Weekdays, 4:30AM - 9AM & 11AM - 12:00PM
Eric Kahnert is a 10-time Emmy Award winning veteran journalist and anchor for CBS 8 in San Diego, California.
Eric Kahnert is known in the San Diego community for giving viewers a positive start to their day with his humor, and energetic personality. He enjoys featuring inspirational San Diegans, telling stories that help families, reporting on medical advancements, and covering youth sports. You can watch Eric every weekday morning from 4:30 a.m.-7 a.m. on CBS 8, 7 a.m.-9 a.m. on the CW, and again from 11 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on CBS 8.
"It's a privilege to wake up San Diegans each morning with a smile and a story to tell. I strive to get people out the door feeling informed and on a positive note. When I meet people out in the community, it's rewarding to hear CBS8 Mornings is an integral part of their daily routine."
Eric enjoys bringing viewers 6 hours of live news and sports coverage each morning, but he also loves getting out in the community to report on stories that impact San Diegans. In 2023, Eric launched an award-winning franchise called Trading Places which highlights the unique and often difficult jobs San Diegans don't get enough recognition for. Eric tries out their job to give viewers a new appreciation for professions. Some of the jobs Eric has highlighted include: preschool teacher, busser at a busy restaurant, animal shelter care attendant, rollercoaster ride operator, butcher, and many others. Just a few months after launching the Trading Places segment, Eric was honored with a 1st Place News Feature Series Award from San Diego Press Club. If you have a Trading Places suggestion, email Eric at: ekahnert@cbs8.com
Also in 2023, Eric earned his 9th and 10th Emmy Awards, including the Best Human Interest Award for a community story on an underserved all-girls baseball team. The year prior, Eric won an Emmy award for Best Anchor in the region, along with an Emmy for Best Medical story. He also was nominated for Best Sports Anchor. Eric’s breaking news coverage on the anchor desk helped CBS8 win the coveted Golden Mike Award. The Radio & TV News Association awarded the show the Best 60 Minute Newscast in Southern California, the first time a San Diego station won the award over a Los Angeles station in 14 years. Eric has also been nominated for Best Anchor by the San Diego Union-Tribune numerous times.
Prior to joining News 8, Eric was the main evening anchor at KMGH, the ABC affiliate in Denver, Colorado, where he received multiple Emmy awards for anchoring and reporting. Viewers turned to Eric for some of Colorado's biggest news, investigative, weather and sports stories, including the Aurora theater shooting trial, and numerous destructive and deadly storms and wildfires. Eric also served as weekend anchor at KUSA, the NBC affiliate in Denver, where his live reports were featured on Dateline NBC and CNN. He also anchored at KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he grew up.
Dedicated to serving the community, Eric is proud of his partnership with Special Olympics. Eric is the first journalist in the country to mentor and train developmentally disabled adults to become on-air local news reporters. Both reporters won Emmy Awards for their work. As a result of his dedication, Eric received an Award from ARC, a non-profit supporting full inclusion of the developmentally disabled. Eric is also involved with MDA San Diego as a fundraiser, organizer, and emcee of various events. Eric has enjoyed emceeing some of San Diego's most prestigious fundraisers, galas and events. Please contact him directly if you'd like Eric to be your emcee or host at ekahnert@cbs8.com
A proud USC Trojan, Eric has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California, where he anchored and reported for USC's prestigious Annenberg TV News. Eric was also a member of USC's Skull & Dagger Honor Society, Pi Kappa Alpha, and named "All American" as three-year captain of the University's Division II hockey team (no, not all of Eric's teeth are originals!).
Eric and his wife, Allison, enjoy trying new hiking spots, and beaches around San Diego with their three children. When he's not enjoying quality family time or volunteering, you'll catch Eric coaching youth baseball and hockey teams, playing in a pick-up hockey game, or stuck in a sand trap while attempting to play golf.
Please follow Eric's social media pages, on Facebook @EricKahnert, on Twitter @EricNews8, and on Instagram @eric.kahnert
