Simone De Alba has taken over for Irene Cruz on News 4 San Antonio WOAI and will sit along side Alamo City legend Randy Beamer on the Sinclair station's 10pm newscast.
UPDATE AUGUST 2023
Simone De Alba joins WUSA9 Washington, DC
The big anchor change happened in November while I was on blogging break. De Alba's San Antonio debut happened in early December which you can watch above.
De Alba left FOX 40 KTXL Sacramento in November after four years with the Nexstar station (formerly Tribune owned).
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I am going to throw in my two cents since this this post is suddenly about Texas caves. While I love Natural Bridge Caverns, I also highly suggest the Caverns of Sonora located near Sonora, Texas on I-10. These caves sit at the halfway point between San Antonio and Big Bend National Park. Ok, back to San Antonio TV stuff.
No stranger to physical endurance, De Alba grew up in Colorado and loves to hike. Actually, saying she loves to hike is a little pedestrian for her. During her time teaching in Nepal, De Alba was even at the Mount Everest base camp.
Besides mountains, De Alba is a ultra marathon runner. So for her, anchoring mornings at FOX 40 Sacramento was not enough activity. She followed her TV news work with a daily 15 mile run. Then she competes in 50 mile endurance runs.
Whew! And here, I am tired enough writing this post. When I hit publish, I might go take a nap. Hopefully I won't injure myself.
The new SA anchor's motto is “first and foremost, a public servant.” As a journalist, she has stated she does not take her reporting and anchoring responsibilities lightly.
De Alba had been the morning anchor for KTXL since 2015.
Before that, she was a statewide anchor for KTVQ Billings, Montana. She even made appearances on CNN's local edition.
KRTV Great Falls, Montana was the start of De Alba's television journalism career where she served as a morning anchor.
The University of Colorado at Boulder and Metropolitan State University grad interned for KCNC Denver, KCRA Sacramento and KUSA Denver.
“I’m very excited about the addition of Simone to our News 4 San Antonio team,” Sinclair San Antonio General Manager Dean Radla said on the station's website. “Simone is a real pro that will blend well with our established talent and provide another credible voice to enhance the station’s position as trusted and valued source of information for local viewers.”
When not anchoring, De Alba will be working on special projects reports for 5, 6 and 6:30 pm WOAI newscasts.
Irene Cruz leaves News 4 San Antonio WOAI
In 2018, Irene Cruz took the 10pm anchor chair vacated by Eva Ramos in 2017.
"To my co-anchor, [Randy Beamer], who is both my best friend at work and my auxiliary dad," Cruz posted on her goodbye Facebook message. "Thank you for the laughs on a commercial break, the emergency packs of Oreos you gave me on my bad days, and the friendship orchids that always seemed to die but we loved anyway."
Still friends, Cruz and Beamer just had lunch together in mid-December.
Cruz previously worked for KXTV Sacramento as an anchor and reporter.
She got her professional television news start at KYMA, Yuma Arizona as an anchor/producer.
The University of California, Irvine grad interned for KNSD San Diego and WBBM Chicago.
We will have to stay tuned to see what Cruz will do post WOAI. If you find out, give me a holler.
In other News 4 San Antonio...well news...the bio of reporter Emily Olson has been removed from the WOAI website. She now lists her Instagram bio as "former reporter." Olson arrived in San Antonio earlier in 2020.
