Dave Strickland, the KPRC 2 news director since 2016, is no longer with the Graham Media Group station according to multiple sources.
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2022
Bernice Kearney named KPRC 2 news director
UPDATE
Dave Strickland starts Strickland Communications.
Other recent changes at the station include KSAT San Antonio's Phil Lane taking over the KPRC Vice President and General Manager role from the recently retired Jerry Martin.
KPRC did not respond to my questions.
Strickland was previously the abc13 KTRK Vice President and News Director from 2000 to 2015.
"Dave Strickland is simply the best in the business as proven by his record at KTRK and KPRC over the last many years," legendary former KTRK anchor Dave Ward told mikemcguff.com. "One would be hard pressed to find anybody who knows news better than Dave Strickland."
Strickland was honored with Dave Ward Excellence in Media Award in 2021.
"I'm shocked and disappointed, Dave was one of the best news directors in the country," former KTRK assistant news director and award-winning reporter Don Kobos, who worked with Strickland for 25 years, told mikemcguff.com. "He made channel 13 KTRK and KPRC newscasts better, award winning and number one. Houston loses a giant."
"Strickland understood what local news should be about," former KTRK 13 Undercover investigative reporter Wayne Dolcefino told mikemcguff.com. "Channel 2 is the leader in exposing corruption. Strick came from 13 and he knew what people wanted."
"Dave was a great News Director to work for," former KTRK photographer Jaime Zamora told mikemcguff.com. "Tough but fair and he has a nose for news. He respected his staff and demanded the best from them and got it. He never hesitated to send his journalists wherever the news was and gave them all the resources and support to be successful. Open minded and willing to listen to staff suggestions. The Houston market will miss his experience."
The native Houstonian, who grew up in Sharpstown and graduated from Alief Hastings and Sam Houston State University, started his TV career in Houston.
"I hired Dave out of college after he interned for me in sports at 13," former KTRK sports director (and later KHOU 11) Bob Allen, who passed away in 2016, told mikemcguff.com in 2014. "I'm proud of him for turning into a terrific news director. It was an honor to work for and with him at 13."
Strickland worked his way up at KTRK to managing editor.
Leaving Houston in 1994, Strickland became an executive producer at WAVY Portsmouth, Virginia and later news director.
He returned to Houston at KTRK in 2000.
