Texas TV news and radio job moves May 2026

 

MAKING UP FOR WHEN I WAS ON BLOGGING BREAK!

Send tips for the monthly Texas media job list here.

DALLAS - FORT WORTH

Radio One To Acquire KKDA/KRNB Dallas; Sells KZMJ To Fuzion Dallas.

Javier David departed The Dallas Morning News, where he served as business editor since December 2024.

Encouragement Media Group (EMG) announced it will launch its Spanish Christian format, Fuzión, on 94.5 KZMJ.

Robyn Key joins WFAA 8 as a news producer.

HOUSTON

FOX 26 KRIV Morning Executive Producer Jonathan Chastain retires.

Dayna Hayman joins FOX 26 Houston team as Morning News Executive Producer from FOX 7 Austin.

Sonya Villamagna Hamilton becomes VP of Sales at iHeartMedia within the Team Accelerate program from KHOU 11.

Chris Shepherd's TV show Eat Like a Local ends its run after 3 years.

KHOU 11 Great Day Houston reporter and NLGJA leader Carlos Hernandez champions representation and collaboration.

Producer Frank Espinoza returns to ABC13 KTRK after working at KPRC 2 for decades.

Houston Chronicle ends Dwight Silverman's personal technology column.

KTSU 90.9 FM Breaks into Top 20 in Houston-Galveston Radio Market.

SAN ANTONIO

Longtime San Antonio TV host Tanji Patton wraps up popular food show.

After a health scare, every day’s a best day ever for KENS 5 anchor Sarah Forgany.

News 4 San Antonio meteorologist Joe DeCarlo welcomes baby girl.

Texas Public Radio to merge operations with nonprofit San Antonio Report.

AUSTIN

Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley published his survival story in "Where the River Took Us" and has won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.

KXAN explores ‘everything’ it has to offer viewers in promo series.

  

AROUND TEXAS

Rusty Surette named sole winner of 2026 Jason Hightower Award.

Ward Huey, vice president and general manager of KETK/FOX51/KTPN, Nexstar Media Group’s Tyler-Longview stations, has been named the 2026 Television Broadcaster of the Year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

Reporter Lidia Herrera leaves KIII 3 News.

 99.9 KLUR Wichita Falls midday host ‘Big Jim’ Russell has moved to mornings following the retirement of Brad Austin on May 15.  

REMEMBERING

Benjamin Bernheart Amato, 94, who built KSTAR Country KVST from the ground up, passed away.

Caroline Brown gives birth to baby #2

Texas TV news and radio job moves April 2026

 

MAKING UP FOR WHEN I WAS ON BLOGGING BREAK!

Send tips for the monthly Texas media job list here.

DALLAS - FORT WORTH

WFAA 8’s Cynthia Izaguirre has been shaped by “Wednesday’s Child,” her first-grade teacher — and one small, strange slip-up about a mountain climber whose viral clip made her the queen of bloopers.

Hannah Lane left New South Radio "US 96.3" WUSJ Jackson, MS, for Cumulus Media "New Country 96.3" KSCS Dallas, to host nights.

iHeartMedia announced Vince Richards as the new Program Director of 97.1 The Eagle and Lone Star 92.5.

Salem Media turned in the license of 620 KTNO Plano/Dallas.

HOUSTON

Houston Chronicle named Newsroom of the Year by Texas Managing Editors.

Tom Abrahams named 2026 Dave Ward Excellence in Media Award recipient by Crime Stoppers of Houston.

93Q Country in Houston has parted ways with midday host Gerardo Sproet.

Farewell from the Fort Bend Star.

Caroline Ghisolfi named Houston Chronicle data editor.

KHCB Media announced Ivette Zamora as Director of Community Engagement.

A new program at Rice University is giving students a front-row seat to the stories shaping Houston and putting them behind a microphone to tell them. The Houston Newsroom, launched this spring through Rice’s Program in Media Studies, is an audio-first reporting course designed to mirror the rhythms and expectations of a professional newsroom. 

SAN ANTONIO

KENS5 sports reporter Vinnie Vinzetta shared his experience surviving childhood abuse.

Cox Media Group has appointed Jay Shannon as Operations Manager for its San Antonio cluster starting May 4.

AUSTIN

JB Hager and Sandy McIlree have reunited for "The JB And Sandy Morning Show" on iHeartMedia's KVET 98.1.

Austin Business Journal assistant managing editor Bob Sechler has retired.

Ethan Love joins KXAN Austin as a digital content producer from KCEN 6 Waco-Temple-Killeen.

AROUND TEXAS

KBTX General Manager Lori Bruffett retired after nearly 40 years at the station, leaving behind a legacy of community service, excellence and leadership.

After two years in East Texas, reporter  Auyana Aird sayid farewell to CBS19 KYTX Tyler.

Richard "Heatwave" Berler, chief meteorologist at KGNS in Laredo, was presented a key to the city for his four decades of service.

Townsquare Media silenced Talk 103.9 in Lubbock, ending the station's run more than seven years after flipping the format.

Jim Bob Breazeale, who served as the news director for KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi since 2021, has left the E.W. Scripps Company-owned television station.

KSTA-AM Radio, long known as “The Voice of Coleman County,” signed off the air April 30, bringing an end to decades of local broadcasting.

Mariah Williams joined 25 News in February of 2026.

Landon joined 15 ABC as a Sports/Neighborhood Reporter for the Brazos Valley in February 2026.

REMEMBERING

Glenn Eric Jones, Sr. departed this life and transitioned to eternal rest on April 17, 2026, in Houston, Texas. He was a former ABC13 KTRK Houston executive producer.

Longtime meteorologist Dan Robertson, a veteran of more than three decades in TV news, died April 1. His Spectrum News colleague John Salazar shared the news in a Facebook post.

Longtime radio host Chad Hasty dies; friends, state leaders share memories.

Matt Farrell leaves KCEN Waco

Matt Farrell left 6 News KCEN in Waco-Temple-Killeen in February 2026 after serving as the station's chief meteorologist.

Farrell was named chief meteorologist in 2023, succeeding Andy Andersen.

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 joins WGXA Macon

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's message to KPRC 2 viewers upon her return

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 to change morning news, two anchor positions eliminated

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 leaves KPRC 2 Houston

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.

(Thanks, Taylor!)

KPRC 2 Statement regarding anchor Daniella Guzman

HOUSTON – August 4, 2026 – Daniella Guzman will return to anchoring KPRC 2 News Today beginning Thursday, August 6.

UPDATE AUGUST 2026
Daniella Guzman's message to KPRC 2 viewers upon her return

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)

Texas TV stations affected by E.W. Scripps layoffs

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.