A familiar Central Texas news anchor just switched sides in a surprise move that caught viewers off guard. The longtime KCEN personality revealed her next chapter at a rival station after nearly a decade on air.
Jasmin Caldwell joins local CBS affiliate after leaving KCEN
Jasmin Caldwell has joined KWTX, the Waco-based CBS affiliate, as an anchor and reporter after spending nine years at KCEN, the Temple-based NBC affiliate. She started her new role on Tuesday, September 8, just weeks after signing off from KCEN on August 11. Caldwell will report from the field during the week and anchor weekend evening shows.
Caldwell announced her move on social media on September 2. She reassured viewers she was staying in the area. “Central Texas, I’m not going anywhere! I’m just changing the channel,” Caldwell wrote. “See you on KWTX News 10!” Her new colleagues quickly welcomed her arrival at the station.
KWTX anchor Lauren Westbrook praised Caldwell’s experience and community ties. “You know her face in Central Texas and I am especially excited about all of her experience she’s bringing to KWTX News 10,” Westbrook wrote. Chief photographer Bradley Vaughn also celebrated the addition. “Many in the community already know her and I’m excited to have her on our team now,” he wrote.
Caldwell originally hails from Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a broadcast journalism degree. She moved to Texas in 2017 and joined KCEN as a multimedia journalist. She later transitioned to the weekend evening anchor chair before becoming the station’s morning anchor.
During her time at KCEN, Caldwell made television history in 2022. She anchored alongside Taheshah Moise and Ashley Carter as part of the first all-Black, all-female news anchor team. Before arriving in Texas, she worked as a reporter at WCAV in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“I truly believe KWTX is the right station for me, not only to continue doing the work I love, but also to learn, grow and become an even stronger journalist,” Caldwell said via text. She added that her ultimate goal remains telling important stories to the Central Texas community.
