Cornelia Nicholson Biography
Cornelia Nicholson is an American anchor working for KBAK, KBFX, and Health Alert. She serves as a morning anchor on KBAK from 4:30 am to 7:00 am. Later on, Nicholson anchors Eyewitness News Mornings from 7 am to 9 am on FOX 58. In addition, she also co-anchors ARC Bakersfield at 9 am on Fox 58, alongside Aaron Perlman at FOX 58.
Education
Southern California is Nicholson’s native home, and she attended Mt. San Antonio College, where she graduated in 2016 with an associate’s degree in journalism. During her time at San Antonio College, she was an active member of the Dean’s Honor Roll. Later on, she joined California State University, Long Beach, where she graduated in 2018. Cornellia graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. In addition, while she was there, she was the president of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Career at KBAK And KBFX
Nicholson joined the KBAK, KBFX, and Health Alert teams in May of 2025, and she is very excited to help viewers start their day in her hometown. Prior to joining FOX 58, she had over 5 years of experience in broadcasting news. Prior to her time in the Golden State area, Cornelia worked for the NBC affiliate Local 3 News in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During her time at Local 3 News, she served as a weekend anchor and reporter. In addition, she worked at Local 3 News for 3 years, and during this time, she covered major stories.
Some of the stories she covered include the Chattanooga 5, severe weather impacting travel and damaging homes, and the 1980 shooting of five women by the KKK in downtown Chattanooga. Before working at Local 3 News, Nicholson was in Billings, Montana, where she worked at KULR8 News, the NBC affiliate in the area. While working at KULR8 News, she served as a reporter, anchor, and producer for 2 years. In addition, while working for KULR8 News in the Treasure State, Nicholson covered everything from wildfires to the COVID-19 pandemic to agriculture.
Cornelia Nicholson Career
Furthermore, Cornelia also worked at Long Beach Local News, where she served as a multimedia journalist and fill-in anchor for seven months. While she was at the station, she filled in for the weekly live news shows and reported on local community issues and events. In addition, Nicholson also worked at PopFuzion TV, where she served as a television host for red carpet events. She also did research on current and trending topics for segments and interviews. Before this, she was a production assistant intern at LA36, and she also worked at Voice Wave, where she served as a reporter and social media intern. Cornelia also worked as a bank teller for almost two years at Wells Fargo.
Cornelia is happy to be in Kern County, and she enjoys exploring what Central California has to offer. During her downtime, she enjoys attending concerts, trying out new restaurants with her husband, and playing with her fur baby Winston at a dog park. In addition, she also loves giving back to the community by reading to students, mentoring, and sharing her love for journalism.
Cornelia Nicholson Salary
Nicholson earns an annual salary of about $47,000-$120,000.
Cornelia Nicholson Net Worth
Nicholson has an estimated net worth of about $1 Million – $7 Million which she has earned through her career as an anchor.
Cornelia Nicholson Age
Nicholson was born in 1996, in Southern California, United States. She is 30 years old as of 2026; however, she has neither disclosed the date nor the month she was born, thus it is not known when she celebrates her birthday.
Cornelia Nicholson Height and Weight
Nicholson stands at a height of 5 feet 6 inches tall.
Cornelia Nicholson Family
Nicholson stated that her father is also an alumnus of California State University, Long Beach. However, she has neither disclosed the names of her parents nor those of her siblings.
Cornelia Nicholson Husband and Children
Nicholson is married to Riley Nagel, who is a reporter working at 23ABC News. Riley and Cornelia met while they were both working at a news station in Billings, Montana, in 2020. Later on, on March 29, 2023, Riley proposed to Cornelia while she was unknowingly introducing a news segment about their relationship on WRCB-TV. Riley walked in while holding a bouquet of flowers and a wedding ring. He went down on one knee and proposed to her, and she said yes.
Later on March 29, 2025, in Bryant, Alabama, Cornelia and Riley had their wedding ceremony. As of August 2026, the couple has not yet been blessed with any children. In addition, Nicholson’s husband, Riley, is 31 years old as of 2026, and he celebrates his birthday on the 20th of August.
Cornelia Nicholson Social Media Platform
Nicholson is very active on her TikTok, Instagram and Facebook pages. She has 33.4k followers on TikTok, 13k followers on Instagram, and 2.6k followers on Facebook.