KTLA taps Melvin Robert to take over 'Morning News' post of the late Sam Rubin

KTLA has added a caller anchor to its “Morning News” lineup: newscaster Melvin Robert.

The Los Angeles quality transmission confirmed Wednesday that Robert, a elder analogous and play co-host for “Extra,” volition articulation its greeting programming arsenic its caller amusement anchor and reporter. He volition instrumentality implicit for precocious writer and longtime KTLA property Sam Rubin.

Variety archetypal broke the quality of Robert’s hiring.

“I americium overjoyed and humbled to articulation the KTLA 5 family,” Robert said successful a statement. “This amusement carries specified an iconic legacy, and I can’t hold to collaborate with truthful galore radical who I love, respect and admire. I judge truthful profoundly successful the powerfulness of transportation and the transformative powerfulness that it holds to unite america all.”

He added: “That’s what greeting tv is each about, and that’s what the arts are each about, pulling america each unneurotic and giving america penetration into our shared humanity. I can’t hold to commencement each and each greeting with our Southern California viewers, and I americium committed to earning their trust.”

Robert has large shoes to capable astatine KTLA. He joins the squad little than a twelvemonth aft the news presumption mislaid seasoned Rubin, who was the look of the quality channel’s amusement sum for much than 30 years. Rubin was known among viewers and celebrities for his disarming interviews and lukewarm personality. He died May 10 after a bosom attack astatine property 64.

The anchor’s decease rocked the KTLA newsroom arsenic his erstwhile co-anchors shared affectional tributes on-air and with The Times. “Sam was a elephantine successful the section quality manufacture and the amusement world, and a fixture of Los Angeles greeting tv for decades,” KTLA said astatine the time connected societal media.

With Robert acceptable to statesman his tenure aboriginal this month, KTLA quality manager Erica Hill-Rodriguez said Wednesday the transmission is anxious for audiences to get to cognize its newest anchor, who interned for the presumption successful 2000.

“We can’t hold for our viewers to commencement their mornings with his penetration into the satellite of entertainment,” she said, “and to acquisition the emotion helium has for the assemblage that has been his lifelong home.”

Robert volition statesman his KTLA tally the week of March 17. The California autochthonal joined “Extra” successful 2022 and successful 2023 became an anchor for Fox 11 News’ “Good Day LA.” Robert, a Loyola Marymount University alum, was besides among the archetypal anchors astatine Spectrum News 1.

He officially signed off from his “Good Day L.A.” station past Friday, telling viewers helium was leaving for a “really exciting, caller and nonrecreational opportunity.”