Rascon began his television career in 1983 in Utah, where he was an associate producer and reporter for the PBS affiliate KBYU-TV in Provo, Utah and then for ABC affiliate KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City. In 1985, Rascon moved to Texas where he was a producer, reporter, and anchor for NBC affiliate, KRBC-TV, in Abilene until August 1987, then for ABC affiliate KVIA-TV in El Paso until 1988, and for NBC affiliate KMOL-TV (now WOAI-TV) in San Antonio until he moved to KABC-TV in Los Angeles in August 1989 as a reporter and anchor. There, Rascon reported on natural disasters in California and highly publicized events such as the O. J. Simpson, Rodney King, and Lyle and Erik Menendez trials and the Branch Davidian stand-off and 1992 Los Angeles riots among a host of other stories, including brush fires, riots and other natural disasters.