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Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Xavier Walton joins KHOU as morning anchor; Lisa Hernandez moves

Xavier Walton joins KHOU as morning anchor from WCNC Charlotte, North Carolina; Lisa Hernandez moves to weekend evenings


KHOU 11 has hired WCNC (TEGNA) Charlotte, North Carolina, weekend anchor Xavier Walton as its new #HTownRush morning anchor.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022
Xavier Walton joins NewsNation

UPDATE AUGUST 31, 2022
Xavier Walton leaves KHOU 11

"We are excited to have him on board," KHOU president and general manager, Robert Springer, told mikemcguff.com.

Springer adds that Walton wants to move to Houston, to not only report the news, but also to make it a better place to live through his community involvement.

Here is Walton's TV news career highlight reel:

WCNC Charlotte, North Carolina Area
Anchor/ Multimedia Journalist
June 2015 – 2019

KTWO Casper, Wyoming Area
Evening Anchor/Reporter
June 2012 – June 2015

KUSA Denver
News Intern
June 2011 – August 2011

WSYX-ABC6 Columbus, Ohio
Intern
June 2010 – August 2010

According to his bio, Walton graduated from California Lutheran University and even played on the basketball team. He was the starting point-guard three out of the four years he played.

Walton will join the Houston CBS affiliate in mid-September.


When I keep writing about the name "Walton" in connection with the KHOU morning show, it takes me back to the days when Johnathan Walton worked those hours!

With the new Walton's arrival, comes the move of current #HTownRush anchor Lisa Hernandez.

Hernandez will be moving to weekend evenings alongside Ron Trevino who currently anchors alone in that time slot. Trevino will continue to solo anchor the Saturday morning news.

Springer tells me the station is working to expand its weekend coverage with Hernandez's addition.

In 2011, Hernandez arrived to channel 11 and Houston from abc7 KABC Los Angeles to replace Lucy Noland on the evening shift.

She might be in TV now, but Hernandez started freelancing for the LA Times while earning a political science degree at UCLA. Upon graduation in 2001, she refocused her career on TV news starting at KESQ Palm Springs. From there she went across the country to Charlotte, North Carolina's News 14 as a reporter and then returning to California joining KABC in 2004.

In 2016, Hernandez swapped the PM shift for the AM hours and became the station's morning anchor, replacing Lily Jang, with newly hired Russ Lewis who came from KGW Portland.

A few months ago in early June, Lewis left mornings for KHOU's revamped 4pm newscast.





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