspondent for CBS News.
Where did Kris Van Cleave go to college?
Kris Van Cleave earned a broadcast journalism degree at the University of Southern California.
How many Emmy Awards does Kris Van Cleave have?
Kris Van Cleave has 12 regional Emmy Awards.
When did Kris Van Cleave join CBS News?
Kris Van Cleave joined CBS News as a Newspath correspondent and became transportation correspondent in September 2015.
Where does Kris Van Cleave live?
Kris Van Cleave is based in Phoenix, Arizona.
What Are the 5 Career Phases in the Kris Van Cleave Biography?
The Kris Van Cleave biography has 5 career phases:
- Early local news work at KTLA-TV, KOAA-TV, and XETV/Fox 6
- Nearly 8 years as reporter and anchor at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.
- CBS Newspath correspondent in New York
- CBS News transportation correspondent from 2015 to 2021
- Congressional, national, and senior correspondent roles from 2021 onward
Sources: CBS News correspondent profile; Paramount Press Express release on CBS Newspath appointment; Talking Biz News (March 13, 2023); Clairbourn School alumni spotlight; LinkedIn profile; IMDb CBS Mornings credits.