| Kmov Anchor and Reporter Jasmine Huda

| KMOV Anchor and Reporter Jasmine Huda

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KMOV Anchor and Reporter Jasmine Huda KIM GORDON

Credibility, accuracy and professional integrity—the cornerstones of great journalism—define KMOV anchor and reporter Jasmine Huda. Her passion for getting to the bottom of a story, sharp investigative instincts and her ability to connect with the community are just a few of the reasons she’s known as one of the top broadcast journalists in town.

Case in point, she received the 2011 National Edward R. Murrow Award for the KMOV-TV documentary, “The State of Education.” She also won a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for her piece, “Miracle Field,” in the Video Sports Reporting category that same year. Jasmine’s other honors include a Mid-America Emmy for News Special, a Mid-America Emmy nomination for Feature News Reporting and an Outstanding Media Award by the National Alliance on Mental Illness St. Louis. And the list goes on ...

"I surprise myself," she laughs. "I'll be the first to say that I never expected Jasmine Huda, Video Sports Reporting and Murrow to appear in the same sentence. But I took that story seriously, as I do all my assignments. I love to cover my hometown, and I am committed to making our city a better place to work and live."

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| KMOV Anchor and Reporter Jasmine Huda

1/28/14 11:45 AM

HEARTFELT Jasmine is also passionate about a cause close to her heart: raising awareness for the American Heart Association in St. Louis. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Team’s “Go Red For Women” campaign and serves as the annual speaker for the organization’s “Go Red For Women” Luncheon every February.

“Both my parents have heart disease, so the cause hits close to home,” she shares. “After a routine checkup, the doctor told my mom she unexpectedly needed two stents, so I do everything I can to raise awareness and spread the word about fighting obesity and educating women about heart disease—it’s the No. 1 killer for women.”

During high school, Jasmine was overweight and encourages women of all ages to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle, not to just feel and look good, but for their health. “As a teenager, I was about 30 pounds overweight—partly because my mom is such an amazing cook—but I know that it doesn’t feel good physically or mentally to be out of shape, and I never want to go back to feeling like that. "Exercise makes me feel good about myself— inside and out. It's a tremendous energy and confidence booster."

Now Jasmine runs, takes kettle bell classes and lifts weights five times a week. “One of my goals is to become a better runner,” she says. “But good health starts with sleep, and everything falls into place from there. Eating well, exercising and making healthy choices—it all begins with being well rested because that gives you the energy to perform your best. It’s my secret for staying on top of my game.”

HEADLINE NEWS Jasmine’s parents always stressed to her the importance of a great education.

“My parents grew up in India in a small village outside of Kolkata, and literally came to America with very little in the mid-1960s,” she shares. “My father went from nothing to building a great life for our family. He is a physician so his medical education is what allowed my family opportunities in America. He truly defines the American dream.”

After graduating high school, Jasmine earned a degree in political science from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. During her junior year at Michigan, Jasmine wanted more from her education than academic classes. Backed by the encouragement of her older brother (she is the youngest of five children) Jasmine went to NPR member station WUOM-FM in Ann Arbor inquiring about internships. There, she ran the boards, did station breaks and served as a weekend host, constantly working on her voice and delivery of the news.

Just a few days after the tragedy of Sept. 11, Jasmine headed to Washington, D.C. to work as an intern at NPR Headquarters on "All Things Considered." Soon after, she was promoted to an editorial assistant for NPR’s “Morning Edition.” “I’ll never forget how the city felt so somber and serious—it felt paralyzed to me,” she says. “It was an interesting and challenging time to move to a new city and start my first job. It was a profound experience.”

Her great work at NPR soon landed her a job at Fox News Channel’s Washington Bureau as an associate producer, where she wrote copy and booked stories for the network’s daytime programs. Fox sent Jasmine to the G-8 Summit, New Hampshire Primary and the Democratic National Convention as a field producer.

Washington quickly taught Jasmine how to get past the superficiality and competiveness in the news business. “Everyone in Washington is so competitive, juggles so much at once and moves so fast,” she explains. “Working there taught me how to multitask and how to constantly stay on top of breaking news.”

A LOCAL EDGE The more Jasmine worked behind the scenes at Fox News, the more she wanted to be in front of the story and out in the field covering breaking news. But she knew it would be next to impossible to break in at a national network, so she started sending tapes to TV stations back home in Missouri. She soon landed a job in Springfield at KSPR-ABC as a general assignment field reporter.

While covering news there, Jasmine befriended several longtime print reporters at the Springfield News-Leader, who taught her an invaluable journalistic lesson: the importance of building and developing sources.

In 2007, Jasmine left Springfield and returned to St. Louis to work as a general assignment reporter for KSDK, covering everything from

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| KMOV Anchor and Reporter Jasmine Huda

1/28/14 11:45 AM

snowstorms at 5 a.m. on Highway 40 overpasses to murder trials. In 2010, KMOV began pursuing her and made Jasmine an offer she couldn’t refuse while she was still working at KSDK. ”KMOV presented me with such a great opportunity; it was a once-in-a-lifetime deal that I had to take,” she shares. “It was a tough decision, but a calculated move.”

Whether covering general news at KSDK or anchoring the 5 p.m. news at KMOV, Jasmine is passionate about covering stories in her hometown.

“It helps so much as a reporter to be local. People in St. Louis really respect and value that you are one of them—it gives you more credibility,” she says. “Covering stories in my hometown is always exciting. There is never a boring day on the job.”

QUICKFIRE Q&A Hobbies? Watching Sunday morning news shows, reading news magazines, exploring brunch spots in St. Louis (Café Osage and Pastaria are some of her favorites) and enjoying over-priced lattes. I love breakfast—it’s my favorite meal.

Where did you go to high school? Ladue High School. I learned public speaking as a “Talking Ram,” our high school’s speech and debate team. I hope students see me as proof that the skills from speech and debate go a long way. That goes for any profession, not just broadcast.

What do you love about your hometown? It’s history and architecture. I love exploring old St. Louis neighborhoods—the Ville, the Central West End, Soulard. I would love to go back in time when there were 900,000 people living in the city and St. Louis Public Schools were thriving.

Most memorable story? Court cases are so intense and emotional. Murder trials especially are memorable to me as a reporter because there is a loss of life—in particular, the murder trial of Kevin Johnson who was sentenced to death for killing a Kirkwood police officer.

Who are some of your male role models in the news business? The late Tim Russert of NBC’s “Meet the Press” for his interviewing skills; I learned so much from watching him. Former NPR “Talk of the Nation” host Neal Conan for his ability to bring interviews to life, and columnist George Will for his wit and confidence.

Any eye-opening experiences as a young female reporter? Working at Fox News in Washington, D.C. was such an invaluable and eye-opening experience. One of my former bosses there told me, “It’s too bad you are not blonde.” I wanted to say, “Actually you really aren’t either. Your hair is dyed!”

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