Broadcast Member Spotlight: Jessica Kartalija

Jessica Kartalija anchors the 5, 7 and 11 p.m. newscasts on CBS3 Philadelphia. The Emmy-award winning anchor joined the CBS3 team in 2018, but has been a SAG-AFTRA member for nearly two decades.

“I’ve been part of SAG-AFTRA since 2006. As the granddaughter of a coal miner, I have always understood the importance of being part of a union,” she said.

In April, Kartalija received the 2024 Broadcaster of the Year award from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters. The honor will recognize her work on air, including covering the Maui wildfires while on a family vacation, as well as her work off air, with her involvement with Savage Sisters Recovery in Kensington.

“As journalists, it’s important that we tell meaningful stories, and amplify the voices of those in our community who need to be heard,” she said.

Philadelphia and its surrounding areas is a community that Kartalija knows well. A graduate of Penn State University with a major in broadcast journalism, she is now on the Dean’s Advancement Council for the Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. She is an educator herself, teaching journalism and public speaking at Villanova University.

“Receiving this honor in Pennsylvania is especially meaningful,” she said. “My dad is from a small coal mining town outside of Pittsburgh, and my mom is from Philadelphia. She taught special ed and my dad is a college professor. Education is incredibly important in my family, and I love having the opportunity to teach the next generation of journalists.”