News Anchor Celebrates Lives of Local Heroes

By Chuck N. Baker

(Las Vegas) — Most American veterans do not think of themselves as heroes, and are often uneasy when being hailed as such. Still, much of the public considers those who served in the nation’s military as being heroic. In some cases the heroism is due to veterans who served either a few or many years in the peacetime military. In other cases, veterans are deemed heroic for having served in combat situations.

Whatever the case, veterans of all stripes are honored in Las Vegas by ABC-TV Channel 13 and news anchor Kalyna Astrinos. In two news segments, one at 6 a.m. and again at 6 p.m., she hosts “Veterans Voice” each Wednesday. She got the assignment by asking for it when another reporter moved elsewhere. One reason she wanted it was to honor the memory her late grandfather. “My grandfather served in the Army in the Korean War,” she proudly stated. “He was the best.”

Prior to each Wednesday she interviews several veterans via Zoom, asks them for photos and related items that she can use on the air to illustrate the person’s military background. Then she works with her producer to develop a short video vignette that explains each interviewee’s service. Each week after a segment airs, she often hears from the public thanking her for her interview. Sometimes, she learns that her interview resulted in unexpectedly helping a veteran. “One story I did about a vet, he had basically fallen on hard times,” she explained. After the segment aired, she received a phone call from someone offering assistance. “I got a message from a woman who wanted to get him some help,” Astrinos said. The woman represented the local U.S. vets organization, which provides veterans with safe shelter, education, employment training and job referrals. While the majority of her guests are firmly situated in life, it’s not unusual that occasionally one of her guests happens to be in need of a hand up. In those instances, after the interview is televised, she receives many calls from the public and service agencies wanting to offer such a hand.

In college in California, Astrinos majored in Psychology and Social Behavior. Beginning in the broadcast industry as an intern, she worked in Top 40 radio, and later did weather and traffic reports. Later still she worked in television news in San Diego. It’s an old joke that being a weatherperson in San Diego is the most boring job in the nation, since the weather is basically the same there each day, all year ‘round. Weather aside, she had graduated to doing news, and at one point was in the process of renewing her contract. Then her boss told her about a news position in Las Vegas. The San Diego station she was at is owned by the same company that owns the Las Vegas station. She was intrigued. When the position was offered to her, she made the move to the Silver State and ABC-TV Channel 13, more formally known as KTNV-TV. She anchors the news that includes the veterans segment, and also hosts the Good Morning Las Vegas show each day. Astrinos can be contacted at kalyna.astrinos@ktnv.com.

In locating veterans to interview, she uses a variety of sources. She contacts the major veterans organizations for referrals, and reaches out through social media. “When I talk to one veteran, they know another veteran, and so on. It’s a tight knit community and they have respect for each other. It’s really easy to locate people,” she noted.

Locating Nevada’s veterans to interview and tell their stories beats having to keep up with the latest Top 40 musical trend, or having to develop new ways of explaining the weather each day in San Diego. For the record as this article is being written, the forecast there for the next several days is projected to be “Sunny, Sunny, Sunny, Mostly Sunny and Mostly Sunny.” Contrast that with the climate for veterans in Las Vegas. At least when Kalyna Astrinos is in front of the camera, they find that the atmosphere is always warm and welcoming.

View all of Kalyna Astrinos television Veterans Voice segments; She can be contacted at kalyna.astrinos@ktnv.com.