“Tell her she’s hot,” was their reaction.
OLGA OSPINA
FEATURE
The air doesn’t completely change when I say this, but the awkwardness passes by just as I gulp my thick heel whole. Ospina, the professional, confident, self-aware anchor woman who has mesmerized Central Coast residents every weeknight the past four years, handles it like you imagine her handling most any situation – with style and class.
BY : LOSTBOY
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“I think that if you do good work, and I think people connect with you, that’s kind of the goal,” she said. “I think I’m very approachable. I get people coming to me all the time saying “I feel like I know you from being on camera.” I think if you have that connect with them, that’s a good thing. I don’t think [good looks] hurt me in any way.” She punctuates that last sentence with a shimmering smile, as I subconsciously wipe the sweat from my brow. Phew. For a second there, I thought I might have blown the interview. During her short time in the 831, Ospina has become a fixture on late night local TV and the community at large. But she’s still a bit of a mystery. Turns out she’s a So-Cal gal who spent a chunk of her adolescence in her parents’ native Colombia (yeah, she’s Colombian, not Eastern European as the name Olga might suggest).
Photo : Moss Media
The UCLA grad cut her teeth as a Spanish language reporter and immediately earned a spot on the anchor desk in Los Angeles. A tour of duty in the Midwest was followed by her eventual move back to California and the Peninsula, where she’s charmed audiences on the local Fox and CBS affiliates.
A
n uncomfortable silence fills the room when I ask Olga Ospina if her model good looks ever made it hard for people to take her seriously as an anchor woman. She ponders the question for a long moment, as the trepidation lingers in the air long enough to hear everyone in the room take a breath. Then, she dismisses the issue altogether, as if the thought had never once crossed her mind. Olga Ospina, KION and KCBA anchor woman and community debutant, insists that being a young hottie has never interfered with her role as an accomplished news woman. But I can’t let the issue rest on that. I report the common response among my admittedly juvenile male friends whenever I mentioned Ospina in the days leading up to the interview.
In person, Ospina is radiant in a gold, flared short-sleeve blouse, stylish Capri jeans and strapped, open toe risers. Hair and make-up resplendent, and topped off with an elegant turquoise necklace, she’s a stunna as she talks up the 831 Mag photographers and reviews clips from the previous day’s photo shoot. She’s also a good sport when I fumble through questions, and a bit shy when asked if she has any quirks that people might not know about. She fidgets in her seat and finally calls her friend/co-worker, Claudia Otero, to offer up some dirt Otero has nothing but kind words, but she does offer up some juice. Turns out your girl Olga is a bit of a lead foot and is prone to color coordinating her closet. An OCD speed freak? Is there some measure of sinister behind the award-winning smile? “There’s no dirt whatsoever,” said Otero over the phone. “She’s a very sweet, kind hearted person. She’s got a huge heart, always willing to help out those she is friends with and those she is not. Loves animals, loves people. Just a very true and genuine person. A lot of people in this business tend not to be. Olga’s the complete opposite of that.” Oh geez, now I’m going to cry. Here’s how the rest of the interview went down: Q: How long have you been an anchor? A: I’ve been here on the Central Coast for almost four years. December will be four years. I started in news in 1997. I started at a little cable station out in San Bernardino county.
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10/27/2008 12:51:11 PM