Watch CBS News

Desmond Shaw

desmond-shaw-1200x800-2022.jpg

Desmond Shaw was born and raised in the laid back beach town of Ventura and has been incredibly fortunate to live his entire life in Southern California. 

His broadcast career sort of began at age 15 by calling out order numbers from the snack bar of his local bowling alley. He was constantly told he should be on the radio or do voice overs, so he ran with it!

After a few years at Ventura College (Go Pirates!) where he worked for the school newspaper, he transferred to California State University Northridge (Go Matadors!) where he got his first on air experiences by anchoring a daily, student produced newscast on KCSN 88.5FM. He also got a taste of TV news by anchoring and filing reports for "Valley View News," a weekly, student run public access show.

Those experiences helped him secure a coveted Summer internship with National Public Radio. 

Traffic reporting seemed like a natural fit for someone who loved to drive and also drove for a living as a courier for a few years. There were days he drove 500 miles from Santa Barbara to San Diego and San Clemente to Ridgecrest. 

He parleyed his knowledge of the roads into traffic reporting stints for several stations before landing at KNX 1070.

For more than a decade he was one of the afternoon "eye in the sky" reporters, guiding listeners around nightmarish traffic jams and also reporting on massive brushfires from Ventura to Camp Pendleton. 

Eventually, he was offered a part time opportunity to fly in SKYCAL on Sundays, while still working at KNX. He is proud to now be SKYCAL's afternoon and evening reporter Monday through Friday, bringing KCAL viewers all the latest breaking news, police pursuits and "Look at this!" A fun and informative daily feature segment where Desmondshowcases something cool from high above. 

In his off time, he enjoys walking his spoiled dog Duke all over Southern California, exploring new neighborhoods and micro breweries, taking the road less traveled and seeing what video games are on offer at Southern California arcade bars. 

His favorite food experience is a cheese plate and micro brew with his husband on a sunny Saturday afternoon in downtown Ventura. 

One of his goals in life is to drive every single numbered highway in California. He is about 3/4th of the way there. US 395 in the Eastern Sierra is his absolute favorite.

He's also a car enthusiast who has owned a few rare sports cars and is on the hunt for the next! 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.