Colorado Public Radio is making a meaningful move in one of the most important dayparts in public media, naming Bazi Kanani as the new local senior host of “Morning Edition.” CPR says she will begin in the role on April 27, leading the local weekday broadcast from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Kanani joined CPR in 2024 as a host and reporter, and the organization says she has also been part of its daily news podcast operation. CPR’s podcast page lists her among the hosts of “Colorado Today,” giving the network a familiar internal voice for the transition rather than bringing in someone from outside the building.
That matters because morning radio is still one of the most visible and demanding assignments in news audio. It requires consistency, credibility, pace, and the ability to connect listeners with both breaking developments and the stories shaping their communities. This move signals that CPR believes Kanani is ready to carry that responsibility at the front edge of the day.
CPR’s own background material shows Kanani brings a broad journalism résumé into the role. Her staff profile says her experience has included work in Nevada, Michigan, Western New York, and Colorado, along with reporting assignments for ABC News in Nairobi and Washington, D.C.
The organization also points to a decorated career. CPR’s biography for Kanani says her honors include a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, a Heartland Emmy, recognition from the Colorado Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists, and a Gracie Award for reporting.
For CPR, this is bigger than a routine staffing change. Morning drive in public radio remains one of the clearest identity statements a newsroom can make, and by moving Kanani into the chair, CPR is placing a journalist with both local presence and national-level experience into one of its most important on-air positions.
The headline is simple: Colorado Public Radio has chosen Bazi Kanani to lead its local “Morning Edition” broadcast, starting April 27, giving one of the state’s key morning news slots a new voice with deep reporting experience and an existing connection to the network.
-JPS