Winners and Finalists are listed through the click. Winners (in blue) will be announced on-site. If no winner is listed, that means there were no entries or the judges declared no winner.
Broadcasters from all over Texas will come to Austin on Saturday, April 11, 2026, to celebrate the winners of TAB's Fifth Annual Texas Broadcast News Awards.
The Texas Association of Broadcasters introduced its inaugural Texas Broadcast News Awards program in 2022 and recognizes outstanding broadcast journalism produced by member Radio and TV stations serving local communities throughout the Lone Star State.
The TBNAs take the place of the Texas Associated Press Broadcast Awards, which were discontinued.
Meredith Haas is no longer with KENS 5 San Antonio, as her bio has been removed from the station's website.
Haas joined KENS 5 in March 2024 as a multi-skilled journalist (MSJ).
She came from TEGNA sister station KCEN 6 Waco-Temple-Killeen, where she been an MSJ since June 2022.
A Temple University grad, Haas interned with PHL17 Philadelphia and 90.9 WHYY, plus worked as a production assistant/assignment editor for NBC10 Philadelphia WCAU.
Here is what the KPRC 2 Houston reporter posted on social:
To the person who broke into our car and stole thousands of dollars in camera gear, just know that wasn’t very Texan of you.
All the gear you took (minus two work laptops) isn’t owned by the TV station. It was all our personal stuff. We work really hard to get that gear to help tell the stories of Houston. That hurts.
Just know this… we saw you on camera and police know who you are.
If you know any info that can help lead to an arrest, please call the Houston Police Department. Or if this is you - send me a message and we can handle this privately.
Saltgrass (9110 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX)
Approx. 1:10 pm
Male suspect driving an apparent Hyundai sedan
The amount you stole is enough to qualify for a felony (aka you go to jail)
HPD Case #: 0252030-26
Since I have actually worked in the Houston media and now covered it for 20 years, let me tell you, in the past, there were professional theft rings that followed TV crews around and broke into unattended news vehicles. Marked units or not, the thieves could clearly identify a news crew in public shooting a story, then follow them to a restaurant at lunch time.
Back then, the cameras were worth $30,000 to $40,000! Talk about a big score.
Sadly, I have covered KPRC 2 reporter crime victims in the past. As I blogged back in 2024, Bryce Newberry got the wrong kind of Houston welcome gift. Then, it happened to Rilwan Balogunin 2025.
This is my message to all KPRC reporters...stay away from Buffalo Bayou!
Houston Astros broadcaster Julia Morales talks with Houston Moms' Meagan Clanahan about her seasons covering MLB baseball, the history-making moment she shared with fellow broadcaster Jenny Cavnar, and what it means to be visible in spaces where women are still fighting for equal footing.
Kristin Diaz will join WTOP New Washington, D.C., as its new morning drive anchor in April 2026 with co-anchor John Aaron from award-winning NewsRadio 1080 KRLD Dallas-Fort Worth.
Diaz has been a co-anchor of KRLD's afternoon drive show with David Rancken since 2020.
An award-winning journalist herself, Diaz was awarded the 2021 National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast. She was a regional winner in 2023. She was also the recipient of the 2023 Texas Association of Broadcasters award for Best Newscast.
Prior to her work in DFW, Diaz worked in Corpus Christi for 8 years as a morning news anchor, multimedia reporter, and weather anchor at KIII 3 News.
“From the moment I met Kristin, I knew there was something special about her. Her commitment to telling stories that impact the diverse, local community she serves and doing so across platforms, aligns perfectly with WTOP’s mission,” said Julie Ziegler, WTOP’s Director of News and Programming. “I can’t wait for the WTOP audience to get to know her.”
Over the past two decades, Kristin has made service to her community a cornerstone of her career. She is an active public speaker, event emcee, mentor and member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the WTOP team and to begin this next chapter in Washington, D.C.,” said Diaz. “It’s an honor to step into a newsroom that is so deeply rooted in its community and committed to impactful storytelling. I look forward to bringing my experience, authenticity and passion for connecting with people to a city that represents such a powerful intersection of voices, cultures and perspectives.”
Diaz brings a robust and active social media presence and will translate her passion for storytelling across platforms. You can follow her on her own social media channels (Instagram, TikTok & YouTube) and see her on WTOP’s coming soon as well.
Two Texas broadcasters have set their sights on the growing, global audience of eSports enthusiasts with the launch of eSports Radio.
Bobby “Slam” Duncan’s Too Tall Media LLC and Doug Harris’ Creative Animal International have joined forces to create and market a 24/7, digitally delivered, music and spoken word presentation targeting the estimated nationwide audience of 200 million gamers.
Duncan, whose career includes successes at WXMX-FM (Memphis) and WGRD-FM (Grand Rapids), will manage programming, blending a targeted alternative playlist with commentary from a variety of high-profile gamers and YouTubers. Harris, a veteran of broadcast marketing battles worldwide, will oversee the marketing and sales effort.
“Research on this project began in 2024,” reports Duncan, “and with a potential cume of over 200 million, we feel the time is right to target and super serve this audience. And with the eSports World Cup returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this summer, with a prize purse of $75 million dollars, the world will be watching and listening.”
Harris shares his colleague’s enthusiasm for the project and says that opportunities for advertisers will be designed with the eSports audience in mind. “Gamers are a hungry lot, “says Harris, “and eSports Radio will appeal to their appetite for consumables as well as the latest tech. We’ll offer the marketing assets traditionally associated with radio, but our plan to connect ‘fans and brands’ will include embedded commercial messaging, co-branded content, ‘live’ sampling and demos, and personality endorsements from the rock stars of gaming.”
eSports Radio is now live HERE, which Duncan says takes proof of concept to the next level.
“We’re in the ‘crawl’ phase of this project’s development, but we’re picking up steam every day. We’ve already heard from several programmers with underutilized signals who consider eSports Radio a cost-effective, plug-and-play content option.”
A duo with DFW roots, as the TEGNA marketing hub staffers for North Texas produced videos pointing out (SEE BELOW), join meteorologists Greg Fields, Mariel Ruiz, and new traffic anchor Erica Lopez, by way of the WFAA Denver sister station.
Wall joined WFAA 8 in February 2024. Howerton joined the station in 2017.
Sam Nichols announced Monday that he will retire from his role as chief meteorologist at KTAB Abilene after 21 years, effective April 20, 2026.
"Over these past twenty-one years I have had the pleasure and honor of serving the people of the Big Country," Nichols posted on social. "In addition to the wonderful viewers, I have had the distinct privilege of working with colleagues that are not only true professionals, but dear friends as well. From tornadoes to floods, to droughts, it’s been a great ride but it’s time to hand the weather clicker over to someone else and have some free time for a change. I wonder what that will feel like! I cant wait to find out!!"
After retiring from a 33-year coaching career, Nichols returned to KTAB, where he previously spent 13 years as a weekend weather anchor and made his first television appearance delivering weekend weather forecasts in 1990.
He has been voted “Favorite TV Weather Person” multiple times in the Abilene Reporter-News Readers’ Choice Awards and received the prestigious Bell Award from the Texas Retired Teachers Association for outstanding media coverage of education issues.
Before entering television, Nichols spent 33 years coaching women’s basketball, including 12 seasons as head coach at McMurry University. He retired from coaching in 2007, having been the winningest women’s basketball coach in McMurry history. In 2017, he was inducted into the McMurry University Athletic Hall of Honor and later named the women’s basketball coach of the All-Century Team. In 2026, the university further recognized his legacy by naming the “Sam Nichols Court” and inducting him into McMurry’s Legends Corner on February 1, 2026.
During his tenure, Nichols coached four All-Americans, led multiple ASC West Division championship teams, and oversaw a program in which every student-athlete graduated within four years. He was named ASC West Coach of the Year in 2006, and three of his teams from the 1999–2000, 2005–2006, and 2006–2007 seasons were also inducted into the McMurry Athletic Hall of Honor.
Across his coaching career, Nichols’ teams won more than 70 percent of their games, earning him induction into the Women’s Basketball Coaches of America 600 Victory Club in 2005. A lifelong Abilene resident, Nichols attended McMurry University and earned his master’s degree in education from Abilene Christian University.
Nichols is the founder and president of Basketball Smiles, a nonprofit organization that provides free basketball camps in inner-city neighborhoods throughout the Bahamas. Founded in 1999, the organization celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024 and has served more than 12,000 children, becoming one of the largest free basketball camp programs in the Caribbean.
Nichols and his wife, Sandy, are active in numerous local charitable efforts and serve on the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee. Most recently, Nichols was selected by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command to represent Abilene and the Big Country as one of 30 civic leaders nationwide participating in the Air Mobility Command Civic Leaders Program.
"A big THANKS to all of you who have trusted me for your weather information for these past twenty-one years, I appreciate you all, so much - Especially the over 20,000 followers on my Facebook page – I will certainly miss my 'Facebook Live Severe Weather Updates,'" Nichols added. "I am in great health and looking forward to spending more time with Sandy, kids, and grandkids, along with more time at the golf course. On to my next adventure!"
Marc Istook officially signed off from WFAA 8 Dallas-Fort Worth's Daybreak last Friday, but his voice isn't going anywhere.
"I’m launching Marc Istook Media, a home for online content, digital journalism, podcasts, social media, etc," Istook exclusively first told mikemcguff.com. "A place for me to expand storytelling on topics I’m passionate about. And with it, I’m relaunching 'Dream Job,' a podcast I hosted before WFAA, focused on how interesting people built their careers — but expanded to include newsmakers and voices with unique insight into current events."
In a heartfelt video announcement on social media, Istook revealed how this independent storytelling venture aims to break free from the constraints of the traditional two-minute TV segment to provide the deep-dive journalism his audience has been craving.
Istook noted that his transition was sparked by the overwhelming response to his digital content over the past year, specifically his fact-checking of politicians, calling out racist dog whistles, and providing context for complex social issues.
I’ve been asked what’s next after leaving the anchor desk. I’ll be… right here, with Marc Istook Media, a home for online content, social media, digital journalism, podcasts and more. News, fact-checking, perspectives, insight. I’m excited to get started and hope you’ll join me! pic.twitter.com/FNHYzuFWNQ
