Texas TV news and radio job moves April 2024

 

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- Texas broadcasters are winning awards!
- Texas TV promo samples

DALLAS - FORT WORTH

Mike Rhyner: “We Just Didn’t Get It Done” at The Freak.
- 97.1 The Eagle KEGL is back on DFW radio...again

Sports anchor Newy Scruggs celebrates 24 years with NBC 5 KXAS.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) welcomes Co-Chairs Patrick Means and NBC 5 KXAS morning anchor Laura Harris-Means, who will serve in leadership roles for the first time at the DSO’s 2024 Gala. 

NBC KXAS and Telemundo KXTX Used Clear-Com Solutions for Eclipse Coverage.

GMA anchor Robin Roberts invigorates Junior League of Dallas luncheon.

Nilufer ‘Nil’ Arsala leaves North Texas Public Broadcasting after five years.

Nataly Keomoungkhoun announced she was laid off from D Magazine.

If you can't get enough local music in Dallas, check out the 11 best DFW-based podcasts and radio shows.

Dr. Phil Launches New Cable Channel With Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony in Fort Worth.
- When Dr. Phil Called, Houston Newscaster Dominique Sachse Answered

- Sonia Azad joins Merit Street Media after WFAA 8
- Kara Sewell gives birth to baby girl
- 'Last Call With Steve Noviello' launches on FOX 4 KDFW
- Dominique Sachse's first week back on live TV video
- Verne Lundquist stories from CBS to WFAA as he retires
- Andy Adler apparently no longer with CBS News Texas KTVT DFW

HOUSTON

Beyond Breakfast Biscuits: KPRC 2's Manager of Streaming & Creative Content Brian Perry writes about a father’s emotional journey to the Chick-fil-A Headquarters.

SportsRadio 610 Finishes Ahead in Houston Winter Ratings Book.

Anchor Len Cannon celebrates 18 years with KHOU 11.

Houston Chronicle journalists earn 6 first-place awards from Texas Managing Editors.

Houston Landing wins nine awards at Texas Managing Editors annual conference.

In Lawsuit, Raúl Brindis Claims Univision Made Up ‘False Pretext’ For Firing Him.

FOX 26 Senior Legal Analyst Chris Tritico was awarded the Justice Eugene A. Cook Professionalism Award by the Houston Bar Association.

FOX 26 KRIV morning anchor Sally MacDonald is honored to have worked closely with DePelchin Children's Center for more than a decade.

An interview with Matthew Velasquez, Owner of Hispanic Broadcasting Inc and Patriot Talk AM 920.

"Mega 101" KLOL program director Tony Luna was laid off in Audacy cuts.

Former FOX 26 sports director Mark Berman won the University of Houston Distinguished Alumni Award.

How a Houston columnist's coming out and firing ignited the community.

Bun B applauds Meteorologist Adam Krueger’s use of ‘Big Pimpin” lyrics in the weather.

Is Owen Conflenti really that funny? Answers to that and other FAQs from KPRC 2 anchor Sofia Ojeda

KHOU 11 says goodbye to executive producer Jennifer Moore after 5 years.

Vaughn Samples joins KHOU 11's Great Day Houston as a photographer/editor.

Director Danny Rubio leaves FOX 26 KRIV for FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Alex Middleton celebrates nine years on The Rod Ryan Show.

Houston newspaper staffer moved to Houston and regretted it, wrote an article about it.

- Matt Musil retires from KHOU 11 Houston after 43 years
- Houston Life makes Derrick Shore's birthday unforgettable
- "Tonight at 7" Houston Television From The Archive video
- 93.7 The Beat KQBT Houston schedule changes
- Trason Bragg joins KHOU 11 Houston
- Houston gets recent network TV attention
- Texas 2024 NAB Crystal Radio Award Winners including one from Houston
- Sara Donchey saved by Brock Purdy?
- Dave Ward presents award at Crime Stoppers Annual Houston’s Heroes Awards Luncheon
- Adam Bennett leaves KHOU Houston for KVUE Austin
- Bill Barajas and other Texas TV talents are engaged, married
- Where is KHOU 11's Maria Aguilera?
- Dave Ward's surprise 85th birthday!
- Former abc13 producer-editor is reaching for the stars
- 2024 Media Alliance of Houston Star Awards winners
- Gina Sunseri, ABC News Producer, receives 2024 RNASA Space Communicator Award

SAN ANTONIO

Patty Santos moves to report for KSAT's Good Morning San Antonio from the Nightbeat.

San Antonio's News4SA gets flak after comment about dead body being 'good for ratings.'

Meteorologist Sarah Spivey celebrates seven years with KSAT 12.

Express News, MySA staffers opt not to join union.

Paris Quintanilla joins News 4 SA WOAI as a morning producer.

- Ashley Paredez starts at FOXSA 29 Puro San Antonio
- Camilla Rambaldi joins NBC Los Angeles
- Leigh Waldman joins CNN

AUSTIN

Austin's KOKE-FM, The Horn radio stations set to have new ownership.

Libbi Farrow renews her contract as the FOX 7 KTBC weekend morning anchor.

Texas Monthly Art Department Recognized in the Society of Publication Designers’ Annual Competition.

What it takes to run a metro newspaper in the digital era, according to four top editors.

- Farrah Walton joins CBS Austin
- FOX 7 Austin photographer arrested at UT protest

AROUND TEXAS

The CW Opts Not To Renew Affiliation Deals With Scripps-Owned Stations, including in Corpus Christi.

Telemundo’s KTLM McAllen, Texas, promoted Sarah Garcia to news anchor for Noticias Telemundo 40 on weekends at 5 and 10 p.m.

- Tracy Kennick leaves 12News KBMT Beaumont
- Jen Phillips anchors with baby on Lubbock TV
- Gloria Walker leaves 12News KBMT Beaumont
- Shel Winkley to leave KBTX News 3 Bryan-College Station
- Texas TV stations open-closes from 2004 to 2006
- Max Crawford promoted to chief meteorologist at KBTX Bryan-College Station
- KFDM 6 Beaumont gets new studio for 2024

REMEMBERING

- Two Texas media members die

Gina Sunseri, ABC News Producer, receives 2024 RNASA Space Communicator Award

Gina Sunseri, a Houston-based ABC News Producer, received the prestigious 2024 Space Communicator Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation on April 26, 2024, at the Houston Hyatt Regency.

"Being in the same company as previous honorees is truly humbling," Sunseri said in a statement.  "I have always tried to make the space program engaging for our viewers—and to share the curiosity, hard work, creativity, and passion of the people who fulfill our desire to explore. I am fascinated by the small stories-- the cat videos from space. The lost tomato. The astronaut who had spicy shrimp cocktail for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of his mission. And of course, Suni Williams’ cutting her ponytail in space for charity."

A trusted fixture on the ABC News space beat for more than two decades, Sunseri started covering the space program in 1996 when one of her earliest assignments was to cover astronaut Shannon Lucid - the only American woman to live aboard the Mir space station. Since then, Gina has produced or contributed to hundreds of articles and broadcast news segments covering Space Shuttle launches, spacewalks, commercial space flight, the International Space Station, five Mars missions, and the much-anticipated Artemis II mission scheduled to launch in 2025.

"For over two decades, Gina Sunseri has set a high bar for outstanding coverage of our nation’s space programs, educating millions of

Americans through her thoughtful and expert productions for ABC News," Mark Carreau, Aviation Week & Space Technology Houston Correspondent, and 2006 Space Communicator Award recipient who nominated Sunseri said.

 "Her deep understanding of the space program is evident in stories that often provide angles that other media miss," Veronica McGregor, Digital News and Media Manager for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and 2013 Space Communicator Award recipient, said. "Her dedication to covering the space beat has benefitted the industry as well as ABC and millions of viewers."

After the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, Sunseri extensively covered the seven astronauts lost aboard STS-107, NASA’s investigation of the disaster, and the safety measures implemented before the 2005 Return to Flight. She played a crucial role in the ABC News team that earned an Emmy Award for their investigative report titled "Columbia Final Mission," which aired on "Primetime Thursday." 

When she's not pursuing stories or conducting interviews, Sunseri enjoys travel, weather, music, and gardening. She is happily married to retired KPRC photographer John Treadgold and is a mother of two.

The RNASA Space Communicator Award, established in 1997 in honor of KTRK, Houston Channel 13 space reporter and long-time RNASA Advisor Stephen Gauvain, who tragically died in a car accident in 1996, recognizes individuals or teams for outstanding contributions to public understanding and appreciation of space exploration.

 Previous recipients of the award include William Harwood of CBS; Miles O'Brien, formerly of CNN; Elliot Pulham of the Space Foundation; the NASA-Contractor Communications team that responded to the Columbia accident; Mark Carreau, formerly of the Houston Chronicle; Neil deGrasse Tyson of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History; Veronica McGregor, Manager of News and Social Media at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Chris A. Hadfield, former Canadian Space Agency astronaut; Bill Nye (the science guy), CEO of the Planetary Society; Rob Navias, Public Affairs Officer (PAO) Mission commentator; William Shatner, actor, author, producer, and director; and Bill Ingalls, senior NASA photographer.

2024 Media Alliance of Houston Star Awards winners

The 2024 Media Alliance of Houston Gala brought us this year's Star Awards winners on April 18, 2024, at the Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria.

Kelley Rodriguez with Love Advertising is the 2024 Silver Star Honoree.

This year, the happy hour, dinner, and after-party took place in a "tropical oasis setting" and benefitted the MAH scholarships while supporting the community through the DREAM fund.

Congratulations to the 2024 Media Alliance of Houston Star Awards recipients!

Digital Sales Professional (All Media)
Rita Dalati, KRBE

Out of Home or Print Account Executive
Karen Erwin, Outfront

Out of Home or Print Media Manager or VP
Traci Pelter, Houston Business Journal

Sports or Entertainment Specialist
Sean Pendergast, Sports Radio 610

On-Air TV Personality
Crystal Ayala, Telemundo

Local TV Account Executive
Glenda Carmon, KTRK

TV Sales Manager or Director of Sales
Sonya Villamagna, KHOU

TV News Director
Bernice Kearney, KPRC

TV Market Manager or VP
Wendy Granato, KTRK

Radio Producer or News Director
Erik with a K, Audacy

Radio On-Air Personality
Roula Christie, Cumulus

Local Radio Account Executive
Laura Imming, Audacy

Radio Sales Manager or Director
Tim Gratzer, Cumulus

Radio Program Director or Operations
Josh Adams, Houston Public Media

Radio Market Manager or VP
Lisa Shumate, Houston Public Media

Promotions Director or Marketing Professional
Kyle Claude, Houston Public Media

Local Media Sales Assistant or Traffic Assistant
Pam Loza, Audacy

Local Community Affairs Director
Mariah Gardner, KPRC

Creative Director or Manager
Josh Power, Nicely Done

Local Agency Support Staff
Jon Little, Love Advertising

Local Agency Account Service/Brand Management
Casey Mitchell, Mind Dance Marketing

Local Agency Buyer
Grace Roman, Love Advertising

Local Agency Planner
Natalie Lyles, Love Advertising

Local Agency Digital Professional
Avery Domenech, Avail Media 

Local Agency Media Director or Associate Media Director
Amanda Reed, Avail Media 

Agency Principal
Kelley Robinson, Avail Media 

Agency of the Year (Small)
Mind Dance Marketing

Agency of the Year (Large)
Love Advertising

MAH Rising Star
Nea Canady, KHOU

Market Rock Star
Mia Viera, Crispin Porter Bogusky

KFDM 6 Beaumont gets new studio for 2024

KFDM 6 and Fox 4 Beaumont KBTV are celebrating a new studio home at 6320 Walden Road in Beaumont.

With a new building comes a new set.

After 61 years at its previous location on I-10 near 11th Street, the Sinclair Broadcast Group duopoly television stations had to make a necessary move due to the widening interstate. The stations temporarily moved to a location east of Vidor.

Initially reported to open in the summer of 2023, the new studio's debut officially occurred in April 2024.

97.1 The Eagle KEGL is back on DFW radio...again

Like the phoenix that rises through the ashes, 97.1 The Eagle KEGL makes its second return to the Dallas-Fort Worth FM radio dial to the delight of hard rock fans if they still care.

The latest station that couldn't overtake The Eagle was sports/talk station 97.1 The Freak, which debuted on October 3, 2022, at 3pm.

Houston listeners might wonder if this means 101 KLOL is ever coming back. I highly doubt it. To return to the glory days of rock music, they will have to watch my "Runaway Radio" documentary.

Today, April 29, 2024, The Eagle returned for the second time at 10am with a custom recorded message from Metallica with lead singer/guitarist James Hetfield saying, "Very excited to report that 97.1 The Eagle is back on the radio in Texas. Kick Ass. Hell yeah. Metallica loves you, Dallas-Fort Worth. The Eagle is back!"

The first song was back for 97.1 The Eagle was not Metallica but "Kill the King" by fellow Big 4 of Thrash band Megadeth.

No word yet on the new air staff or morning show.

"I’m excited that The Eagle is back and ready to rock Dallas-Fort Worth again," Patrick Davis, senior VP of programming for iHeartMedia Dallas-Fort Worth, said in a statement. "This is a legendary brand for the market, and listeners have been asking to have it back on air, and we listened!"

The Eagle signed on in 1980 and was a cross between rock and top 40 until the early 90s when it became active rock.  

KLOL Houston fans will recognize that Stevens and Pruett, followed by Moby, were on the 97.1 The Eagle morning slot before Howard Stern took over until he was kicked off the station. Russ Martin followed, and another KLOL pairing of ‘The Grego and Brian Morning Show’ from 2002-2004.

In May 2004, the station flipped to Soft AC Sunny 97.1.

By August 2005, KEGL became "La Preciosa."

Then, in December 2007, the first return of 97.1 The Eagle happened.

LISTEN TO THE RETURNED STATION HERE

Dan Rather returns to CBS in new interview

Nearly two decades have passed since Dan Rather bid farewell as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," concluding a 44-year tenure at the "Eye Network." 

During his time there, Rather covered wars, politics, and the JFK assassination, while also mentoring a budding correspondent named Lee Cowan, who interviewed him on "CBS Sunday Morning" for his return to the network after being fired in 2005. 

Now at 92, Rather sits down with Cowan to reflect on his distinguished career, the notorious story that tarnished his reputation (and CBS's), and his life after CBS, which has involved book writing and connecting with a younger audience through social media.

Also, while you're here, reader Murdoch sent me Rather's KHOU 11 1961 Hurricane Carla news highlights.

Former abc13 producer-editor is reaching for the stars

Former ABC13 KTRK Special Project Producer/Photographer/Editor David Mackey left TV news and followed ABC13 veteran Ted Oberg to Washington, D.C., to start a new life. 

Mackey took a year off to learn about the city and landed a job with an IT company as a video content editor for NASA.

While his work won’t take him to space just yet, David Mackey's new role with NASA is a global adventure. He'll be traversing the world, contributing to projects he deeply cares about. 

Mackey answered some questions for us about transitioning away from a career in TV news.

Mike McGuff:  What advice do you give people in TV news looking to start a new career?

David Mackey: The best advice I could give to anyone looking to start their career outside of TV news is to be patient. It's not always an instant success; it takes time to find the perfect fit. The key is being brave enough to make the jump, it’s scary but the reward on the other side is worth it! Going from living “on call" with a station to “banker’s hours” and holidays off or being told “it’s snowing, just stay home and work” is life-changing when it comes to work/life balance. 

MM: How much did your TV news skills help you land the new job?

DM: I wouldn’t be the videographer I am without my “on the job” training I received working in television.  I worked with some of the best in the business and was mentored by skilled multi-Emmy award-winning animation creators like Paul McKenna, editors like John Mubarak, and managers/photographers like Scott Morrow. Working at a number-one station in a top-ten market is like boot camp. The rush to get packages done with reporters, producers, and managers standing over your shoulder prepares you for the slowed-paced life of corporate, where projects you used to do in hours can now be focused on, allowing you to enjoy the finished project and not feel like you threw it together. Even more appreciative is the fact that after a project is done you get credit for it. So often in television the focus is on the “face” of the story. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen incredible stories air where everyone cheers the reporter while the photographer/editor is standing on the side unacknowledged, knowing the story was crafted in an edit bay and not on paper. 

MM: Any advice on moving to a new city that you learned along the way?

DM:  When it comes to moving to a new city and starting a new life, the best advice I can give is to say it’s never too late. I left ABC13 after 24 years as a 50-year-old and moved over a thousand miles away to Washington DC, not knowing a single person here. All I knew was, I didn’t want to be the person that never experienced life outside of their hometown. I figured at 50 with my kids grown, I was still young enough to have a life, fit enough to enjoy the life and attractive enough to destroy the life. I started at ABC13, married to a woman, and left divorced from a man, all while raising two successful daughters. I accomplished everything in Texas I could. As for the move, it took a while, but I am adjusted to DC life (and the snowy weather), and now I am making a difference with my skills, not rushing to work to deal with hurricanes and car crashes. Creating great projects for the government from the comfort of my home. The life path I chose may not be right for everyone but I couldn’t ask for a better place to be in my journey. A career that is not a job but a joy and the opportunity to help other organizations and non profits with my production company tdmphotography.com in the most historic city in the country. 

Dave Ward's surprise 85th birthday!

A 20 Year Old Television Camera made this video

Max Crawford promoted to chief meteorologist at KBTX Bryan-College Station

Morning meteorologist Max Crawford is taking over as KTBX News 3 Bryan - College Station chief meteorologist from Shel Winkley, who signed off on April 25, 2024.

Here is what Crawford posted on Facebook:

"I owe a lot to this guy. A lot of other people do, too. He never asked for recognition or praise. That’s one of the MANY things that makes him such a great leader. 

Meteorologist Shel Winkley KBTX and I always said we wouldn’t leave this job unless it was for an amazing opportunity. I’m thrilled for my former boss and one of my best friends for embarking on a new adventure. 

We have BIG shoes to fill, but he’s laid a great foundation.

I’m honored and privileged to be your next Chief Meteorologist, Brazos Valley!"

Anchor Rusty Surette says Crawford will become only the third person to hold the title "Chief Meteorologist" at KBTX.

The Texas A&M University grad interned under Winkley in 2013.  He then worked with Tom Tefertiller at KWES 9 Midland/Odessa before returning to KBTX in June 2015.

Crawford's wife, Kimberly, gave birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day 2022.