Justina Latimer leaves KPRC 2

Justina Latimer has left KPRC 2 Houston and her morning traffic anchor job no longer exists as of September 2024, sources tell mikemcguff.com. 

KPRC did not respond to my inquiry.

I hear that Justin Stapleton has been filling in with traffic at times since he was promoted to the morning meteorologist position.  I'm not sure if he will continue to do this.

Latimer joined KPRC on Monday, May 1, 2023, taking over for Anavid Reyes, who left KPRC in April 2023.

Before Houston, Latimer worked for WSMV4 Nashville, Tennessee, where she has been a fill-in anchor/multimedia journalist (MMJ) since March 2021.

Prior to Nashville, Latimer worked as a reporter for WTEN 10 Albany, New York.

She arrived at KPRC with traffic anchor experience from DC News Now Washington, DC WDVM-TV (formerly WHAG).   

She also worked as the West Virginia reporter for the statewide newscast “West Virginia Tonight.”

The Towson University graduate and National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) member interned with FOX 5 DC WTTG, WYPR 88.1 FM, and WBAL 11, the last two located in Baltimore.

Liz Dueweke leaves KFOX14 El Paso

Liz Dueweke has left KFOX14 El Paso as evening co-anchor on the 5 and 9 pm newscasts.

"Tonight will be Liz Dueweke’s last newscast on KFOX14," the station posted on September 13, 2024. "We wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors, we’re going to miss you, Liz!"

She has been with the KFOX since August 7, 2023.

Dueweke came from FOX13 News KCPQ Seattle, where she worked as a morning anchor for "Good Day Seattle" for almost ten years.

Before FOX13, she worked for cross-town rival KOMO 4, where she was also a morning anchor.

Before Seattle, Dueweke was a morning anchor for FOX25 KOKH Oklahoma City and ABC12 WJRT Flint, Michigan, where she also worked as a weekend anchor/reporter.

She started her professional TV career with KYMA/CBS 13/KECY Yuma, Arizona, where she was an anchor, reporter, web editor, producer, editor, and weather presenter.

While attending Oakland University, Dueweke interned with FOX 2 Detroit WJBK.

Inside a Revolutionary Next-Gen TV Truck

Is abc13 Houston getting a new studio set?

ABC13 Houston KTRK viewers are asking me if the Disney station is getting a new set. It appears the anchors have been in a temporary part of the studio for the last week or so.

Missing is the giant video wall in favor of a smaller monitor behind the anchors.

Never having seen the studio in person, it appears the anchors are only using parts of the larger set at the moment, which might hint at a refresh instead of a brand-new design.

When I looked up in my own blog when that set debuted, I was stunned. It made its debut in September 2015, and nearly ten years later, it still looks very good. My post is even from September 13, 2015, to be precise. 

If you are a newscast geek like I am, you might be interested to know that KTRK launched new weather and news graphics in 2023.

A BIGGER TEXAS TV STUDIO RABBIT HOLE FOR YOU
- KPRC 2 2024 studio - photos and more details
- CBS Austin debuts new set 2023
- KXAN Austin debuts new set 2023
- KHOU 11 studio set upgrades 2022
- NBC 5 DFW KXAS new studio 2022

TV anchors live on air during LA earthquake

FOX 11 Los Angeles's "Good Day LA" was live during Thursday morning's preliminary magnitude 4.7 earthquake that struck Southern California.

Here's how the GDLA anchors Jennifer Lahmers, Melvin Robert and Amanda Salas reacted when it happened live.

See how a former Houston anchor handled a Los Angeles earthquake live on the air a few years ago. 

Sonya Hill joins KNWA Northwest Arkansas

Sonya Hill joined KNWA and FOX24 Northwest Arkansas in August 2024 as the 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. co-anchor with Doug Warner. 

Hill comes from an evening anchor position with KVEO Rio Grande Valley, where she has been since August 2022. She also hosted the segment "Best of the RGV."

She previously worked as a morning anchor for KRIS 6 Corpus Christi and helped launch Telemundo Corpus Christi KAJA 47, where she forecasted the weather.

The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi grad previously worked as an evening news anchor and weather anchor for KRIS' E.W. Scripps Coastal Bend sister station, KZTV Action 10 News. 

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Carter Vandrasik joins KRBC Abilene

Carter Vandrasik joined KRBC Abilene as a weekend meteorologist in June 2024.

The recent University of Tennessee at Martin grad worked for campus radio station 90.3 “The Hawk” WUTM Martin, Tennessee

He interned for WKRN News 2 Nashville, Tennessee.

Alejandro Sanchez joins Telemundo 40 Rio Grande Valley

Alejandro Sanchez has been named multimedia journalist (MMJ) for Noticias Telemundo 40 Rio Grande Valley KTLM.

"Alejandro’s international background and deep understanding of the political issues affecting the Latino community will enrich our coverage and help us better inform our local audiences," said Iris Rodriguez, News Director for Telemundo 40. "We are very excited to have Alejandro join our award-winning team." 

Sanchez joins KTLM after working independently as a reporter in Miami, Uruguay, Panama, and Mexico and has been recognized with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Florida Society of News Editors Awards.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies and a master’s in political science and has also worked as a researcher for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), among other humanitarian organizations in Colombia. 

KHOU enters abc13 vs DirecTV dispute

 

The ongoing Disney/abc13 KTRK vs DirecTV dispute has certainly stirred up the media landscape, and it's no surprise that a Houston TV station is taking advantage of this situation.

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Jennifer Reyna returns to KHOU 11

Enter KHOU into the media business battle with a new promo that lets channel 13 viewers, currently left in the dark with the satellite company, know channel 11 is ready for their viewership.

"Missing your local news because of the DirecTV outage?" anchor Mia Gradney asks during the promo. "Don't worry, KHOU 11 has you covered. Your news is just a tap away anytime anywhere with KHOU 11 and KHOU 11+,"  co-anchor Len Cannon replies. "Don't let an outage hold you back. Download our free app," Gradney responds. 

KHOU 11 and owner TEGNA know a thing about DirecTV disputes.

As for me, the last time I had cable or satellite was in 2017, and I have been going over the air (OTA) or using an antenna for years. 

Before you jump into that world, know this isn't the old day when you could still pick up a fuzzy station if the signal wasn't great.  These days, with digital transmissions, you get it, or you don't.  No putting up with a bit of static to still watch.

That means some Houston stations are unwatchable for me at certain times of the day due to atmospheric conditions.

Although it doesn't seem television stations care about antenna viewership as much as they used to.  These days it's all about apps or streaming on a service like free Tubi.

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Diamond Dickson joins KRIS 6 Corpus Christi

Diamond Dickson joined the KRIS 6 Corpus Christi weather team as a meteorologist in May 2024.

"This role is all about grind and grit for me, and of course representation," Dickson posted on Facebook.  "Not many women, nor women of color, make up the world of meteorologists we see today. I thank God for qualifying me for this position."

Dickson joins KRIS from 15 ABC KRHD, where she was a neighborhood reporter.

The native Houstonian started her TV career with NewsChannel 10 KFDA Amarillo multimedia journalist.

A 2019 Sam Houston State University grad, Dickson had the opportunity to work with Dan Rather and his grandson. She also received a scholarship in Rather's honor.  Months after graduation, she pursued a Master of Science degree in Leadership and Human Resource Development from Louisiana State University, graduating in 2021. 

Dickson is enrolled at Mississippi State University, receiving her second bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Operational Meteorology.