Darrell Franklin signed off for the final time this week as the evening anchor for KFDX News 3 and KJTL in Wichita Falls, following his promotion to News Director for both KFDX and Texoma’s FOX, announced earlier this year in February.
Franklin steps away from the anchor desk, where he co-anchored KFDX News 3 and KJTL’s 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Carney Porter, to lead the newsroom at the Nexstar Media Group stations.
“I am just thrilled to have this opportunity to lead our newsroom into an exciting future that will be heavily impacted by our broadcast and digital commitments to our viewers,” Franklin said. “While my responsibilities as News Director will eventually shift away from delivering the news to our viewers on air, I won’t be far away. I’ll still be here working behind the scenes to bring the same accurate, local content that impacts those viewers. It’s what they’ve come to expect over so many years from this number one station, and the plan is to very much keep that tradition of excellence alive.”
With a 33-year career at KFDX, spanning 31 years in the news department, Franklin began his journey with the station in February 1992 as a studio camera operator. He moved to direct weekend newscasts within his first year.
By January 1994, Franklin transitioned to the newsroom as a reporter and producer. In 1996, he became the weekend anchor and producer while continuing to report.
His on-air presence grew further in October 2005 when he began anchoring Texoma’s FOX KJTL’s News @ 9.
In 2012, he became the full-time anchor for KFDX 3 News @ 10, adding the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts to his role in 2018.
A proud native of Iowa Park, Franklin graduated from Iowa Park High School in 1988 and earned his B.A. in Mass Communication from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.
