KTLA taps Melvin Robert to take over ‘Morning News’ post of the late Sam Rubin
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KTLA has added a new anchor to its “Morning News” lineup: newscaster Melvin Robert.
The Los Angeles news channel confirmed Wednesday that Robert, a senior correspondent and weekend co-host for “Extra,” will join its morning programming as its new entertainment anchor and reporter. He will take over for late journalist and longtime KTLA personality Sam Rubin.
Variety first broke the news of Robert’s hiring.
Longtime KTLA entertainment anchor Sam Rubin died unexpectedly Friday after a heart attack, The Times has confirmed. He was 64.
“I am overjoyed and humbled to join the KTLA 5 family,” Robert said in a statement. “This show carries such an iconic legacy, and I can’t wait to collaborate with so many people who I love, respect and admire. I believe so deeply in the power of connection and the transformative power that it holds to unite us all.”
He added: “That’s what morning television is all about, and that’s what the arts are all about, pulling us all together and giving us insight into our shared humanity. I can’t wait to start each and every morning with our Southern California viewers, and I am committed to earning their trust.”
Robert has big shoes to fill at KTLA. He joins the team less than a year after the news station lost veteran Rubin, who was the face of the news channel’s entertainment coverage for more than 30 years. Rubin was known among viewers and celebrities for his disarming interviews and warm personality. He died May 10 after a heart attack at age 64.
The son of Cuban immigrants, Llamas will be the first Latino to anchor a weekday English language broadcast network evening newscast.
The anchor’s death rocked the KTLA newsroom as his former co-anchors shared emotional tributes on-air and with The Times. “Sam was a giant in the local news industry and the entertainment world, and a fixture of Los Angeles morning television for decades,” KTLA said at the time on social media.
With Robert set to begin his tenure later this month, KTLA news director Erica Hill-Rodriguez said Wednesday the channel is eager for audiences to get to know its newest anchor, who interned for the station in 2000.
“We can’t wait for our viewers to start their mornings with his insight into the world of entertainment,” she said, “and to experience the love he has for the community that has been his lifelong home.”
News anchor Ellen Leyva is leaving KABC-TV Channel 7 after nearly 30 years, marking another shift in the local news scene.
Robert will begin his KTLA run the week of March 17. The California native joined “Extra” in 2022 and in 2023 became an anchor for Fox 11 News’ “Good Day LA.” Robert, a Loyola Marymount University alum, was also among the original anchors at Spectrum News 1.
He officially signed off from his “Good Day L.A.” post last Friday, telling viewers he was leaving for a “really exciting, new and professional opportunity.”
