Leland Pinder joined the CBS6 News team is August 2021. He's excited to make his new home in Central Virginia and very excited to be a member of the powerhouse team of journalism professionals at WTVR.
A native of Charlotte, NC, and a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Leland brings nearly 11 years of industry experience to his new role as evening anchor and reporter for CBS6 News.
Prior to moving to Richmond, Leland spent nearly five years in South Carolina's capital city as the weekday morning anchor at legacy NBC affiliate WIS-TV. During his time in Columbia, he experienced the career highlight of being a part of an Emmy Award-winning team. In 2017 and 2018 WIS News10 Sunrise was honored with Southeast Regional Emmy Awards for best morning newscast, coverage of Hurricane Irma, and for coverage of a local breaking news story. More recently Leland was a big part of station coverage on big stories including a statewide teacher protest at the SC State House, protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, and the kidnapping and tragic murder of a 6-year-old South Carolina girl which gained national attention. While at WIS, Leland also produced and hosted a weekly community affairs program entitled Awareness. The 30-minute program largely focused on issues and topics important to Black Americans and other minority populations to include issues facing women, the elderly, and the LGBTQ community.
Before moving to South Carolina, Leland spent 2 years working as a Weekend Evening Anchor & Reporter at WCTI in Greenville/New Bern, NC and nearly four years with Time Warner Cable News in North Carolina, first as an assignment editor in Charlotte and then as a "one mand band" reporter out of the network's Wilmington newsroom.
When he takes a break from the news, Leland enjoys hitting a few balls at the driving range, a little tennis, checking out cool local coffee shops and restaurants, musical theatre, shows and concerts, and traveling.
