Mariah Medina to leave News 4 San Antonio WOAI

Mariah Medina announced she is leaving News 4 San Antonio WOAI, where she is an investigative reporter for the last two years.

Here is what Medina posted on X:

"Some bittersweet news: My last day with News 4 is October 1st. 

Soaking up this final week and a half as this chapter of my life comes to a close. 

I look forward to eventually sharing more about what comes next, but just know it will for sure include many snuggles with Harper."

Medina returned to TV news at News 4 San Antonio WOAI as an investigative reporter in October 2023. 

In 2022, before her return to television, Medina earned her law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law. Last week, she was officially sworn in as an attorney in a Bexar County courtroom.

San Antonio viewers might remember Medina from investigative reporter work with rival KENS 5.  She left KENS in 2021 to take on the role of public affairs manager for the San Antonio Police Department.

Before that, Medina was with KSAT 12 as a digital curator.

She got her TV start with WOAI as a news assignment editor/digital content producer.

As a Texas State University student, Medina worked for the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and later the San Antonio Express-News as a staff writer.  

Some bittersweet news: My last day with News 4 is October 1st.

Soaking up this final week and a half as this chapter of my life comes to a close.

I look forward to eventually sharing more about what comes next, but just know it will for sure include many snuggles with Harper.

— Mariah Medina (@MMedinanews) September 22, 2025

Taylor Mills leaving 89.3 KSBJ night show

Taylor Mills is leaving the 89.3 KSBJ Night Show in October after four years for a new gig in the Pacific Northwest.

“This is a hard thing to step away from,” Mills said in a press release sent to mikemcguff.com. “But I love my hometown, and I will always carry the Houston community with me. I believe this next step is a calling and a place I need to go.”

Monday evening, HisAir.net reported that Mills is joining CRISTA Media in Seattle. Starting in October, Mills joins Contemporary Christian Music stations for a live afternoon show on Spirit 105.3 KCMS Seattle and will work on developing a new morning show for Praise 106.5 KWPZ Bellingham.

Mills joined KSBJ in 2021 from STAR 93.3 WAWZ, Cincinnati, Ohio, where she was known as Taylor Morgan.

During her time at KSBJ, Mills celebrated over seven number-one ratings, was consistently in the top three, and most recently held the number one spot for three consecutive months, according to the press release.

Initially born in Azle, Texas, Mills relocated to Houston with her family while she was in second grade.  

According to her bio, at the age of 24, Mills decided she was ready for something different and began her 32-year radio career, which spanned from a country music format in New York to Top 40 in Tennessee. After many cities and music formats, Taylor began praying for God to bring her home to Houston, even praying to be on air at KSBJ since 2014!

Javier Guerra promoted to KRGV 5 evening anchor

Javier Guerra is leaving KRGV Rio Grande Valley's Channel 5 News This Morning for the evening anchor gig starting September 22, 2025.

Here is what Guerra posted on Facebook:

"Starting Monday, I’ll be co-anchoring the 5 PM and 10 PM newscasts with Kristine Galvan and the 6 PM newscast with Dina Herrera Garza.

I’m beyond grateful to God, my family, my mentors, and of course our viewers for trusting and supporting me along this journey. Working at Channel 5 has always been a dream of mine, and it’s been such a rewarding experience so far.

I’ll also continue hosting our Made in the 956 segment, which means I’ll still get to highlight the amazing people and stories from our community."

SAME TIME AT THE COMPETITOR
Daisy Martinez promoted to CBS 4 RGV evening anchor

It appears that Guerra is taking over for Rudy Mireles, who left KRGV's evening newscast in 2024.  Mireles has since joined competitor NBC23 KVEO and CBS 4.

Former KRGV sports director Joel Villanueva returns to take Guerra's morning anchor seat.

Guerra joined KRGV 5 as a morning co-anchor in July 2024.

Previously, Guerra worked for KRIS 6 News Corpus Christi as a morning anchor since June 2024. He joined KRIS in June 2020 as an MMJ and later moved to the weekend evening anchor position.

A University of Texas Rio Grande Valley graduate, the Rio Grande City-raised Guerra got his television news start with Fox Rio Grande Valley KFXV, where he was an MMJ and eventually promoted to evening anchor. 

Daisy Martinez promoted to CBS 4 RGV evening anchor

Daisy Martinez gets to shut off that early AM alarm clock as she is leaving the CBS 4 Rio Grande Valley morning newscast for the evening CBS 4 News at 5, 6 & 10pm news starting September 23, 2025.

She'll also swap morning co-anchor Marco Ramirez for Derick Garcia.

SAME TIME AT THE COMPETITOR
Javier Guerra promoted to KRGV 5 evening anchor

Martinez is an award-winning journalist and proud Brownsville native who has been reporting in the Rio Grande Valley since 2006 at KGBT.

She joined NBC 23 KVEO in September 2022 after spending six years with KRGV Channel 5 News, where she began in April 2016.

In 2014, Daisy earned first-place honors from the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her live coverage of a deadly, hours-long police standoff in Brownsville.

Daisy graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Hispanic studies. A product of the Brownsville school system, she finished 8th in her class at Simon Rivera High School before heading to UT.

Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting

The legendary broadcast duo of John Madden and Pat Summerall didn’t come together through a carefully orchestrated executive plan—it was the result of CBS Sports trying to rein in a broadcast booth known for heavy partying and off-field drama.

In his upcoming book, "Madden & Summerall:  How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting," veteran journalist and author Rich Podolsky traces how the unlikely pairing of the fiery coach and the understated play-by-play man reshaped the way America watched football. From risky CBS decisions to iconic Miller Lite commercials, Podolsky offers a behind-the-scenes look at the personalities and pivotal moments that changed NFL television forever.

Beyond sports, Podolsky is a lifelong music fan and the author of "Don Kirshner: The Man with the Golden Ear" and "Neil Sedaka: Rock ‘n’ Roll Survivor." His most recent book, "You Are Looking Live!," revisits his CBS Sports years.

Podolsky has been writing and reporting since the 1970s, with bylines in ESPN, the Philadelphia Daily News, the Palm Beach Post, the Wilmington News Journal, College & Pro Football Newsweekly, and TV Guide. He also served as a staff writer for CBS and earned the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers' Keystone Award for writing excellence.

It's a mikemcguff blog 20 year celebration!

Jennifer Reyna and Mike McGuff

When I started writing this blog in October 2005, I thought it might last a few months.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would last 20 years.

And believe it or not, we have two events to celebrate the two-decade achievement.

I'm holding a screening of my 101 KLOL Houston documentary "Runaway Radio" at the legendary River Oaks Theatre on October 1, 2025, at 7:15 pm with the reunited Jennifer Reyna and Outlaw Dave.

Michael Garfield, “The High Tech Texan,” serves as event host.

BUY TICKETS

Notice the date? October 1st is 10-1, like the radio dial position of 101 FM! I wish I had come up with that, but the credit goes to Rob Saucedo, the Artistic Director at River Oaks Theatre!

Houston Matters with Craig Cohen on Houston Public Media just aired an interview with me about the documentary this morning!

Obviously, readers of this blog will recognize Reyna as KHOU 11 Houston morning traffic anchor and Outlaw Dave as morning show host for Houston’s Eagle 106.9 and 107.5 KHPT/KGLK. Reyna started her broadcasting career on Dave's afternoon 101 KLOL show!

In honor of Mark Stevens, my mom and Dayna Steele's mother, we will be collecting funds for the Alzheimer’s Association Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter. Even if you don't attend the screening, you can donate here.

Since our last screening, “Runaway Radio” won the prestigious Texas Independent Film Award (TIFA) – for the best film made in Texas – at the Houston Film Critics Society’s 18th Annual Awards. A special ceremony will be held in honor of the occasion at the River Oaks Theatre screening.  Previous TIFA winners include Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10-1/2: A Space Age Childhood and Sean Baker’s Red Rocket.

"Runaway Radio" features interviews with Dusty Hill (ZZ Top), Lyle Lovett, Sammy Hagar (Solo, Van Halen, Montrose, The Circle), Melissa Etheridge (singer-songwriter), Doug Pinnick (King’s X, KXM) and Carmine Appice (Ozzy Osbourne, Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, King Kobra) and the KLOL crew.

The night before

To kick the party off early, the night before on Tuesday, September 30, at 7:30, I will also be at a special screening of The Gardener's Year at the River Oaks Theatre. BUY TICKETS HERE

Stephanie Simmons joins CBS News 8 KFMB San Diego

Stephanie Simmons is signing off from her anchor chair at KHOU 11 to launch a brand-new newscast at TEGNA’s San Diego station, CBS News 8 KFMB.

Here is what Simmons posted on social media:

I’ve been holding onto this news for a while now and I’m excited to finally share I’ll be staying with our company as I transfer to our sister station in San Diego to anchor a brand-new evening show! It’s not goodbye quite yet Houston. 

Longtime readers of this blog will recognize a familiar face at KFMB — veteran anchor Carlo Cecchetto, who has become a fixture at the station. Another San Diego TV news fact: Rekha Muddaraj joined KHOU from KFMB.

Simmons arrived in Houston in late 2018, joining KHOU from KCBS 2 Los Angeles, where she spent six years as a morning traffic anchor and reporter. She initially started at KHOU in the traffic role before moving to the morning anchor desk. 

Clearly, Simmons can handle a lot of pressure.  She had to hold down the KHOU morning anchor desk through a lot of transitions!  From rotating co-anchors to newscast format changes, the old KHOU management threw a lot at Simmons.

In 2025, following the arrival of Ilona Carson as the station’s new morning anchor, Simmons transitioned to leading the noon newscast.

Before her Los Angeles tenure, Simmons hosted Hollywood Dailies on ReelzChannel, co-hosted Great Day St. Louis on KMOV in St. Louis, and reported for both WRTV and WTHR in Indianapolis.

A Ball State University graduate with a degree in telecommunications, Simmons also once cheered on the Indianapolis Colts as a member of the team’s cheerleading squad.

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Joel Villanueva returns to KRGV 5

Former Sports Director Joel Villanueva is returning to KRGV 5 Rio Grande Valley in his new role as morning anchor on September 22, 2025. 

Morning anchor Javier Guerra will join the evening 5p.m. and 6p.m. newscasts.

Villanueva spent more than a decade at KRGV, starting as a video editor and moving to weekend sports anchor in 2008 before becoming sports director in 2014. 

He left in 2020 to pursue opportunities outside of broadcasting, most recently serving as communications manager for Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada.

A graduate of the University of North Texas, Villanueva also brings recent academic experience, as he is completing a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication & Innovation from Texas Tech University. 

KPRC 2 staffer writes about grief after loss of his son

 

Brian Perry, the KPRC 2 Houston Manager of Streaming & Creative Content, has been writing pieces for click2houston.com that are deeply personal to him.

In July 2020, his youngest son, Ethan, 12, was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic Lymphoma. After enduring extensive treatments, he passed away on March 25, 2021, leaving Perry's family devastated.

I recommend you read two articles by Perry, which offer personal insights into his experience with grief after the loss of Ethan.

The first article, "The raw truth about grief," provides guidance on how to support someone who is grieving. Perry advises against using everyday, often unhelpful phrases and instead suggests offering specific, practical assistance and being present with the person, even in difficult moments.

The second article, "Beyond Breakfast Biscuits," is a personal story about his own grieving process. He describes starting a ritual of buying two Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits every Saturday to honor his son. This ritual led to an outpouring of support from the Chick-fil-A community, culminating in a visit to their headquarters, which he found to be a deeply emotional and healing experience.

Together, the articles show a powerful narrative of a father's journey through grief—from his personal coping mechanisms to his public advice on how others can help those who are suffering.

Andy Liscano to leave KRIS/KZTV Corpus Christi

Andy Liscano is leaving KRIS 6/KZTV 10 Corpus Christi on September 24, 2025, after nearly two decades.

He currently serves as co-anchor of Action 10 News at 5:00 p.m. and KRIS 6 10 pm, and is also the Troubleshooter investigative reporter and KZTV’s Kitchen Cops reporter.

Liscano came to KRIS and KZTV in 20077 and within just four months broke the story on the forced resignation of the Director of the city’s Water Department. 

He has covered city hall, the courts, police, and spot news, and he has been on the front lines of breaking stories when the community needed answers.

Before making Corpus Christi his home, Liscano spent more than a decade as a sportscaster and sports director across major markets, including KEYE 42 Austin, KOVR 13 Sacramento, and WITI 6 Milwaukee. Along the way, he was recognized by the Texas Associated Press for Best Sports Feature. He was among the first in Austin to pioneer dedicated coverage of high school football recruiting.

According to his bio, Liscano also worked in Los Angeles and Miami, covering some of the world’s biggest sporting events — the Super Bowl, Summer Olympics, World Cup, MLB, NASCAR, PGA, LPGA, NHL, NBA, NCAA’s March Madness, and the Division I Football National Championship. His experience on the national stage helped shape the sharp, seasoned storytelling that later defined his work in Corpus Christi.