Matt Houston is joining KENS 5 San Antonio from WAFB Baton Rouge, LA where he works as a weekend anchor/reporter.
Wait, isn't Houston heading to the wrong Texas TV market? OK, bad joke.
"I’ve searched all day for the right words to describe my time at WAFB," Houston tweeted. "It’s hard to capture the memories in 280 characters. I’m blessed this was my first ‘real’ job. I’m equally privileged to join KENS5. I move to San Antonio next week. I owe so many of you my gratitude."
Now longtime Tyler TV viewers will recognize the Houston name when it comes to their newscasts.
Matt's dad, Bryan Houston, has been a familiar face in East Texas all the way back to 1980 when he started as a sportscaster at KTRE. He later worked at KETK as an anchor and assistant news director. From there he joined KLTV as a morning anchor, and then KYTX as a morning and 5pm anchor. Once he left TV news, the elder Houston also worked in radio as a sports director for 99.3 Talk FM KZTK.
"My boy is wrapping up his time in Baton Rouge," the proud dad posted on Facebook about Matt. "Making a big jump from Market 93 to 31."
According to his bio, from third grade, until he made varsity, Matt attended high school football games his dad called on the radio.
“I made my radio debut in the 8th grade during a 12-overtime game between Jacksonville and Nacogdoches,” Matt wrote in his bio. “It still holds the record for the nation's longest high school football game. After that, I joined him as a color commentator each Friday night.”
The Louisiana State University grad joined the area ESPN radio affiliate and later Tiger TV and KLSU while in college.
During his time at WAFB, Houston won a regional Edward R. Murrow award and EMMY.
Also, if "Matt Houston" sounds familiar, that's because a TV crime series by the same name aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Watch the open.
