There has been a lot of coverage of last week's iHeartMedia layoffs, and we are getting a clearer picture of what is happening in Houston and across Texas.
In fact, I understand that more cuts across Texas could be announced soon.
You can always check trade site radioINSIGHT for the latest national coverage of the iHeartRadio cuts.
HOUSTON
In Houston, Sunny 99.1 KODA Houston has been hit the hardest.
But before I continue, I am getting reader reports that former KPRC 2 Houston Life and 94.5 The Buzz KTBZ morning co-host Tessa Barrera has recently been heard filling in on Sunny 99.1 as of this weekend.
So, here we go with the KODA cuts.
Midday host Amanda Flores (also Star 102.1 KDGE Dallas-Fort Worth), afternoon host Chris Davis and overnight DJ Madison Reeves.
At sister station Sports Talk 790 KBME, Cole Thompson announced his exit from the recently announced “The Morning Drive with Dan & Cole,” which just debuted in 2025.
CORPUS CHRISTI
Steven ‘Rex’ Gabriel exits the mornings at C-101 KNCN Corpus Christi after 36 years.
Abigail Velez, who is now a reporter and fill-in anchor for ABC7 KABC Los Angeles and just left CBS Austin KEYE in October 2025, is apologizing for a live report in which she tried "to have a little fun with World Cup competition."
Now the newly hired Southern California TV journalist is going viral from the pages of the New York Times to the New York Post.
Watch her report where Velez says she could not point out where Team USA's next FIFA opponent, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was located on a map.
The KABC reporter later issued an apology "to the people of Bosnia," which some on social media and the media trade outlet FTVLive said should not have happened.
Velez is married to former NBC 5 DFW KXAS reporter Keenan Willard, who now works for KNBC 4 NBC Los Angeles.
"After four years in Houston and 18 years in this business, it was time to make a change - not just a new job title, but an opportunity that would be better for my family and me beyond the newsroom. I thank God for this new opportunity.
My time at Fox 26 was fantastic. I put every skill I had to work: reporting, anchoring, streaming, writing, strategizing. I did it all.
I’ve connected with one of the most diverse and important cities in America, while working alongside the most talented people who have become close friends and extended family.
As the industry has changed, I’ve changed with it - and I’m proud of the work I’ve done.
As for what’s next - I’ll let everyone in on it in due time. Especially since all of the talented journalists in the market are texting and following me right now. Don’t worry, I’m sticking around.
Thank you to EVERY Houstonian who made me feel at home and welcomed me into your community. See you later, see you soon."
Desselle came to Houston from WDSU 6 New Orleans, where he worked as a weekend anchor beginning in 2019.
During his career, he earned the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the documentary, "History and Hope: Our Hidden Past."
A graduate of Northwestern State University, Desselle launched his television career at News Channel 5 KALB in Alexandria, Louisiana. He started as a part-time photographer before advancing to multimedia journalist, weekend anchor and eventually morning anchor.
Trason Bragg has been announced as the new KHOU 11 Houston noon anchor multiple sources confirm to mikemcguff.com, so get your resumes ready, as his weekend morning position is likely open.
We now have the puzzle pieces assembled to understand the aftermath of the tectonic shift made at Channel 11 after Shern-Min Chow's retirement!
With Bragg taking Chow's midday anchoring chair, that completes the full picture, since we learned that Brheanna Boudreaux was returning to Houston and taking the legendary anchor's 4pm role.
And I should take the time to acknowledge that Marcelino Benito hasn't co-anchored with Mercedes in like a year. So this proves to my readers who think I know everything that I really do live up to the "dunderpate" branding in my own blog header since I missed this one. See, I'm just good at faking competence at times. That's how I made it 15 years in the TV biz. Fake it until you sorta make it.
Bragg joined KHOU as weekend morning anchor in 2024, taking over for Lauren Talarico. He came from Dallas-Fort Worth, where he worked for the CBS Local News Innovation Lab based at CBS News Texas KTVT.
Do you think when World Cup fans lifted Bragg recently, that they were really celebrating his upcoming promotion?
After more than four decades in television and two separate stints at the station, Ron Rosseau is signing off from KTAB Abilene.
Rosseau retires from his role as KTAB’s morning anchor on June 26, 2026.
A familiar face to Big Country viewers, Rosseau first joined KTAB in 1981 as a reporter shortly after graduating from Abilene Christian University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication.
He remained with the station until 1999 before leaving for Washington, D.C., where he joined the professional staff of former U.S. Congressman Charles Stenholm.
Following about 18 months in the nation’s capital, Rosseau returned to the private sector and helped market a filtered internet service. After the company was sold, he worked as a staff announcer at KGNZ Radio before returning to KTAB in 2006.
Back at the station, Rosseau became a staple of KTAB’s morning and noon newscasts, serving as both anchor and producer and helping start viewers’ days for nearly two decades.
Outside of broadcasting, Rosseau devoted time to ministry work as a fill-in preacher and Sunday school teacher. He also stayed active for years through jogging and racquetball.
In retirement, Rosseau plans to spend more time with family and friends. He and his wife have three children and one grandson, with another grandchild expected soon.
Stepping into the KTAB morning anchor role is veteran broadcaster Pam Nolan, who was introduced to viewers this week.
Nolan brings more than three decades of television news and journalism experience to the desk. Most recently, she served as journalism department head and journalism teacher at San Antonio Christian School, where she led the school’s journalism program, developed curriculum and mentored students in reporting, writing and broadcast production.
Before transitioning into education, Nolan built a longtime career in Texas television news. She worked as an anchor and reporter at KWES-TV in Midland/Odessa from 2012 to 2018, anchoring and producing multiple evening newscasts.
Her previous stops included KOSA-TV in Odessa, where she spent more than 13 years across two tenures anchoring evening newscasts and helping guide newsroom coverage, KMID-TV in Midland, and KXAN-TV in Austin, where she anchored morning newscasts and covered state government and court proceedings.
Like Rosseau, Nolan is also an Abilene Christian University graduate, earning her degree in mass communication and media studies.
After more than four decades in television and nearly 16 years at CBS News Texas KTVT Dallas-Fort Worth, senior meteorologist Jeff Ray delivered his final broadcast on Friday, June 26, 2026, and his colleagues made sure it was a sendoff to remember.
His broadcasting career spans more than 40 years.
The station turned the occasion into what they jokingly declared “First Alert Jeff Ray Day,” mixing humor, heartfelt tributes, and reflections on a career that left a lasting mark on viewers and coworkers alike.
Throughout the broadcast, colleagues shared how emotional the day felt and remarked on how quickly the moment had arrived. Between jokes about North Texas heat and stories from years working together, the CBS News Texas team celebrated Ray’s dedication, professionalism, and presence in the newsroom.
Ray admitted he had been counting down to retirement for the past two years and hinted that more details about his next chapter were still to come.
That next chapter is now becoming clear.
During his farewell broadcast, Ray announced that he is “hanging up” his radar iPad to begin a second career as a truck farmer in Pikeville, Tennessee. The move fulfills a lifelong dream inspired by his grandfather, who worked as a truck farmer in Ohio. Ray said the opportunity to follow a similar path made retirement feel less like an ending and more like the beginning of a long-awaited new adventure.
Ray joined CBS 11 and TXA 21 in December 2010 and became a familiar face to North Texas viewers as the station’s senior meteorologist. He appeared Monday through Friday on CBS News Texas at 4 p.m. on KTVT and at 7 p.m. on KTXA.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Ray spent much of his childhood in Tennessee. His educational background includes a communications degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a bachelor’s degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University, and a master’s degree in science education from the University of Missouri.
After 26 years at ABC13 KTRK Houston and four decades in television news, Jeff Ehling is announcing on mikemcguff.com that he will retire on September 18, 2026.
"My wife and I have been planning for this a long time," Ehling told mikemcguff.com. "We set a goal that would allow me to retire after 20 years, but 2020 was at the beginning of the pandemic, and it did not seem like a good idea to leave a job during all that uncertainty. I signed a three-year contract that year, and not long after, I was given the chance to become a streaming news anchor, and I really enjoyed it. So when that contract ended three years later, I felt like staying for another contract. Now we are six years past our goal, and it just feels like the right time to begin a new phase of our lives. I’m glad I stayed on for these last six years because I thoroughly enjoyed streaming news and being the anchor for the 11 AM."
So what will Ehling do with his upcoming "normal person" schedule?
"I love watching football, but unfortunately I have to miss all of the Sunday Night, Monday Night and Thursday Night games due to working the early morning schedule," Ehling said. "I typically go to bed around 7 p.m. Now I can take in all the NFL and College football action without worrying about getting up early. So the thing I am looking forward to the most is getting to set my own schedule, and that includes plenty of football."
Ehling has been a familiar face to Houston viewers since joining KTRK in January 2000 as the station’s morning reporter. Over the years, in addition to reporting, he also became well known for anchoring, consumer coverage, and, later, digital streaming.
When his wife accepted a job in Houston in late 1999, he relocated to Texas, and shortly afterward, Ehling landed his role at KTRK.
"When I moved here, my wife and I were engaged but not married yet. She is from New York, and we always entertained the idea of moving to New York City, but after we bought our house we realized we likely would never be able to afford a similar home in Manhattan," Ehling told me. "Once we had kids, we realized Houston offered the best cost of living for a major U.S. city, and the longer we stayed, the more we realized how much Houston has to offer and what makes it a great place to raise a family. We love it.
"On a personal level, Houston’s Med Center, specifically Women’s Hospital of Texas, played a major role in the lives of our kids. Both my boys were born prematurely, and the doctors and nurses at Women’s are the reason why those boys survived and are now thriving adults. You can’t overstate the importance of having world-class health care professionals in your backyard. I will always be in their debt. Professionally, the city and the station have been fantastic. I started here as a reporter and knew I would eventually want to move to the anchor desk. ABC 13 made that happen, and the reception from the viewers here allowed me to keep working for 26 years."
During his tenure at ABC13, Ehling covered some of the biggest stories of his career, including hurricanes, reporting from Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and covering Texas troops stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Over the years, ABC NewsOne, the network affiliate news service, recognized Ehling's live-shot skills and used him for nationwide reports.
"Of all the international stories I have covered, the second Gulf War left a lasting impact on me personally," Ehling admitted. "The station set up a rotation for reporters and photographers that would have us leaving Kuwait after two weeks, but the airspace was closed after we arrived, so we were stuck at the center of the attack from Scud missiles for an entire month. Almost every Scud fired from Iraq at Kuwait was aimed at Kuwait City. The Patriot Missile defenses shot down most of those Scuds, but some made it through. One landed in the middle of the night less than a mile from our hotel.
"While we were the only crew in Kuwait City, we had to report on TV here in Houston at 5 am, 6 am, 11 am, 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm. We then had to reset and do it all over again each day. We got about four hours of sleep a day, but not all at once. Air raid sirens warning of missile attacks sounded throughout the day and night. The sirens and not sleeping or eating properly made things extremely difficult, both mentally and physically, as the days went on. One time we were at a military checkpoint when US forces started putting on their chemical warfare gear. They weren’t messing around, and it was clear something either hit nearby or was in the air. We carried similar gear and also rushed to get the protective masks on. Then we interviewed soldiers about what was happening. Other reporters from around the world were nearby, but they did not have any protective gear. One of the reporters from Japan took our picture while we were interviewing military members. That picture made it into newspapers around the world. I’ve got so many stories from that time, but to this day loud sirens kind of make me nervous."
In 2004, Ehling took over the consumer reporting role after Nydia Han left for 6abc Action News WPVI Philadelphia.
His consumer reporting helped ABC13 viewers save money through his financial tips, scam warnings, and holding businesses accountable.
"When KTRK asked me to become a Consumer Reporter, I did not hesitate because it is the kind of reporting that impacts people’s lives," Ehling said. "We heard about the truck fires from a viewer, and at first I was kind of skeptical, but after digging into it we found so many people in our area who had the same issue. We went to a wrecker yard during our investigation to see if they had trucks that had caught fire, and the manager told me, 'If you want to take a picture of every truck on the lot that caught fire, you are going to be here all day.' That’s when I knew we had a very big story on our hands, and eventually it got national attention and led to a massive recall."
During this time, he also hosted the Emmy-nominated "Jeff on the Job" half-hour specials that continued his consumer investigations after the Eyewitness Newscasts signed off for the night.
Known for his fantastic live reporting and off-the-cuff style, Ehling later found his way to the weekend morning anchor desk.
In 2017, his live reports covering rescue operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey were seen across the nation. Ehling later won the President's Volunteer Service Award for his work in response to Hurricane Harvey.
Ehling stepped away from the weekend morning anchor desk alongside Charly Edsittyin January 2024 and transitioned to weekday mornings and streaming coverage on the ABC13 24/7 stream, where he anchors expanded morning programming and returned to consumer-focused reporting. He was then assigned duties as an 11am newscast anchor on television as well.
"Streaming is great! I love it," he said. "My approach is to try to have a little fun where appropriate. For instance, we hit traffic at the top of every break, and let’s face it, showing drive times from Katy isn’t really super exciting as an anchor or for most viewers. So I really lean into the pronunciation, it’s more like DRIIIIIIVE TIIIMES!!!! I know it’s at least a little funny as my colleagues in the newsroom usually get a laugh out of it. Also, being able to stay on a breaking news story is great. One time there was a foam release at the airport, it’s the kind of foam used to suppress fires. This stuff was everywhere. We got Skyeye over it and then Miya Shay on the ground, and while they were talking, I called up a friend who works in disaster preparedness to have him go over the air via Zoom. It was great TV. Streaming really lets us stretch out our abilities, and that’s why I love the format. I would not have had an opportunity to do this had the station not had the foresight to add additional newscasts that do not appear on regular TV. KTRK was among the first stations in the country to add streaming news and one of the first to offer so many hours of streaming news."
When he started his career, TV stations would have thought "streaming" was something happening down by the river.
Ehling's broadcasting career began in 1986 near his hometown of Statenville, Georgia. The Valdosta State University graduate started at ABC affiliate WVGA in Valdosta before moving to NBC affiliate WMGT in Macon. In 1990, he joined CBS affiliate WCTV in Tallahassee, Florida, where he served as bureau chief in Valdosta and was promoted to weekend anchor.
He continued his career in 1996 at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, working as a general assignment reporter. South Florida also became personally significant; it was there he met his wife.
"When I started back in 1986, my first station was using ¾ inch tapes to record interviews, and now it’s all on video cards," Ehling remembered. "We had no computers, no internet, no live trucks, no news apps. I have seen incredible change in the industry, but one thing has stayed the same. The people who are responsible for bringing the news to your TV are still dedicated, talented, and willing to go to places where residents are being told to evacuate. This business has given me a lifetime of incredible experiences. I got to cover multiple World Series games, Little League World Series games, NFL and NBA playoffs, hurricanes that dumped 56 inches of rain on our community, and so much more. The people I’ve met along the way, both in the business and in the community, have been wonderful. I am so thankful I got to spend the last 26 years of my career here in Houston and at KTRK.
"I will be forever grateful to the station, my coworkers, and the viewers who welcomed me into their homes each day."
Brittany Begley announced Wednesday evening that she is no longer a meteorologist for KPRC 2 Houston.
This came after Begley received national coverage in FTVLive and the New York Post for an Instagram post about the TV news industry.
In the latest post, Begley appears in front of an empty fridge just like the original post, but this time she is wearing a crown.
Here is a portion of what Begley posted (full post below):
"No longer with KPRC — and for that, I’m truly grateful. Maybe you’ve read the headlines?
I believe in accountability. This conversation won’t be going away anytime soon. I’m dedicating at least a weekly series to this as I compete in the digital sales and marketing space with integrity. Higher quality, better value, lower price.
I’m proving to you that I operate with integrity through my actions and the emails showing how hard I worked to bring positive impact to KPRC. I wouldn’t say it if I couldn’t prove it."
Begley writes that she is "not disagreeing with the separation" and then gives her response to the New York Post article about her original IG post (read below).
This is the third on-air departure in two weeks for KPRC 2. Reporters Robert Arnold and Gage Goulding left last week.
She arrived in Houston from KRON 4 in San Francisco, where she worked as a freelance meteorologist.
Before her move to the Bay Area, Begley spent four years at ABC10 KXTV in Sacramento, California, serving as an anchor, meteorologist, and reporter from 2018 to 2022.
Earlier in her career, Begley held several roles within TEGNA-owned stations. She worked at WBNS 10 in Columbus, Ohio, as a traffic anchor and reporter after serving as a social media host and traffic reporter at WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina.
She also spent time at WDTN 2 in Dayton, Ohio, as a traffic reporter.
Begley attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and later expanded her weather expertise through studies in meteorology at Mississippi State University.
Hello DFW, it's been a while! I have more stuff on the way for you North Texas television news readers!
If you've been reading over the last few years, you know we've been following the journey of the new FOX 4 KDFW studio build underway in Irving-Las Colinas at 2203 West Royal Lane.
Well, legendary anchor Clarice Tinsley gives us a big update:
"The FOX4 logo was just installed on the outside of our new building in Irving. This is only part of Studio A where we’ll do newscasts, it’s gigantic. I’m standing where the newsroom will be and behind me the assignments desk & windows! Our meteorologists can bring you the 4cast from our FOX4 patio. Great look at our future newsroom space from the 2nd floor. We’ll plant trees & have a green space. More than 40,000 sq. ft. for beyond state of the art equipment & studios for newscasts, streaming, podcasts & more + windows!!!!!!"
