Born August 26, 1974 - is a co-anchor of CNN's early morning cable news program, American Morning.
Early life
Kiran (which means "ray of light" in Sanskrit) was born in Patan Hospital (Shanta Bhawan), Kathmandu Nepal. Her father is Nepalese and her mother is half Ukrainian and a combination of Dutch and German. Seven months later, her parents, Hom Chetry and Nancy (who met while serving in the Peace Corps in Nepal) moved their new family of three to America. Kiran grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland and attended Montgomery Blair High School (Silver Spring, Maryland) where she served in student government, danced on the pom squad, and competed on the swim team. Upon graduation she enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park's College of Journalism, where she joined the Alpha Pi chapter of Delta Delta Delta sorority and received her bachelor of arts in broadcast journalism.Family
Chetry is married to Chris Knowles, a former Fox News Channel and erstwhile New York City WPIX-TV weekend weatherman. On February 8, 2006, Chetry gave birth to their 6 lb. 10oz. daughter, Maya Rose. (Chetry has included her in special segments on Fox & Friends and American Morning.) On October 24, 2007, Chetry announced that she and Knowles were expecting their second child in an exclusive interview published by People magazine: Kiran gave birth to their first son, Christopher Chetry Knowles, on April 17, 2008 at 10:45pm weighing 7 pounds.
Career
Chetry began her career in 1995 at News 21 in Rockville, Maryland. The next year she moved to WICU-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was the main anchor and health reporter. (She met her future husband Chris Knowles there who was the prime time news anchor.) She received the Best Enterprise Reporting award from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association in 1997 for her series "Young and Hooked," which looked at teen smoking. In 1999 Chetry went from WICU-TV to KXTV in Sacramento, California to work as a morning anchor and reporter until joining Fox News Channel.
In 2001 Chetry joined the cable news network Fox News Channel as a general reporter, first appearing on March 8, 2001, in a story about eating ice cream. The next year Chetry was honored with the Making our Mark (MOM) Award from the Association of Nepalis in the Americas.[8] During her time at Fox News, she worked as a rotating anchor for Fox News Live and the early morning news program Fox & Friends First. In late 2005, she became a regular co-host on the network's weekend morning news program, Fox & Friends Weekend.
Departure from FNC
In early 2007, as Chetry's contract with Fox News neared the end of its term, the network negotiated with Chetry's agent to renew her contract. Her contract was expected to be renewed with her continuing to co-host Fox & Friends Weekend. However, talks ended when Fox News claimed in a February 15, 2007, letter to Chetry's agent, that Chetry had demanded "that Fox News include a clause in her new agreement that would have been detrimental to other Fox News Talent." The cable news network added that it would not renew her contract and that she was free to leave before the expiration of her contract: Chetry exercised that option. Allegedly, Chetry wanted a clause in her contract that would have had Gretchen Carlson, a co-anchor of Fox & Friends, fired. Chetry's agent countered that the allegation of Chetry's wanting Carlson fired was "absolutely false". Another source said that the clause in question merely requested a written clarification of whether Chetry would become a "Fox & Friends" co-host and, if so, when. If that were not to happen by a certain date, then Chetry would have a window to exit her new contract.American Morning co-anchor
Reportedly, CNN signed Chetry within an hour of her release from the Fox News Channel. After the deal had been inked, Chetry stated, "CNN is the gold standard when it comes to journalism, and I am thrilled to be part of the team." On February 16, 2007, Chetry began work as a CNN anchor and correspondent. That very day she served as a co-host on American Morning in the morning, and anchored Anderson Cooper 360 that evening. She went on to substitute as an anchor for Paula Zahn Now and CNN Newsroom. On April 4, 2007, CNN's President Jonathan Klein officially announced Chetry as the new co-anchor. Her first American Morning broadcast was on April 16, 2007, the same day as the Virginia Tech Massacre. Initially, Chetry co-hosted from New York whereas John Roberts did so from Washington: eventually both generally co-anchored from CNN's New York bureau. John Roberts later left CNN to become an Atlanta-based correspondent for FOX News Channel. Chetry's former co-host is a native-born Canadian who gained American citizenship like his role model, Peter Jennings.[In addition to her American Morning duties, Chetry co-hosted with Roberts two CNN prime-time previews of the 2007 YouTube Democratic debate and the 01/07/08 CNN Election Center analysis of the post Michigan-primary presidential race. Moreover, she served as the iParty correspondent on CNN's 2008 New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper.
[edit]Sex symbol
In 2006 Kiran made Maxim magazine's top ten list of TV's Sexiest News Anchors, placing third on the list: Kiran was ranked as America's sexiest female anchor and the world's second sexiest female anchor.[17] On September 24, 2007, on American Morning, CNN's medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, used Kiran's photo to illustrate a study on the biological reasons that people gaze longer at attractive individuals: the segment on an American Morning was entitled, "Who's Hot to You? Why You Can't Look Away." A mere month later, Kiran was featured in Esquire's "Women We Love: The Newsgirls."[18] As to the attention to her physical beauty, Kiran stated, "It's not my primary focus." She added, "It's nice, it's a compliment, [and] sometimes, it's a little out of control." [Kirthana Ramisetti, "Kiran Chetry: A Ray of Light in Morning News," East West Magazine, June 15, 2007,
पृष्ठभूमिमा अमेरिकी समाचार संस्था सिएनएनको न्यूयोर्कस्थित न्युजरुमका ब्यस्त गतिविधि देखिन्छन्। नहोस् पनि किन, हरेक बिहान तीन घन्टा लामो बहुचर्चित कार्यक्रम 'अमेरिकी मर्निङ' छेउछाउको समय हो यो। त्यसमा समाचार बुलेटिन र अन्य गतिविधि बारे चर्चा परिचर्चा हुन्छ। त्यो सबैको संयोजन गर्छिन् एक नेपाली।
प्रेस स्वतन्त्रता दिवस पारेर मंगलबार नेपाली पत्रकारहरुसँग 'फेस टु फेस' गर्न उनी अमेरिकी दुतावासको स्त्रि्कनमा टुप्लुकिइन्। अंग्रेजीमा भनिन्, 'नमस्ते, म पनि तपाईजस्तै नेपाली हुँ, किरण क्षेत्री।'काठमाडौं सिफलका होमबहादुर कोइराला क्षेत्री अमेरिकाबाट पढाइ सकेर सत्तरीको दशक सुरुवाततिर फर्किए। उनी घरजम गर्न आएका थिए, तर लगनगाँठो जोडियो पिसकोर स्वयंसेवी एक अमेरिकीसित।
'नेपाली समाजमा अमेरिकी बुहारी हुनुका रोचक स्मरण मेरी आमासँग छन्,' किरण भन्दै थिइन्, 'बिहे गराउने बेला बाजेले नाम भन्न नजानेर मेरी आमालाई कपालका आधारमा सुनकेशरी भनेर पुकार्थे रे।'
टेलिभिजन पर्दाअघि करीव आधा सयको संख्यामा उपस्थित नेपाली पत्रकारहरु किरणसँगै हा"से। किरण जन्मेको दुई महिनामै कोइराला-क्षेत्री परिवार सँधैको निम्ति अमेरिका पुग्यो।
'के तपाई नेपाली बोल्नु हुन्छ?', एकजना पत्रकारले सुरुमै जिज्ञासा राखे।
'आलीआली (अलिअलि),' यतिबेला उनले निकालेको अप्ठेरो हाँसो अब यसभन्दा अगाडि नेपाली भाषामा संवाद हुनसक्दैन भन्ने बुझ्न पर्याप्त थियो।
अमेरिकी राजधानी वासिंगटन डिसी छेवैमा रहेको गेथेसवर्ग बसोबास क्रममै उनले युनिभर्सिटी अफ मेरिल्याण्डबाट प्रसारण पत्रकारितामा स्नातक गरिन्। आफू बस्ने राज्य मेरिल्याण्डकै 'न्युज २१' च्यानलबाट १९९५मा व्यावसायिक जीवन थालेकी उनले छ वर्ष नबित्दै दुई अन्य टेलिभिजन हुँदै 'फक्स न्युज' मा काम गर्ने मौका पाइन्। सन् २००७ मा उनले फक्स च्यानल छाडेको एक घन्टा नबित्दै सिएनएनले उनलाई भित्र्याइसकेको थियो। त्यहाँ पुगेपछि संवाददाता, समाचार प्रस्तोता र अहिले सिंगो कार्यक्रम सञ्चालिका।
एउटा सर्भेक्षणपछि म्याक्सिम म्यागेजिनले उनलाई 'विश्वकै दोश्रो र अमेरिकाकी सबभन्दा सुन्दर समाचारवाचिका'को उपाधि दिएको छ। बेलायती राजकुमार विलियमको विहेको प्रत्यक्ष प्रसारण गर्न केही दिनअघि लण्डन पुगेकी उनले विश्वका द्धन्द्धग्रस्त ठाउ"बाट जोखिमपूर्ण समाचार प्रसारण गरेकी छन्। यस्ती पत्रकारले पैत्रिक थलोमा आएर कुनै समाचार बनाउनु परे कुन विषयलाई प्राथमिकता देलिन्?
'धेरै रोचक विषय छन्,' उनले भनिन्, 'विशेष गरेर भन्नु पर्दा राजतन्त्रपछिको अवस्था र माओवादी गतिविधि।'
त्यति पुरानो राजतन्त्रको प्रभाव कसरी समाप्त भयो भन्ने विषयदेखि लिएर माओवादीले फैलाएको त्रासले आफूलाई जिज्ञासु बनाइरहेको उनले उल्लेख गरिन्।
'मेरो बुवा अमेरिकामा शरण लिन खोज्ने नेपालीहरुलाई अदालतमा सघाउनु हुन्छ,' उनले भनिन्, 'माओवादी आतंकबाट जसोतसो उम्केर शरण माग्नेहरुका थुप्रै कथा सुनेपछि मलाई यो विषयबारे समाचार बनाउने इच्छा छ।'
उनले नेपालमा व्याप्त जातीय विभेददेखि लिएर प्रकृति संरक्षणका क्षेत्रमा भइरहेका काम पनि समाचारको विषय बन्न सक्ने सुनाइन्।
दश वर्षअघि अमेरिकामा भएको आतंकवादी हमलाको क्षण आफ्नो पत्रकारिता यात्रामा सबैभन्दा चूनौतिपूर्ण र उत्तिकै पीडादायी भएकोउनले स्मरण गरिन्। 'ट्वीन टावर ढालिएकै क्षेत्रमा पुगेर लगातार तीन सातासम्म रिपोर्टिङ गर्ने जिम्मेवारी पाएकी थिए",' उनले भनिन्, 'सूचना संकलन गर्ने कि? मान्छेका एक पछि अर्को पीडा सुनेर रुने कि? कुन बेला के होला भन्ने त्रासबाट सम्हालिने कि? त्यो वास्तवमै कठिन क्षण थियो।'
नेपाली र अमेरिकी महिला पत्रकारको चुनौतीका अन्तरको प्रश्न पनि उनले पाइन्। भनिन्, 'दुवैलाई चुनौति छ, र, त्यो बेग्ला बेग्लै किसिमको छ।'
कहिले पुरुषले समेत जान अप्ठेरो मान्ने युद्धग्रस्त क्षेत्रमा त कहिले यौन दुर्व्यवहारको खतरा बुझ्दा बुझ्दै पनि क्यामरा र माइक बोकेर हिँड्नु पर्ने बाध्यता आफूहरुलाई हुने गरेको उनले बताइन्। 'ती डरलाग्दा क्षण हुन्छन्,' उनले थपिन्, 'तर, जुनबेला डर मान्यो त्यसै बेला मौका गुम्न पुग्छ।'
अमेरिकी पति र दुई नावालक छोराछोरीलाई समय दिन नसकेर हरेक बिहान साढे दुई बजे घर छोड्नु पर्दा कहिलेकाँहि 'आमाको मन' नरमाइलो हुने पनि उनले लुकाइनन्। 'एउटै घरमा थुप्रै दाजुभाइका खलकै बसेर एक अर्काको सहयोगी बन्ने नेपाली परिवेश अहिले कुन रुपमा छ वा समाप्त भइसक्यो थाहा छैन,' उनी भन्दै थिइन्, 'दौडादौडका बीच एक्लो जीवन बाँच्दा कहिलेकाँहि त्यो परिवेश मैले गुमाइरहेकी छु जस्तो चाहिँ लागिरहन्छ।'
एक घन्टे वार्तालापबीच नेपाली गीत सुनाउने फर्माइस गर्दा आफूलाई खिचिरहेका सहकर्मीतिर हेर्दै मरिमरि हा"सिन्। 'स्वर मेरो राम्रो छैन, त्यसैले गाउन सक्दिन,' उनले भनिन्, 'तर केटाकेटीमा बुवाले सुनाउने गर्नुभएको एउटा गीत उल्लेख गर्न चाहन्छु। यो नानीको शिरैमा इन्द्रकमल ...।'
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