After nearly four decades in the TV biz, KIII Corpus Christi news director Richard Longoria is ready to hang up his press credentials.
"After nearly 38 years in the broadcast business and turning 68 this July, I have decided to take the retirement plunge with the blessing of my company and my station management," Longoria said in a statment to mikemcguff.com. "I have had the greatest time working for KIII-TV for the last 13 years with the greatest achievement of being consistently rated Number One in South Texas.”
Since KIII is a TEGNA station, this is technically a part of the buyout package, but it should be noted Longoria was planning to retire anyway at this point according to a station rep.
Longoria is ending his TV career in the city where he grew up, but longtime Houstonians will also be familiar with his work.
After journalism and political jobs in places like Colorado, the University of Houston graduate took a reporting job at San Antonio's WOAI-AM in the late 70s. By the start of the 80s, he was the managing editor of 740 KTRH.
From there he started in TV at KTRK abc13. For the next 15 years, Longoria rose from assignment editor, to assignment manager, executive producer and finally news director.
After Houston, Longoria ran the newsroom of KUSI-TV San Diego for the next few years.
In 2003, he returned home to Corpus Christi's KIII where he's been ever since. As I posted the other day, he's done quite well there.
UPDATE
Oscar E. Garcia named KIII Corpus Christi News Director
