TEGNA expands management roles

Raquel Amparo

McLean, Va. – TEGNA CEO Patrick Paolini today announced four leadership appointments, naming industry veterans to expanded roles across the business.

“Each of these individuals has a proven record of measurable results built on experience, strong instincts and sound judgment,” Paolini said. “As our leadership team continues to grow, these are the qualities that will shape TEGNA’s future.”

Marc Sher has been promoted to senior vice president and general counsel, overseeing all of TEGNA’s legal matters, including, among other things, compliance, contracts, litigation, regulatory matters, and risk management.

Raquel Amparo has been named senior vice president of content, leading the company’s content strategy, creation and content partnerships across platforms.

Melissa Jones will become senior vice president of human resources (HR), directing the company’s people strategy, including talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and benefits, and organizational development.

Pamela Long has been promoted to senior vice president of finance, managing the company’s financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and capital planning.

About the team:

Marc Sher joined TEGNA in 2013 and most recently served as vice president, associate general counsel and secretary, with experience spanning commercial agreements, regulatory compliance, litigation, M&A support and privacy and data security. He previously was a partner at Dow Lohnes PLLC and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory University and a law degree from The George Washington University Law School.

Raquel Amparo, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and Kneeland Fellow with more than 20 years of news experience, has been promoted from vice president of content for TEGNA’s Texas markets. In this role, she helped develop multi-platform content strategies to elevate enterprise and solutions-based journalism. Amparo previously served as president and general manager for CBS 11 News Texas KTVT and held roles at Univision Communications and FOX Television. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida and a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Miami.

Melissa Jones joined TEGNA in 2016 as vice president of human resources. She leads the HR business partner team across the company’s 64 stations in 51 markets, as well as talent acquisition and development. Jones previously held global HR roles at General Electric across several divisions. She began her career as an employment attorney and holds a law degree and a master’s degree from the Catholic University of America, and a bachelor’s degree from Mount Union University in Ohio.

Pamela Long joined TEGNA in 2015, and most recently served as vice president of finance and operations, leading the finance business partner team that supports TEGNA’s business units. Long is responsible for revenue optimization, performance metrics, business initiative analysis, budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting. Prior to joining TEGNA, Long held various finance and accounting positions at Northcentral University, University of Phoenix, the Institute for Professional Development, Marriott Vacation Club International and CNF Mobile Solutions. She began her career in public accounting. Long holds an MBA in international business from Northcentral University, a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Northern Arizona University and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Leah Rodriguez joins KSAT 12 San Antonio

Leah Rodriguez joins the KSAT 12 San Antonio weather team as a meteorologist.

Last time I wrote about Rodriguez, she had just started with the KLBK Lubbock First Warning Weather Team as a weekend meteorologist in June 2024.

It's a homecoming for  Rodriguez, who was born in San Antonio and watched KSAT 12 while growing up in Pearsall, Texas. 

She even interned for KSAT in 2023 while attending Texas A&M University.  According to the station, Rodriguez will graduate with her Master's Degree in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) from A&M in 2027.

Rodriguez is mostly taking over the spot left by Elliot Wilson, who left the station in March.

KLTV launches East Texas Politics streaming show

KLTV 7 and KTRE 9 Tyler recently launched East Texas Politics on East Texas Now with Blake Holland. 

Holland is a news anchor and reporter for KLTV and KTRE. He anchors East Texas’ most-watched newscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. Since joining KLTV and KTRE in 2018, Holland has covered national political conventions, presidential visits, and interviewed gubernatorial and presidential candidates.

The weekly series features interviews with elected officials and candidates, plus analysis of local, state, and national political news. 

The debut episode featured an on-set interview with candidates for the mayor of Tyler. Since then, guests have included Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran.

The weekly show streams on Fridays at 6:30 p.m., with an encore presentation on Sundays at 10 a.m. You can watch on KLTV.com or using the KLTV or KTRE apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android TV. 

The show is also available on demand after the Friday night stream.

Sally Ramirez to be inducted into the NAHJ Hall of Fame Class of 2026

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) has announced its 2026 Hall of Fame class, and NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV) / Telemundo Chicago (WSNS-TV) Senior Vice President of News Sally Ramirez has been selected as one of this year’s distinguished inductees.

The NAHJ Hall of Fame recognizes trailblazing journalists whose dedication and contributions have paved the way for Latinos in the industry. Honoring a legacy of excellence, the NAHJ Hall of Fame celebrates individuals who have made a lasting impact through their work, mentorship and commitment to accurate and representative coverage of Latino communities. 

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be inducted into the NAHJ Hall of Fame,” said Ramirez. “NAHJ represents a legacy of journalists who have expanded opportunity, elevated coverage, and insisted that our communities be seen and heard with depth, accuracy, and truth. This recognition belongs to the mentors who opened doors, the colleagues who challenged me, and the journalists, both past and present, who continue pushing our industry forward and building what comes next.”

“Throughout her decorated career, Sally’s vision has shaped journalists, strengthened newsrooms, and ensured our communities always receive the thoughtful, trusted reporting they deserve,” said Kevin Cross, President/General Manager, NBCUniversal Local Chicago. “Being welcomed into the NAHJ Hall of Fame not only reflects Sally’s extraordinary achievements, but also the profound influence she continues to have on journalism across the local and national landscape.”

“Sally’s dedicated leadership and passion for journalism has served communities, inspired newsrooms and developed considerable talent throughout her impressive career in local and national news,” added Jose Cancela, President of Telemundo Station Group. “Her induction into the NAHJ Hall of Fame is a very deserved recognition of the transformative impact she has made and for her commitment to our industry and its people.”

With more than 30 years of local/national broadcast journalism experience, Ramirez returned to her hometown of Chicago, Ill. in 2023 to restructure and lead the newsrooms at two of the city’s most respected media properties: NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. 

Prior to joining NBC 5 Chicago & Telemundo Chicago, Ramirez was Executive Producer for CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith, where she led newsgathering and production. In addition to increasing viewership, Ramirez artfully established successful relationships with multiple NBCUniversal national and international news outlets, enabling “The News with Shepard Smith” to be the first program in NBCUniversal News Group history to use content from all properties and platforms in a single evening newscast.

From 2016-2020, Ramirez was the Executive News Director at KHOU11 in Houston, Texas, where she transformed the newsroom culture, focusing on innovative and interactive content. Ramirez also successfully led her team through the massive challenges of Hurricane Harvey, which destroyed the TV station and required an immediate relocation to a temporary broadcast facility. Through her resilience and vision, Ramirez designed and led KHOU's transition to a state-of-the-art news operation, enabling the station to better serve modern audiences across multiple devices.

Prior to her life-changing stint in Houston, Ramirez spent 17 years as Executive Producer, then Assistant News Director at KGW-TV in Portland, Ore. Earlier, she held several editorial and management positions across the country, including as Executive Producer at Chicago’s WGN-TV.

Ramirez is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including five Edward R. Murrow Awards, four Emmy Awards, and the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, among others. In addition, in 2025, she earned the “Chicago Latina of the Year” award via Chicago Latina Magazine & Foundation.

Ramirez is a bilingual, first-generation Mexican-American who grew up in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood and is a graduate of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications at DePaul University, where she received the “Distinguished Alumni Award” from DePaul’s Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence.

Ramirez, along with Noticias Telemundo / NBC Nightly News Saturday anchor José Díaz-Balart, San Francisco Chronicle photo/video journalist Carlos Avila Gonzalez, and PBS Public Editor Ricardo Sandoval-Palos, will be officially inducted into the 2026 Hall of Fame class at the NAHJ Hall of Fame Gala on Saturday, July 25, 2026, during the 2026 NAHJ Conference & Expo in New Orleans, La.

Brittany Begley gets national coverage for TV industry criticisms

Brittany Begley was recently featured in the New York Post and the Daily Mail after writing an Instagram post about the TV industry, specifically the lack of Emmy awards for traffic reporting and the overall decline in standards.

The post was first featured by Scott Jones of FTVLive.

Begley now works as a weekend morning meteorologist for KPRC 2 in Houston. In fact, KPRC hasn't had a dedicated traffic person in years, but recently posted a morning traffic anchor job.

"KPRC is aware of the post," Sean McLaughlin, vice president and general manager of the Houston station, told The Post.

Begley was still performing her weather duties this weekend.

The coverage framed Begley's post as going after colleagues for normalizing “bad behavior,” but to me and others I've talked to, it's not clear that she is talking about her current KPRC colleagues, but actually ones from her past stations. 

It was a busy week for KPRC 2 as we saw departures from reporter Gage Goulding and longtime investigative reporter Robert Arnold.

Begley joined the KPRC 2 Houston weather team in early 2024, succeeding longtime Houston meteorologist Khambrel Marshall, who announced his retirement in November 2023 and officially signed off the following month.

Begley came to Houston from KRON 4 in San Francisco, where she had served as a freelance meteorologist since June 2022.

Before KRON, Begley spent four years at ABC10 KXTV in Sacramento, California, working as an anchor, meteorologist, and reporter from 2018 to 2022. During her time there, she covered a variety of weather events and delivered daily forecasts while contributing to news coverage.

Her broadcasting career included several stops within TEGNA stations. Prior to Sacramento, Begley worked at WBNS 10 in Columbus, Ohio, as a traffic anchor and reporter. Before that, she served as a social media host and traffic reporter at WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Between those roles, Begley also worked as a traffic reporter at WDTN 2 in Dayton, Ohio.

Begley attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and later continued her meteorology education through Mississippi State University.

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(Thanks, Bob and Gina)

 

Allison Hill joins KVUE Austin

Allison Hill joined KVUE Austin as a reporter in June 2026.

- Laura Sather named KVUE Austin assistant news director

Hill arrives in Austin from KXXV 25 News in Waco–Temple–Killeen, where she spent two years covering Central Texas and most recently served as Lead News Reporter. She originally joined KXXV in June 2024 as the Neighborhood Reporter covering Gatesville and Lampasas County.

Before joining KXXV, Hill worked at KCBD NewsChannel 11 in Lubbock, starting in 2022, where she gained experience both in front of and behind the camera. She started as a newscast producer, producing the station’s noon and 4 p.m. newscasts before moving into a reporting role in early 2024.

Hill also interned at KSAT in San Antonio during the summer of 2023.

While working at KCBD, Hill attended Texas Tech University and graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

Beyond academics, Hill held several leadership roles in Kappa Alpha Theta, including Vice President of Operations and Director of Fundraising, and participated in both the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Continuing her education while building her journalism career, Hill also earned her Master of Business Administration from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business in May 2026.

Greg Kerr retires from NewsChannel 10 KFDA Amarillo

Greg Kerr has announced his retirement from NewsChannel 10 KFDA in Amarillo on July 2, 2026, after more than 35 years in television news and sports.

Here is his goodbye message to NewsChannel 10 viewers: 

"When my wife and I moved to Amarillo on January 1, 2022, snow was falling as we were unloading the U-Haul and it was cold. We were so very happy to be here and welcomed by a warm and friendly community. I was also really eager for my first day of many at NewsChannel 10.

My time at NewsChannel 10 was a challenge of the bat. I was tasked with replacing a Panhandle local TV legend in Walt Howard. From the very first day, it’s been an honor to deliver the news and carry on the tradition, along with Doppler Dave Oliver, of keeping KFDA the number one, most watched local news station in the market. I’ve had the pleasure of working and becoming great friends with many who’ve worked here, that I will always treasure.

Outside of the newsroom, we have enjoyed area restaurants, riding our bicycles inside Palo Duro Canyon and loving the warm summer nights and brilliant sunsets.

My career began as a sportscaster, transitioned to news and now I’m retiring from the industry. It’s been a journey from Texas to Illinois, down to Oklahoma City and out to North Carolina before returning to Texas.

It’s been a run of 43 years, and I’ve been blessed to go to a job that I wanted to do each and every day.

Thank you Amarillo for all you have done for my wife Sheryl and me. You have made us feel like we were home.

I hope to continue a connection with NewsChannel 10 in the future.

Much love, Greg Kerr." 

Although retiring from daily television news, Kerr is not stepping away completely. He launched a new chapter as a part-time social media content creator with Let’s Get Kerrific! based in the Austin metro area, where he says he hopes to bring more than 40 years of news and sports experience while continuing to engage audiences across digital platforms.

- Lindsey Stiner joins Newschannel 10 KFDA Amarillo

Kerr’s broadcasting journey began in Texas and is now coming full circle as he signs off from Amarillo after four and a half years as NewsChannel 10’s primetime anchor. 

During his time at KFDA, Kerr helped lead coverage of breaking news and severe weather while becoming active in the Texas Panhandle community through efforts including the Together We Can Food Drive, 24 Hours in the Canyon, and support of the Ronald McDonald House and other local causes.

Kerr joined KFDA following a lengthy career spanning multiple markets and roles in news and sports.

A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism, Kerr launched his television career as a sports anchor at KLST-TV in San Angelo in 1983 before moving to Austin’s KTBC-TV as a sports anchor in 1984.

He later became Sports Director at KFDM-TV in Beaumont, where he spent nine years before moving to Springfield, Illinois, to serve as Sports Director at WICS-TV. Kerr then joined KWTV-TV in Oklahoma City as a sports anchor before heading to WFMY-TV in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he spent nearly eight years as Sports Director and helped oversee large-scale sports programming and special broadcast projects.

Kerr returned to Texas in 2010, joining Fox Sports Southwest in Dallas as a news anchor. There, he anchored Dallas Stars Live and Dallas Stars Insider, along with Dallas Mavericks Live, San Antonio Spurs Live, and High School Spotlight, while also writing, editing, producing, and voicing segments for the Texas Rangers Magazine Show.

In 2012, Kerr returned to KTBC-TV in Austin to anchor FOX 7 News in the Morning and Good Day Austin, marking a return to the station where he had worked earlier in his career.

After nearly three decades in sports television, Kerr transitioned into news full-time. He joined KFDM/KBTV in Beaumont as a morning news anchor in 2013, then returned to his roots in West Texas as a news anchor at KLST in San Angelo from 2020 to 2021.

Kerr joined KFDA in Amarillo in January 2022, where he closed out his on-air career as evening anchor.

Throughout his career, Kerr earned numerous honors, including two Lone Star Emmy Awards — one in sports and one in news.

Christine Gormley leaves KTEN Sherman

Christine Gormley departed the KTEN 10 Sherman–Denison weather team in June 2026, where she had served as a meteorologist since 2024.

Here is what Gormley posted on social:

"Monday was my last day at KTEN. I’ve had quite the time living in Texoma these last last few years. I’ve met the best people and learned so much about myself. I’ve learned how to be a professional meteorologist from some of the best. I’ve made the most unexpected friends. I will miss them. I’m glad I started my career at KTEN and I’m looking forward to this next chapter. I will miss serving everyone in Texoma but I’m not too far away! More details to come."

A native of Moore, Oklahoma, Gormley earned her Bachelor of Science in Meteorology with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma in May 2024. 

While at OU, she built on-air forecasting experience as a weather anchor for OU Nightly, the university’s student-run newscast, covering a variety of impactful weather events across Oklahoma, including severe storms and winter weather.

Her interest in meteorology developed early while growing up in central Oklahoma, where she experienced the region’s wide range of weather. Living through the devastating Moore EF-5 tornado on May 20, 2013, reinforced for her the critical role meteorologists play in communicating life-saving information to the public.

Gormley gained additional forecasting and broadcast experience through internships with HailTrace, Griffin Media, and Gray Television, including a weekend meteorologist internship in Lawton, Oklahoma.

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Double J’s Morning Show moves to Houston Tejano Hits app

The Houston Double J’s Morning Show has a new home and a new team.

The morning radio show, which originally debuted on the newly launched Puro Tejano 106.1 FM K291CE-FM at the end of 2025, is moving to the Houston Tejano Hits app or streaming online at houstonstejanohits.com.

The show, which broadcasts weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., now features veteran Houston broadcaster Jessika Reyna alongside her husband, Joey Leal of the Project One Band. 

Former co-host Jessica Jeanz is not featured on the new ads. When the show first premiered, it was billed as Tejano radio’s first all-female-hosted morning show. UPDATE: Jessica Jeanz is still with Puro Tejano 106.1 FM from 10am to 3pm on weekdays, starting 6-22-2026, the station tells me.

Also in the Spanish-language Houston radio news world, the 101 KLOL documentary recently won multiple Telly and Communicator Awards. 

Katalina Bell leaves KTAB Abilene

Katalina Bell is saying goodbye to KTAB 32 Abilene, with her final day at the Nexstar station set for July 1, 2026.

Here is what Bell posted online about her KTAB departure:

"After two amazing years, my time at KTAB is coming to an end. July 1st will be my final day on air.

When I moved to the Big Country, I never imagined how much this community would come to mean to me. From covering severe weather and sharing forecasts to visiting schools, hosting a podcast, and connecting with so many of you along the way, these past two years have been filled with memories I will always cherish.

Thank you for trusting me, supporting me, and allowing me to be a small part of your lives the last 2 years. It has truly been an honor to serve this incredible community.

As for what’s next, I promise that announcement is coming soon.

For now, I just want to say thank you. The Big Country will always have a special place in my heart."

Bell joined KTAB (and KRBC) as a meteorologist in July 2024 after graduating from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. During her two years forecasting weather in West Texas, she delivered daily forecasts and covered changing weather conditions for viewers across the Big Country.

"Back in the summer of 2024, Kat and I started our journeys in the Big Country together as weekend meteorologists for KRBC and KTAB. What started as two young meteorologists learning the ropes quickly turned into a great friendship and partnership," Meteorologist Carter Vandrasik added. "Over the years, we visited schools all across the Big Country, met hundreds of students, covered everything from severe weather to winter storms, and even started the Carter & Kat’s Weather Chat podcast. Some of my favorite memories at the station involve those school visits, community events, and the countless weather conversations we shared."

- KTAB - KRBC Abilene rebrand to West Texas Today and West Texas Daily

Originally from Bulverde, just outside San Antonio, Bell developed her passion for weather while studying at Texas A&M. While in College Station, she was active in TAMSCAMS, a student-run organization within the Department of Atmospheric Sciences.

Bell also gained hands-on research experience as an undergraduate research assistant under Dr. Timothy Logan, studying lightning sprites and aerosols associated with tropical cyclones. Her work included participation in a rapid response research team focused on collecting data during developing weather events to support meteorological and disaster preparedness research.

In addition to research, Bell worked as a student meteorologist delivering forecasts across television and radio platforms.

No word yet on Bell’s next career move following her departure from KTAB.