Before returning to television in Central Texas, Farrell took a break from broadcasting to teach mathematics in the Frisco Independent School District. Prior to that, he worked as a content editor at TEGNA sister station WFAA 8 in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Farrell began his television career as the morning meteorologist at Big 2 News KMID in Midland-Odessa before transitioning into teaching positions with the Rowlett and Royse City school districts.
He is a graduate of the University of North Texas and Mississippi State University and also studied at the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology.
Jensen Young has joined the WGXA News Fox 24 and ABC 16 team in Macon, Georgia, as an evening news anchor after spending the past three years at First Alert 7 KOSA in Odessa, Texas.
Young made the move in July 2026 after serving in several roles at the Gray Media station. He joined KOSA in June 2023 as a multimedia journalist before transitioning to weekend sports anchor and sports reporter in February 2024. In August 2025, he was promoted to sports director, a position he held for two years before switching back to news as WGXA's evening anchor.
Originally from Florida, Young earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida in May 2023.
Daniella Guzman returned to the KPRC 2 Houston morning newscast this morning with an apology to viewers.
After the newscast, Guzman sent me this message to her viewers:
“To my viewers, friends, and community:
Over the past several days, many of you have reached out to me with questions, concern, and encouragement. I have read your messages, and I am deeply grateful for your kindness and support.
Recently, I accepted tickets to two events from a longtime personal friend. Because I believed they were personal gifts, I did not disclose them as required under station policies. That was my responsibility, and I should have handled it differently… and for that I was wrong and I am truly sorry.
KPRC 2 conducted a thorough review, and I fully cooperated throughout the process. That review found no ethical violations or conflicts or interest. I respect the station’s commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards, and I accept responsibility for my unintentional mistake. I have donated the cash value of the tickets to a local non-profit organization that will impact Houstonians in need directly.
I’ve been a journalist for more than 20 years and I have tried to serve the communities and viewers with honesty, fairness, and integrity. Those values remain at the heart of who I am, both personally and professionally. While this experience has been difficult, it has also been an important reminder that even honest mistakes can have serious consequences.
I am thankful for the opportunity to return to work and continue doing what I love, serving the Houston community through journalism.
Your trust means everything to me, and I will continue working every day to earn it.”
Guzman was placed on leave while the station conducted an internal review into tickets she accepted for a concert and FIFA World Cup matches. Although the review found no evidence that the tickets influenced or were connected to her journalism or news coverage, Guzman acknowledged that accepting them could create the appearance of a conflict of interest.
To address those concerns and eliminate any perception of a conflict, she made a charitable donation equal to the cash value of the tickets.
CBS Austin KEYE is revamping its morning newscast, the station tells mikemcguff.com, and with that change, I have learned, come job cuts for anchor John-Carlos Estrada and traffic anchor Jenna Wilson.
"Beginning September 14, CBS Austin will debut a refreshed format for 'CBS Austin This Morning,' designed to better serve our audience while continuing to deliver the local journalism and community coverage our viewers expect," a CBS Austin representative told mikemcguff.com. "As part of that transition, the station has made the difficult decision to eliminate two positions. We are grateful to the talented employees whose positions were impacted and thank them for their contributions to the newscast."
A source tells me that the recent departure of reporter Farrah Walton is unrelated to the morning newscast changes.
At the same time, the station has made recent summer 2026 hirings while I was on my blogging break, including multimedia journalist Audrey Wong and Live Desk Reporter Alexia Stanbridge.
John-Carlos Estrada
Estrada is leaving CBS Austin after seven years as the station's weekday morning anchor.
He joined CBS Austin in August 2019 to anchor CBS Austin This Morning, airing weekdays from 4:30 to 7 a.m. During his tenure, he also created and produced the weekly Central Texas history segment Turning Back Time, while earning honors from the GLAAD Media Awards, Telly Awards, Texas Association of Broadcasters, Texas Associated Press, and other journalism organizations.
Before arriving in Austin, Estrada anchored and reported at WINK-TV in Fort Myers, Florida, where he covered Hurricane Irma, major wildfires, and other breaking news. Earlier stops in his career included serving as lead anchor and managing editor at KTRE in Lufkin, Texas, news anchor at KAVU in Victoria, Texas, and producer roles with NBC News and ABC News in New York City and Washington, D.C.
In addition to his television career, Estrada is an award-winning filmmaker. He co-directed and produced the documentaries Barbette + Fontaine and This Is Texas, both of which received national recognition. He is also writing a biography of Texas entertainer Vander Barbette for the University of Texas Press, with publication expected in 2027.
A Dallas native who was raised in Garland, Estrada holds degrees from Columbia Journalism School and The George Washington University. He is also active in the Austin community, serving on nonprofit boards and mentoring students interested in journalism.
Jenna Wilson
Wilson joined the CBS Austin KEYE team in August 2025 as the station's morning traffic anchor.
She arrived in Austin from Fox 26 KNPN in St. Joseph, Missouri, where she spent more than three years as a multimedia journalist before being promoted to Friday evening anchor. During her time at KNPN, she earned 2025 Missouri Broadcast Awards for her reporting on the city's most dangerous intersections and its growing homeless population.
A graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism.
Farrah Walton
Walton joined the CBS Austin KEYE news team as a reporter in May 2024.
Before moving to Austin, Walton spent nearly three years at KTXS News in Abilene, where she joined the station in July 2021 as a weekend anchor and reporter before being promoted to weeknight evening anchor. Her coverage of the tornado that devastated the West Texas town of Matador earned a nomination in the General Assignment category at the 2023 Texas Broadcast News Awards.
A Pasadena, California native, Walton is a graduate of San Francisco State University.
Deven Clarke announced this afternoon that he is leaving KPRC 2 Houston.
"After five and a half incredible years at KPRC, my time is coming to an end. But what a ride it's been," Clarke said in a goodbye video (embedded below). "It's not the awards or the accolades that I'll remember most. It's the emails, the conversations from you, the viewers telling me to keep fighting because I meant something to them. Some of those moments came when I quietly needed them most. What I'll take with me more than anything is knowing that together we were able to make a difference from the bottom of my heart. Houston, thank you."
In the video, Clarke notes that from ducking bullets to helping get innocent people out of jail, and even being unofficially dubbed the Superman of consumer advocacy, he did earn three Lone Star Emmy nominations.
Clarke joined the KPRC 2 Houston news team in 2021 after serving as the Crime and Justice Reporter at KSAT 12 in San Antonio.
His previous television stops include serving as a morning reporter at Fox 8 WVUE in New Orleans, a reporter at WHBF in Rock Island, Illinois, and an anchor at WJAC in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Clarke is a graduate of Howard University. Raised in a family of missionaries, he says his passion for helping others led him to journalism. While attending Howard, he was asked to fill in as a sports anchor for the university's newscast, which sparked his broadcasting career.
Daniella was placed on leave while the company conducted an internal review regarding tickets she received for a concert and FIFA World Cup matches. While there was no conclusion that the tickets influenced or were connected to her journalism or news coverage, Daniella acknowledged that accepting the tickets could be perceived as a conflict of interest.
To eliminate any appearance of a conflict, she has made a charitable donation that reflects the cash value of the tickets.
Throughout her career, Daniella has earned the trust of viewers through her commitment to journalism and service to the Houston community. We appreciate her cooperation throughout the review and look forward to welcoming her back to the anchor desk.
Because this is a personnel matter, KPRC 2 will not comment further on the internal review or any personnel actions.
Daniella will address the matter when she returns to KPRC 2 News Today on Thursday morning.
(Post taken from press release sent to me by KPRC)
The E.W. Scripps Company is cutting 268 positions, TVNewsCheck reports, as the broadcaster "pivots toward a 24/7 streaming model" using internal AI systems to streamline workflows.
Scripps owns four stations in Texas. They are KXXV 25 News Waco-Temple-Killeen (satellite station 15 ABC KRHD Bryan-College Station), KRIS 6 Corpus Christi and Telemundo Corpus Christi KAJA.
Rhyma Castillo of the San Antonio Express-News reports a Scripps spokesperson confirmed there are impacted positions at KRIS in Corpus Christi and KXXV in Waco.
MySA South Texas Reporter Dina Arévalo, who first broke the news, reports the "layoffs will affect both on-air talent, studio crew and other newsroom staffers."
“We can tell you the roles impacted are primarily tied to traditional newscast production workflows, including some producer and director positions. These decisions were not made lightly, and we are grateful for the contributions of the employees who will be moving on,” a Scripps spokesperson told Arévalo.
John Oliva of the Corpus Christi Caller Times reports at least 12 employees with KRIS 6 News were laid off August 4th.
“These decisions are being made in service to a mission that is too important to let fade because we weren’t willing to do the hard work of evolving,” Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson wrote in a memo to employees.
Tessa Barrera will join Ernie Manouse as co-host of Hello Houston beginning Monday, August 17, 2026, Houston Public Media announced today.
I'm told Barrera will not continue working afternoons for Sunny 99.1 KODA since she will be moving down the dial to News 88.7 KUHF, where Hello Houston airs on the radio.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to tell the stories of the people who make Houston so special,” said Barrera. “Joining Hello Houston is an incredible opportunity to celebrate our community and connect with audiences in a new way. I’m honored to join Houston Public Media and work with the entire Hello Houston team to help shine a light on the stories and voices that make Houston such a remarkable place.”
Manouse said he's excited to welcome Barrera to the program.
“Tessa brings tremendous energy, curiosity and a genuine love for this city," Manouse added. "I’m looking forward to sharing the desk with her, and I can’t wait for our audience to get to know her.”
Together, Barrera and Manouse will continue to host conversations with newsmakers, community leaders, artists and everyday Houstonians, offering audiences an engaging look at the people, events and issues shaping Greater Houston, the station promises.
“Tessa’s warmth, curiosity and ability to connect with people make her an outstanding addition to Hello Houston,” said Josh Adams, associate vice president and general manager of Houston Public Media. “Alongside Ernie, she’ll continue the thoughtful, community-focused conversations that reach audiences across radio, television, digital, HPM+ streaming and social platforms.”
She brings 13 years of television and radio experience to the new position.
Barrera succeeds Frank Billingsley, who departed Hello Houston just a few months ago. In an interesting twist, Houston Public Media once again tapped a former KPRC 2 personality for the role. Barrera left KPRC 2's lifestyle program Houston Life in March 2026 after three years as co-host.
The Corpus Christi native officially joined Houston Life in July 2023 alongside Derrick Shore after several months as a guest co-host following Courtney Zavala's departure.
Barrera first arrived in Houston in 2019 after being selected through a nationwide search to join iHeartMedia's 94.5 The Buzz KTBZ as a co-host on The Rod Ryan Show. For more than a year, she balanced both her television and radio careers before leaving the morning radio program in December 2024 to focus full-time on Houston Life.
Before returning to Texas, Barrera worked in Los Angeles as a news anchor and executive producer at KFI AM 640.
She launched her broadcasting career in her hometown of Corpus Christi at KRIS 6 and KZTV Action 10 News, where she made history as the region's first Latina sports anchor. During her time there, she covered the Corpus Christi Hooks, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas, and numerous high school sports teams and events.
'Hello Houston' debuted on Monday, March 31, 2025, on News 88.7 KUHF and online weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the slogan, "Your connection to the heart of the Bayou City."
The new radio show and podcast was originally hosted by former KPRC 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley, Ernie Manouse, and Celeste Schurman. Former 97.9 The Box KBXX Madd Hatta Morning Show producer James Kovacik, also known as Jim Beazy, serves as executive producer. William Menjivar and Garrett Bohlmann are the show's producers.
Steve Pickett has won awards over his 30 years at CBS 11, but has he told you about Earth, Wind & Fire?
Spanish Christian “Fuzion Radio” debuted Tuesday, July 7, as the former Adult R&B “Majic 94.5” KZMJ becomes KFZN.
Radio One Begins Dallas Changes With Rickey Smiley Move & KZMJ Sign-Off. Radio One Sets New Dallas Market Leadership. Radio One Acquisition Triggers Dallas Staff Cuts.
John Clay Wolfe Celebrates 20 Years on Radio with New iHeartMedia Deal.
Univision has broken the Spanish Rhythmic Latino Mix simulcast on 107.1 KQBU-FM Benbrook/Fort Worth and 107.9 KDXX and launched Spanish AC Amor 107.1 KAMV.
After 28 great years at WFAA, senior director Aaron Butler signs off.
The Houston Chronicle’s local politics team is expanding with the addition of reporters Sam González Kelly and Isaac Yu.
KHCB Media Group announces Shawn Farrington as Vice President of Content & On-Air Operations.
Matthew Antonitis joins KHOU 11 as a producer from KPRC 2.
Holly Galvan joins KHOU 11 as Story Desk Editor.
Mike Horton leaves KPRC 2 to join Houston First Corporation as Manager of Media Relations.
Adrian Ashford joins Houston Chronicle as new religion reporter covering faith in Texas.
SuiteRadio's Rowdy Yates continues to add affiliates for his nightly "Ridin' with Rowdy" program, with Connoisseur Media adding the show on KAYO-FM Wasilla, AK; KLGR-AM/K240CJ Redwood Falls, MN; and KAUS-FM Austin, MN. With these new clearances, Rowdy's weekday show affiliate count rises to 75. In other Rowdy news, his longtime weekend program, "The Original Country Gold," has returned to Connoisseur-owned KKUS-FM in Tyler.
The Ben & Skin Show is making another move on the Dallas-Fort Worth radio dial.
Beginning Monday, August 10, 2026, The Ben & Skin Show will air weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Lone Star 92.5 KZPS, bringing Ben Rogers, Jeff "Skin" Wade, Krystina "K-Ray" Ray, and Kevin "KT" Turner to the station's morning lineup.
As part of the programming changes, 97.1 The Eagle KEGL will replace the afternoon show with three additional hours of rock music weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The station says listeners can expect "a host to be named later."
Ben Rogers and Jeff "Skin" Wade have been friends since they were 12 years old and have hosted radio shows together in the Dallas-Fort Worth market since 2001. Their show blends humor, pop culture, sports, local news, parody songs, game shows, and listener interaction, with longtime contributors K-Ray and KT rounding out the cast.
The duo most recently returned to 97.1 The Eagle on May 8, 2024, when the station revived its rock format following the end of The Freak talk format. Prior to that move, Ben & Skin hosted the midday show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on The Freak. Before that, they worked together on 105.3 The Fan KRLD.
