Contributing An Insider's View

On The Early Show, Barbara Alvarez will regularly contribute Barb Wire, a report designed to give viewers an inside glimpse into the lives of people and events in the news.

Alvarez will continue to serve as a contributor to Ocurrio Asi, a daily news magazine on the Telemundo network. She joined Telemundo in 1998.

"I have interviewed hundreds of people who wanted to be a part of The Early Show team," says Steve Friedman, senior executive producer. "When I met Barbara, I immediately knew the program would benefit from someone with her spirit."

Previously, Alvarez was an entertainment correspondent for The Box, an international music television channel (1998). Before that, she served as the host of Travelers, a program on the Discovery Channel (1996-97). In that role, Alvarez traveled around the world reporting on cultural traditions.

She also wrote and produced 5 Minutos and Canal Street, two short films featuring the rhythms of the vital ethnic enclaves in New York City. Alvarez served as the Latin market coordinator for the National Music Publishers Associations (1993). She began her career at Columbia Pictures Publications in 1991.

Alvarez was born Oct. 16 in Havana, Cuba. She was graduated from the University of Florida in 1989 with a bachelor of science degree from the School of Journalism and Communications. She lives in New York City.