The Co-Anchor
Jane Clayson, whose work as a journalist has taken her to Indonesia and China, will be Bryant Gumbel's on-air partner on The Early Show, the new CBS News morning program to debut Nov. 1.
"Over the past few months, I've come to know Jane and like her enormously," says Gumbel.
"She has all the personal and professional qualities we were looking and hoping for in a co-anchor. In class and style, she reminds me of another Jane with whom I once teamed," he adds. (Gumbel is referring to Jane Pauley, his co-anchor for many years on the Today show.)
Clayson, based in Los Angeles, comes to CBS from World News Tonight and had worked at ABC since 1996. She served as a reporter and anchor at a local station in Salt Lake City before then.
Her experience as a journalist has included politics (the presidential campaigns of Bob Dole and Ross Perot) and crime (the Oklahoma City bombing-trial verdict and the O.J. Simpson civil trial), as well as spot reporting on such news stories as the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing and the crash of TWA Flight 800.
Among the other major stories she covered for ABC were the NATO strikes against Kosovo and the refugee crisis in Macedonia, the Indonesian riots and subsequent fall of the Suharto government.
Early in her career, when she worked at a television station in Salt Lake City, she twice traveled to China to write and produce an award-winning news series and documentary.
In addition to receiving several honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, Clayson has won an Emmy and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, presented by the Radio and Television New Directors of America.
Clayson is an alumna of Brigham Young University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and was awarded the Earl J. Glade prize for student excellence. She also was a national finalist in the William Randolph Hearst Journalism Awards program.
Born on April 25, 1967, Clayson was raised in several different cities, ultimately settling with her family in Sacramento, Calif.
Andrew Heyward, president of CBS News, calls Clayson "a strong and important addition to The Early Show and to CBS NewsÂ….The more candidates we considered for this vital co-anchor role, the more convinced we became that Jane has the unique qualities we need."
Says Steve Friedman, The Early Show's senior executive producer: "Jane is the perfect partner for Bryant: smart, savvy and a person we all can relate to. On Nov. 1, Early Show viewers will see a seasoned, professional journalist and one real nice person."