Daryn Kagan
Encyclopedia
Daryn A. Kagan is creator and host of the award-winning DarynKagan.com, a media company specializing in inspirational and motivational news content. Martha Stewart's Body + Soul magazine calls Kagan the "Good News Guru", and her brand of inspiring news stories and newspaper columns http://www.palmbeachpost.com/services/staff/daryn-kagan-contact-information-articles-and-rss-feed-1264757.html are available across numerous platforms.
From 1994 to 2006, Kagan served as a CNN
main anchor and correspondent based in CNN's world headquarters of Atlanta, Georgia
. For eight years Kagan served as the network's mid-morning news anchor of CNN Live Today
shown from 10am-12pm Eastern Time
. She also served as host of the CNN/People magazine news entertainment program, People in the News
, and earlier served as a CNN sports reporter and anchor. Kagan has been described by the Los Angeles Times
as a "CNN mainstay."
A 2008 New York Times profile of Kagan that discussed her career reinvention as well as the launch of DarynKagan.com, offered, "Ms. Kagan had a few things in her favor . . . plenty of skills after 12 years at one of the world's best news organizations."
. She is a 1981 graduate of Beverly Hills High School
, and a 1985 graduate of Stanford University
.
television station, KEYT-TV
. Kagan's next move was to a general assignment reporting position at KTVK
in Phoenix
. Wanting to do something other than report typical local news stories, she took on the additional role of weekend sports anchor, reporting sports news each weekend in addition to her weekday reporting duties.
After KTVK did not renew Kagan's contract, Jim Walton, the head of CNN/SI, hired Kagan as sports anchor and correspondent. She went on to cover events that indluded the Super Bowl
, the NBA Playoffs
, and international figure skating
championships from Russia
. Kagan was later hired from CNN Sports by CNN's news division and became a main CNN news anchor and correspondent.
After becoming a CNN
news anchor, Kagan reported on presidential and mid-term elections. She reported on-site from the Middle East
during the second Gulf War
and the Washington, D.C.
sniper attack investigation. Kagan traveled to Africa
with musician Bono
where she reported on AIDS
and famine
for all of the CNN networks. While in Africa, Kagan maintained a daily blog
on CNN.com of her reports and experiences. Additionally, she reported live, from the red carpet, of several Academy Award ceremonies and from the Monterey Jazz Festival
.
Kagan is one of a handful of national news anchors who was on the air live during the terrorist attacks
on the morning of September 11, 2001. She reported throughout that day and, in later days, covered the unfolding story from CNN
headquarters in Atlanta and from the network's Washington, D.C.
bureau.
After CNN declined to renew her employment contract, Kagan left CNN
on September 1, 2006 to launch DarynKagan.com. In November 2006, Kagan discussed leaving CNN for the first time with U.S News & World Report.
Kagan launched DarynKagan.com, on November 13, 2006. The Boston Globe
has described Kagan's site as having as "bucking the media tide with an emphasis on stories that illustrate the triumph of the human spirit." In an interview with the Los Angeles Times
, Kagan discussed her career reinvention, and said "I think it's really important to be informed. I just also think it's important to be inspired."
Kagan has extended her DarynKagan.com brand of content to television news documentaries, radio, and books. Her first TV film, Breaking the Curse, aired on PBS
and won the 2008 Gracie Award for Outstanding Documentary. Kagan produced and narrated the film, which told the present day story of one American woman fighting for those living with leprosy
in India
. Kagan's first book, What's Possible!, was released in 2008 by Meredith Books, and was described by the Associated Press
as "stories about people who overcame obstacles to achieve dreams." Her next film, Solartown USA, about a Wisconsin town that made a commitment to solar power
in the 1970s. Oprah Radio began to run DarynKagan.com content each day beginning in March 2009 on SIRIUS XM radio.
Kagan is Jewish. Her great-grandfather was a Russian immigrant named Eiser Cohen who came to the United States through Ellis Island
. Cohen settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. Her grandfather, Jack Kagan, later moved to the Los Angeles
area. Her mother, Phyllis Kagan, is a breast cancer
survivor who has appeared on CNN discussing the disease. Kagan has a younger sister named Kallan, the co-owner of a Brooklyn
coffee shop, and an older brother named Mark.
Kagan was an athlete: she was on her high school track team and remains an avid runner. She has been on ESPN
sports radio providing her insight.
In September 2004, Kagan became romantically involved with radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh
, but they broke up in February 2006.
Kagan has adopted a three-legged cat
, Tripod, and a dog
, Darla Louise, from rescue shelters.
From 1994 to 2006, Kagan served as a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
main anchor and correspondent based in CNN's world headquarters of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. For eight years Kagan served as the network's mid-morning news anchor of CNN Live Today
CNN Live Today
CNN Live Today is an American television news program on CNN. It aired weekdays from 10:00 a.m. ET to 12:00 p.m., and also during Your World Today from 12:20 p.m. ET to 12:32 p.m. It was last anchored by Daryn Kagan...
shown from 10am-12pm Eastern Time
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. She also served as host of the CNN/People magazine news entertainment program, People in the News
People in the News
People in the News was a show first based in CNN's World Headquarters in Atlanta, and later in CNN's New York, USA, bureau, hosted by Daryn Kagan and later by Paula Zahn. It was CNN's feature-format program with People magazine profiling newsmakers from politics, sports, business, medicine, and...
, and earlier served as a CNN sports reporter and anchor. Kagan has been described by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
as a "CNN mainstay."
A 2008 New York Times profile of Kagan that discussed her career reinvention as well as the launch of DarynKagan.com, offered, "Ms. Kagan had a few things in her favor . . . plenty of skills after 12 years at one of the world's best news organizations."
Early life
Kagan grew up in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. She is a 1981 graduate of Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
, and a 1985 graduate of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Career
After graduating from Stanford, Kagan sent out hundreds of demo tapes. Kagan was hired for an on-air job at a Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
television station, KEYT-TV
KEYT-TV
KEYT-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and San Luis Obispo, California areas. Licensed to Santa Barbara, California the station broadcasts on digital UHF channel 27 and uses VHF channel 3 as its virtual channel...
. Kagan's next move was to a general assignment reporting position at KTVK
KTVK
KTVK is a full-service, independent television station in Phoenix, Arizona. It broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter located on South Mountain in Phoenix, and can be seen across northern Arizona on a network of nearly two dozen translator stations...
in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. Wanting to do something other than report typical local news stories, she took on the additional role of weekend sports anchor, reporting sports news each weekend in addition to her weekday reporting duties.
After KTVK did not renew Kagan's contract, Jim Walton, the head of CNN/SI, hired Kagan as sports anchor and correspondent. She went on to cover events that indluded the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, the NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
, and international figure skating
International figure skating
Figure skating is a sport with participants all round the world. Originally based in European countries, the sport has experienced a major expansion in the countries of East Asia....
championships from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Kagan was later hired from CNN Sports by CNN's news division and became a main CNN news anchor and correspondent.
After becoming a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
news anchor, Kagan reported on presidential and mid-term elections. She reported on-site from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
during the second Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
sniper attack investigation. Kagan traveled to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
with musician Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
where she reported on AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
for all of the CNN networks. While in Africa, Kagan maintained a daily blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
on CNN.com of her reports and experiences. Additionally, she reported live, from the red carpet, of several Academy Award ceremonies and from the Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
.
Kagan is one of a handful of national news anchors who was on the air live during the terrorist attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the morning of September 11, 2001. She reported throughout that day and, in later days, covered the unfolding story from CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
headquarters in Atlanta and from the network's Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
bureau.
After CNN declined to renew her employment contract, Kagan left CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
on September 1, 2006 to launch DarynKagan.com. In November 2006, Kagan discussed leaving CNN for the first time with U.S News & World Report.
Kagan launched DarynKagan.com, on November 13, 2006. The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
has described Kagan's site as having as "bucking the media tide with an emphasis on stories that illustrate the triumph of the human spirit." In an interview with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Kagan discussed her career reinvention, and said "I think it's really important to be informed. I just also think it's important to be inspired."
Kagan has extended her DarynKagan.com brand of content to television news documentaries, radio, and books. Her first TV film, Breaking the Curse, aired on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
and won the 2008 Gracie Award for Outstanding Documentary. Kagan produced and narrated the film, which told the present day story of one American woman fighting for those living with leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Kagan's first book, What's Possible!, was released in 2008 by Meredith Books, and was described by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
as "stories about people who overcame obstacles to achieve dreams." Her next film, Solartown USA, about a Wisconsin town that made a commitment to solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
in the 1970s. Oprah Radio began to run DarynKagan.com content each day beginning in March 2009 on SIRIUS XM radio.
Awards
Kagan's post-CNN projects have been honored with awards that include the 2008 Gracie Award for Outstanding Documentary for her PBS film Breaking the Curse, as well as the Interactive Media Award for DarynKagan.com, which serves as the base of her media company.Personal life
Kagan sees her story as one of "reinvention," and she speaks around the country on that topic.Kagan is Jewish. Her great-grandfather was a Russian immigrant named Eiser Cohen who came to the United States through Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
. Cohen settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Her grandfather, Jack Kagan, later moved to the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. Her mother, Phyllis Kagan, is a breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
survivor who has appeared on CNN discussing the disease. Kagan has a younger sister named Kallan, the co-owner of a Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
coffee shop, and an older brother named Mark.
Kagan was an athlete: she was on her high school track team and remains an avid runner. She has been on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
sports radio providing her insight.
In September 2004, Kagan became romantically involved with radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, but they broke up in February 2006.
Kagan has adopted a three-legged cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, Tripod, and a dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, Darla Louise, from rescue shelters.
External links
- DarynKagan.com Kagan's Web site
- Martha Stewart's Body + Soul magazine profile
- Associated Press profile from USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
- New York Times profile
- Los Angeles Times "Sunday Conversation" profile
- The Washington Post profile
- New York Daily News profile
- FOX Business profile
- New Orleans Times Picayune profile
- Business to Business Magazine profile
- Success magazine profile
- Guideposts magazine profile
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trlimzYt5MsFOX News Channel interview with Bill HemmerBill HemmerBill Hemmer is an American television-news anchor. He is a co-host of America's Newsroom on the Fox News Channel.-Early life and education:...
] - Good Morning America interview
- "FOX & Friends" interview
- CNN interview about new book
- U.S. News & World Report Kagan joins Oprah Radio
- USA Weekend Kagan joins Oprah Radio
- Oprah.com Opran Radio bio
- USA Weekend* Best Friends magazine profile, 2010
- ABC Family Channel interview and book excerpt
- Essay written by Daryn Kagan Stanford Magazine
- http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahandfriends/gking/gking_20070712Oprah Radio interview with Gayle KingGayle KingGayle King is editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine and the best friend of Oprah Winfrey. She has previously worked as a television news anchor and talk show host...
] - Positive Thinking magazine profile
- Hollywood Exclusive syndicated column profile
- http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahandfriends/jchatzky/jchatzky_20061207/Jean ChatzkyJean ChatzkyJean Sherman Chatzky is an American financial journalist, author and motivational speaker. Chatzky has given personal financial advice on various TV shows...
interview] - http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahandfriends/bgreene/20080704_oaf_bgreene_darynkaganInterview with Oprah's Bob GreeneBob GreeneRobert Bernard Greene, Jr. is an American journalist. He worked for 24 years for the Chicago Tribune newspaper, where he was an award-winning columnist. Greene has written books on subjects varying from Michael Jordan, to small towns, to U.S. presidents. His Hang Time: Days and Dreams with Michael...
] - Next Great Thing Kagan's relationship with VoxantVoxantVoxant is a new media company based in Herndon, Virginia in the United States. Voxant is a privately held company which was founded in 2004.In April 2006, Voxant launched its new media network, syndicating fully licensed news and information content to Web publishers and bloggers. Today over...