TV reporters Shirin Rajaee and Joe Khalil announce departures, move to D.C.
CBS 13 anchor Shirin Rajaee and Fox 40 anchor Joe Khalil recently announced their departures from their two Sacramento TV stations.
Khalil’s last night on the air was Oct. 27 when he announced he would be moving to Washington D.C. to work at the capitol bureau of Fox 40’s parent company, Nexstar. There, Khalil said, he would be reporting on Congress and the White House for local audiences.
“While I am incredibly excited to start this new adventure, it’s such a bittersweet goodbye,” Khalil said in a tweet announcing his departure. “Sacramento’s been my home for four years. This community has treated me so well, challenged me, and brought the best out of me. I feel I’ve grown up as a journalist here. No matter where I end up, #Sactown will always feel like home.”
Rajaee will join him on the move. Her last day on-air as a CBS 13 reporter was Friday after working at the station for more than four years.
“It’s been a privilege delivering the news here in Northern CA both on the anchor desk and in the field,” Rajaee shared on Twitter. “Thank you (for) all the love & support! My next move is DC!! It’s an exciting time.”
Shirin and Khalil are engaged to be married. They announced their engagement on social media in April after Khalil proposed to her in front of the state Capitol, where they first met on reporting assignments 3½ years ago.
In April, Khalil plotted with Rajaee’s boss to get her to cover a fake assignment at the same spot where they met. But to Rajaee’s surprise, Khalil proposed to her, with the help of the same two cameramen who joined them on their first assignments when they first met. They both shared the news and photos of the proposal through social media.
“I didn’t know much about Sac, didn’t know anyone here. But the people I’ve met, experiences I’ve had here, I couldn’t ask for better,” Khalil shared on Twitter. “And I’d be remiss not to mention that I met Shirin Rajaee here, the person who turned my life upside down. She’s the love of my life and the woman with whom I’m continuing this journey. Every moment with her is a reminder of how much I owe to Sacramento. “