Kelly Wiley joins KPRC 2 Houston

Kelly Wiley joined the KPRC 2 Houston investigative team in July 2026 after five years at KXAN Austin.

She most likely replaces Robert Arnold, who left KPRC in June. 

Wiley spent the past five years as an investigative reporter with KXAN, joining the station in July 2021. During her time in Austin, she covered accountability stories and in-depth investigations before announcing her departure in July 2026.

Before KXAN, Wiley was an investigative reporter at KPRC's Graham Media Group sister station WJXT in Jacksonville, Florida, from 2019 to 2021. While there, she earned an Emmy Award for an investigation into a local Catholic diocese's decision to hire a priest who had previously been cited in a Pennsylvania grand jury report for failing to report allegations of sexual abuse within the church.

Her reporting in Jacksonville also prompted a state investigation into the diocese's handling of a sexual abuse allegation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wiley's reporting revealed that vaccine distribution efforts had overlooked low-income senior housing communities, leading to a grassroots effort to bring vaccines to residents living in Jacksonville Housing Authority properties.

Wiley began her television news career at WRDW-TV in Augusta, Georgia, where she worked from 2015 to 2019 as an investigative reporter and evening anchor. Her investigations uncovered a school district hiring bus drivers with poor driving records despite its own policies and identified polling places that lacked proper accessibility for voters with disabilities. She also produced the investigative series Invisible Barriers, which highlighted deteriorating and missing sidewalks throughout downtown Augusta that created obstacles for people with disabilities. Her work earned two Georgia Associated Press Awards for specialized reporting and series reporting.

A Columbia, South Carolina, native, Wiley comes from a family of educators and is the daughter and sister of teachers. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in political science.

Before beginning her professional career, Wiley interned with WIS-TV in Columbia and WSOC-TV in Charlotte.

- Gage Goulding leaves KPRC 2 Houston
- Brittany Begley no longer with KPRC 2 Houston
- Rachel Briers joins KPRC 2 Houston

(Thanks, Taylor!)

Zach Lashway shares about life after KPRC 2 and TV

After leaving KPRC 2 Houston, former anchor/reporter Zach Lashway is opening up about his decision to step away from television news and what life looks like in his new career.

Lashway shared that he has spent the past six months working in corporate communications for Comcast, supporting the company's Texas Region from Houston alongside former KPRC 2 reporter and colleague Taisha Walker.

"I had spent my entire professional life moving around the country for the job," Lashway told mikemcguff.com.  "When the cities were unfamiliar, the work was familiar. I knew if I was going to make a major career change, I needed one constant. For me, this was Houston. After five years, it had become home, and keeping that foundation gave me the confidence to take a leap into something entirely new."

Leaving the news business was an incredibly personal decision for Lashway, and he told me that he had decided more than a year before his contract expired that it was time for a change, carefully weighing the pros and cons before making the move.

Lashway signed off from KPRC 2 on January 16, 2026, ending more than four years at the Houston NBC affiliate.

He joined KPRC 2 in October 2021 as a reporter after working at sister station WJXT News4Jax in Jacksonville, Florida, where he served as weekend morning anchor.

In March 2023, Lashway became the anchor of KPRC 2's new streaming morning newscast on KPRC2+, airing weekdays from 8 to 9 a.m. The digital lineup expanded in August 2023 with the launch of KPRC2+ Now at 9 a.m., co-anchored by Lashway and Haley Hernandez.

Throughout his tenure at KPRC 2, Lashway covered major stories across the country and around the world. He was the first—and only—Texas television reporter to travel to Poland in consecutive years to report on the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. His assignments also included coverage of the 2022 World Series in Philadelphia and Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. Closer to home, he reported from aboard U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft over the Gulf and went behind the scenes with the Transportation Security Administration during flight attendant self-defense training.

Lashway also hosted the KPRC original digital series Solvable, which examined cold cases involving marginalized communities.

Before arriving in Houston, the two-time Edward R. Murrow Award winner and Emmy-nominated journalist worked as an anchor and reporter at KARE 11 in Minneapolis. His career also includes stops at WPHL-TV in Philadelphia and KRTV/KXLH in Great Falls, Montana.

A graduate of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Lashway began his journalism career with an internship at CBS News.

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Shelby Rose joins Houston Public Media

Shelby Rose has joined Houston Public Media's News 88.7 KUHF as an anchor.

"You’re looking at @houstonpubmedia new midday news anchor," Rose posted.  "Stoked to be broadcasting both local and statewide newscasts across all Texas NPR stations. Let’s doooo it!!"

Rose departed her FOX 26 Houston KRIV reporter position in July 2025.

So dedicated to the city, she got a Houston Astros tattoo live on air!

Rose joined FOX 26 in June 2022 from KATV ABC 7 Little Rock, Arkansas.  

She previously served as a multimedia journalist (MMJ) for KX News KXMB Bismarck, North Dakota.

The University of Texas at San Antonio grad interned at KRIV.

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Olivia Dague joins KSAT 12 San Antonio

Olivia Dague joined KSAT 12 San Antonio as a multimedia journalist (MMJ) in July 2026.

Dague arrives in South Texas from WBIR 10 in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she spent three years as a reporter covering East Tennessee news.

The move marks a return to Texas for Dague, who grew up in Arlington and has family throughout the San Antonio area.

Dague graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and minors in political science and international studies.

While at Oklahoma, she gained extensive hands-on experience with the university's student-run newscast, OU Nightly, serving as a reporter, producer, and news anchor. She also completed internships with KSL 5 in Salt Lake City and NBCUniversal's Community Impact program in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

- Leah Rodriguez joins KSAT 12 San Antonio
- Hunter King joins KSAT 12 San Antonio

Drew Davis leaves Hawaii News Now

Drew Davis is leaving Hawaii News Now and returning to his home state of Texas.

Here is a portion of what Davis posted on social:

"My last day at Hawaii News Now will be on Friday, July 31st. My wife and I are moving closer to family after living three amazing years in Hawaii, in which we originally planned to spend many more.

I’m being called to work closer to my family. My mother has battled, and beat, breast cancer over the last year and I’ve struggled to watch her experience this from afar. This new opportunity allows us to be closer to both of our families and care for them in times of need."

Davis' family lives in Dallas, and he said he will be taking a job closer to North Texas. 

The Austin native joined the Honolulu station in 2023 after graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in meteorology. He began contributing remotely to Hawaii News Now in January 2023 while finishing his final semester in College Station before relocating to Honolulu that June. During the transition, he studied the Hawaiian language and learned about the islands before moving.

- Watch him do a Super Mario Bros. Texas weather report

Before heading to Hawaii, Davis was part of the KBTX News 3 weather team in Bryan-College Station, where he served as the station's first Meteorology Fellow. The Gray Television program was created to help develop young meteorologists from Texas A&M. He joined KBTX in the summer of 2022 after working as a part-time weather anchor at KTEN 10 News in Sherman.

Davis landed his first on-air weather job at just 19 years old at KTEN while attending Texas A&M. He later moved to KBTX so he could work closer to campus during his senior year.

At Texas A&M, Davis graduated with perfect grades in all of his meteorology courses and received the university's Outstanding Graduating Senior Award. Outside the classroom, he helped launch and lead the university's student television weather broadcasting program, mentoring fellow students while storm chasing, forecasting, and preparing for a career in broadcast meteorology.

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(Thanks, Tom!) 

Morgan Young returns to WFAA 8 from maternity leave

Ashley Bowerman joins KBTX Bryan-College Station

Ashley Bowerman joined KBTX News 3 in Bryan-College Station in July 2026 as evening anchor.

She co-anchors the station's 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Rusty Surette.

Bowerman returned to her home state of Texas after spending more than three years at Gray Media's Tucson duopoly, KOLD 13 News and FOX 11 KMSB. She joined the Arizona stations in June 2023, anchoring FOX 11 newscasts while reporting for both KMSB and KOLD.

Before her move to Tucson, Bowerman spent more than three years at WSFA 12 News in Montgomery, Alabama, where she served as a weekend evening anchor and reporter.

A San Antonio native, Bowerman graduated summa cum laude from Texas State University with a bachelor's degree in electronic media and a minor in mass communication.

During college, she held several leadership roles at KTSW 89.9 FM, serving as assistant news director, anchor, producer, and reporter for the campus radio station and student newscasts. She was also a member of the Texas State Strutters dance team and was honored as the university's Electronic Media Student of the Year.

Bowerman gained additional experience through internships at News 4 San Antonio WOAI and  FOX San Antonio KABB.

Voting open for Texas Radio Hall of Fame 2026 induction class

(Houston, TX) July 24, 2026: The Texas Radio Hall of Fame (TRHOF) has released the names of the fifty (50) nominees for its 2026 Induction Class. The voting portal will be open and accessible to voting members in good standing via www.TRHOF.net through midnight on Monday, August 10, 2026.

TRHOF Executive Director Doug Harris, a 2011 Inductee, reports an especially robust year of nominations, which he attributes to the recent addition of two new categories of recognition.

“Our ‘Small Markets, Big Voices’ outreach clearly hit home with those who fit that description as well as their fans,” observes Harris.  “For many of these broadcasters, this is their first exposure to Hall of Fame consideration and we welcome their involvement.” 

In 2025, the TRHOF board approved the addition of a Lone Star Legacies category to recognize influential figures in Texas Radio history who have passed on.  Harris notes that this practice returns in 2026.  

Voting members will have the opportunity to select twenty (20) 2026 inductees by reviewing their names, bios, and photos through the voting portal on the TRHOF website. 

“Our 2026 ballot is a ‘great read’ because it spotlights the amazing journeys of broadcasters from markets big and small and touches virtually every job description in our industry that connects to the on-air product.” 

Over 160 broadcast professionals with ties to Texas radio were nominated for consideration by the TRHOF’s Internal Review Committee, who independently and anonymously made their recommendations on the final fifty. Voting members of the TRHOF will now determine the twenty individuals who will be honored on November 7, 2026, during the TRHOF’s Annual Induction Ceremony at the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX. 

The finalists eligible for consideration are, in alphabetical order:

Doug Abernethy

Brenda Adriance Fox  

David Anderson

Brad Austin

Lisa a.k.a. “Lisa Lisa” Bonanni

Bill Bradford

Raul Brindis

Bruce (Jim Edwards) Buchanan 

John Butler

Jay Cresswell

Dave E. Crockett

Diane Day

Anna de Haro

Paris Eley

John Frost

Rex Gabriel

Jimmy “JD” Gonzalez

Ric Gonzales

Mark Grubbs

John L. Hanson

Frank Hicks

JoJo and Patches (James Paczkowski and JoJo Cerda)

Sam Jones

Joyce King 

Kevin Kline 

Tim McDermott

Charlie McGregor

Hank Moore

John “The Lama” Oakes 

Ray Odom

Parker, Mona

Phil Parr

Dave (Stone) Pinkston

Eric Raines

Tom Richards

Clyde (Kooter) Roberson 

Chrissie Roberts

Woody Roberts

Melchor (Mel) Rodriguez

JD Rose

Buzz Russell

Nathan Safir

Saunders, Gary

Jack Sellmeyer

Dr. J. Thomas Smith

Ted Stecker

Gary Stelly

Gary “Blue Eyes” Walker

Pam Wells

Scott West

Barry Wolverton

Details of the TRHOF’s annual Radio Reunion and Induction weekend are available on the organization’s website, along with information on becoming a voting member. Interested parties may still join—and vote—in this year’s selection. 

Dominique Sachse interviews fmr. GMA host Joan Lunden

Tessa Barrera joins Sunny 99.1 Houston afternoons

As I first told you back in June, Tessa Barrera started filling in on Sunny 99.1 KODA, and now it looks like that is a permanent job.

Barrera is the new weekday 3 to 7pm afternoon host. 

She takes over for afternoon host Chris Davis, who, along with Midday host Amanda Flores and overnight DJ Madison Reeves, was laid off last month.

Barrera departed KPRC 2's Houston Life in March 2026 after three years as co-host of the station's weekday 1 p.m. lifestyle show, telling viewers she wanted to be more available for her family while she figured out the next chapter of her career.

A Corpus Christi native, Barrera officially joined Houston Life in July 2023 alongside Derrick Shore after spending several months as a guest co-host following Courtney Zavala's exit.

She first arrived in Houston in 2019 after being selected through a nationwide search to join KODA's iHeartMedia sister station 94.5 The Buzz KTBZ as a member of The Rod Ryan Show. For more than a year, she balanced both her radio and television roles before leaving the morning radio show in December 2024 to focus exclusively on Houston Life.

Prior to moving to Houston, Barrera worked in Los Angeles as a news anchor and executive producer at KFI AM 640.

She began her broadcasting career in South Texas, working at KRIS 6 and KZTV Action 10 News in Corpus Christi, where she became the first Latina sports anchor in the region. 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 programs.