Laurie Passman steps down as CBS DFW KTVT news director

Laurie Passman announced to the CBS 11 DFW KTVT staff that she is stepping down as Vice President and News Director and taking on a new role at the CBS owned station to later be revealed.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022
Scott Keenan named CBS DFW KTVT news director

Here is how Passman started the memo: 

"There’s no easy way to say this so I’ll just rip the band aid off and get right to the point. I’ve made the difficult decision to step aside as your News Director....but the great news is I’m not going anywhere! I’ll be staying with CBS Dallas in a new role that Raquel will tell you about shortly."

Rick Gevers & Associates has the complete internal memo where Passman goes into more detail for her decision to change jobs.

Passman was promoted to the KTVT VP and news director in August 2018 from the assistant ND job where she had been since 2015. She was acting news director ahead of the official announcement after Andrea Parquet-Taylor was promoted to the KTVT station manager.

Prior to North Texas TV, Passman was assistant news director for KTVK 3TV Phoenix, Arizona. She also served as the executive producer of "Good Morning Arizona." 

The University of New Mexico School of Communication and Journalism grad also served as the news director for KOB 4 Eyewitness News Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Texas TV news and radio job moves July 2022

Send tips for the monthly Texas media job list here.

Best TV News Bloopers July 2022

DALLAS - FORT WORTH

Sarah Blaskovich celebrates 10 years with the Dallas Morning News as food writer.

- Laurie Passman steps down as CBS DFW KTVT news director
- Spectrum News 1 Texas to simulcast on 55 KAZD DFW
- Collin Myers joins CBS 'NOW' out of DFW
- David Schechter leaves WFAA 8 Dallas 
- David Schechter joins CBS
- Pete Delkus makes big announcement on WFAA?
- CBS 11 DFW morning crew dives into "Little Miss" meme

HOUSTON

Eureka, California’s KEKA 101.5 (and companion translator in Arcata at 100.9) are the latest radio stations to carry “The Rowdy Ride Home” from Suite Radio.  The custom-crafted afternoon drive radio show from host Rowdy Yates celebrates it’s 6th signal since launching in late May.

Michael Lindenberger leaves the Houston Chronicle to become the Vice President and Editorial Editor for the Kansas City Star.

abc13 photojournalist/story-teller Andre Dorsey celebrates 35 years with the station.

KSBJ traffic reporter Bill Ingram honored for 25 years of service with “Mr Bill Bobblehead.” 

Anchor Andy Cerota celebrates 10 years with KPRC 2 (19 years in Houston).

KPRC 2 assistant news director Aaron Wische celebrates a decade with the station.

Keaton Fox found the courage to come out publicly with the support of ABC 13.

Allen Reid joins Harmony Public Schools after 25 years with KPRC 2 as sports photographer.

Jason Youngblood returns to KPRC 2 as a photographer from CW39 KIAH.

Nancy Meyer makes history as the new head of the Houston Chronicle.

Jon Sullivan has left the Houston iHeart cluster after 25 years where he was the market's online content director, overseeing all websites. More info at jonsullivan.net.

Sam Houston State University’s Marketing and Communications team has won 14 Telly Awards.

- Daniella Guzman rescues 'Luna' kitten while on live shot in San Antonio
- Ginger Zee live in Houston
- Dominique Sachse: "Watch My Life in Looks | How My Fashion Style Evolved"
- Lights go out during Travis Herzog's weather segment
- Don Nelson recounts abc13 days with Dave Ward
- Ron Treviño celebrates 40 years at KHOU 11
- Carlos Aguiar leaves KSBJ afternoons
- House 2 Home with Lily Jang
- Jose Griñan celebrates 70th birthday
- Jerry Martin retires from KPRC 2 GM position
- Bob Slovak returns to abc13 in a non-sports role
- KHOU 11 promo 1970s
- Melissa Correa leaves KHOU 11

SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio Current names KENS 5's Isis Romero as best new anchor and Bill Taylor best meteorologist for 2022.

KENS 5's Sarah Forgany updates whereabouts after going dark on social media.

Monica Nino becomes new assistant news director for KENS 5.

- Marina Neuman joins WSVN 7 Miami
- Chase Shannon leaves News 4 SA WOAI and FOX 29

AUSTIN

Why KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman released video of the Uvalde school shooting.

Kailey E. Hunt joins KUT Austin as a reporter covering Williamson County.

Austin PBS opens new facility in former Dillards department store.

KLZT-HD2-K274AX/Austin Flips To Sports As 102.7 ESPN Austin.

- Cory Mose joins KVUE Austin
- Austin TV anchor does the weather
- Daniel Marin replaces retiring Robert Hadlock at KXAN Austin
- KXAN Austin debuts 4pm newscast
- Adaleigh Rowe joins FOX 7 Austin
- Hunter Williams is engaged
- Central Texas TV has love in the air
- Erika Lopez does KVUE weather with baby Odie
- Alex Stockwell gives birth
- Robert Hadlock signs off KXAN Austin

AROUND TEXAS

Chris Babcock named new KTSM El Paso news director.

Josh Guevara Manager KVFE Del Rio, TX interview.

Laci Caviness On-Air Host KVNE Tyler, TX interview.

KORA-FM/Bryan-College Station, TX Names Keith James 'Fish' PD/PM Drive Host.

- Kate Bieri joins FOX13 Memphis
- Rudy Mireles promoted to KRGV evening anchor
- Garrett Hottle moves to KRHD Bryan evening anchor
- Baylee Bates joins KCEN Waco weekends
- Breanna Molloy is pregnant
- A’Darius McCormick joins KAVU Victoria
- Lubbock co-anchors are the same age
- Tylisa Hampton leaves KVEO for KARK 4 Little Rock, AR
- Sydney Gray leaves NBC 23 KVEO Rio Grande Valley
- Faith Woodard leaves CBS4 Harlingen
- Texas TV live shot ends up in pool!

REMEMBERING

Former KTRK ND Rehan Aslam dies after battle with brain cancer.

John Aielli, longtime Austin radio host, dies at 76.

CBS 11 DFW adds two newscasts with Robbie Owens

CBS 11 KTVT Dallas-Fort Worth is adding two weekend morning newscasts with anchor Robbie Owens to its Saturday and Sunday morning TV schedule.

Starting April 24, 2021, “CBS 11 News Saturday Morning” from 9am to 10am.  While starting April 25, 2021, “CBS 11 News Sunday Morning” hits the airwaves from 7am to 8am.

"The Dallas-Fort Worth market is one of the fastest growing markets in the country and CBS 11 is dedicated to serving the community that depends on us for accurate and trustworthy information," KTVT/CBS 11 VP of News, Laurie Passman said on the station's website.  "We’re very excited about this expansion of our news product."

 In the official KTVT announcement the stations does not specifically say who will be working with Owens in the weather department or reporting roles.

"It’s an honor to have a veteran journalist like Robbie Owens leading the charge for us," said VP and General Manager Gary Schneider who announced on LinkedIn he will be retiring from KTVT on June 4th, 2021. 

Owens started with KTVT in July of 2000.  

Before that, Owens worked for the News of Texas, a syndicated newscast that ran for a few years in the late 1990s.

Her bio lists a "a brief stop in Kansas" which we presume was a TV station.

Before Kansas, Owens worked as the KVUE Austin education reporter.  She began her career with KWTX Waco, Temple, Killeen.

The University of Texas grad worked outside of TV news in the business world after college, but returned to school to earn a Masters of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School.  Owens even earned the school’s highest honor, the Harrington Award, for a 4.0 GPA.

An interesting note, according to her bio, Owens grew up in a tiny town in northeast Texas where her family lived for six generations!

Ginger Maddox joins CBS 11 DFW as assistant news director

Ginger Maddox is joining CBS 11 DFW KTVT as assistant news director.

RELATED
- Scott Keenan named CBS DFW KTVT news director
- Laurie Passman steps down as CBS DFW KTVT news director

Maddox comes from CBS owned sister-station CBC 2 Chicago WBBM where she has been an executive producer for the last 15 years.

Prior to Chicago, the Florida A&M University grad worked as a producer for NBC 6 South Florida WTVJ Miami and CBS 58 WDJT Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ginger Maddox (@newslady312)

Texas #TVnews and radio job moves August 2018

Better late than never...

DALLAS - FOR WORTH

After 42-and-a-half years in television news — seven-and-half-years at WOWT-TV in Omaha, and nearly 35 here at WFAA – WFAA anchor John McCaa intends to retire in March of 2019.

Former WFAA 8 investigative reporter Brett Shipp is hoping to reinvent his wheelhouse after leaving the Dallas-based station late last year to run unsuccessfully for Congress.

WFAA 8 Sports broadcaster Dale Hansen, ‘a fat, white guy in a deep red state,’ is an unlikely liberal hero.

After joining Dallas-based Fox4 in June to replace Jenny Anchondo as the weekend Good Day anchor, Hanna Battah has been bumped up to weekday editions of the show.

It’s been an up and down ride for Laurie Passman, who was named D-FW-based CBS11 KTVT’s vice president and news director after being bypassed for that position in January 2017.

HOUSTON

Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson, a co-host of KILT's (610 AM) afternoon drive time sports talk program since 2014, departed the station.

Chris X Blayney named afternoon host of AM 700, KSEV 'The Voice of Texas' (Mon-Thurs 4-6pm).

Charese Fruge has been named URBAN ONE Top 40 Format Captain and will also handle PD duties for Top 40s KROI/HOUSTON and WNOW/INDIANAPOLIS.

Houston Chronicle Astros beat writer Jake Kaplan joins The Athletic.

KHOU 11 producer (former KTRK producer) Felicia Russell joins Ward PR.

Gonzalez hired at KPRC as social media producer.

Nick Wright will host an evening Sirius XM show on Mad Dog Radio, in addition to his work on “First Things First.”

- Doug Miller named Rice University director of news and media relations
- Telemundo Houston's Martín Berlanga to leave KTMD
- Butch Alsandor & Jorge Vargas to call TSU football on AT&T SportsNet
- Katherine Marchand joins abc13 KTRK
- 'Dave Ward's Houston' to launch on abc13 KTRK
- KPRC 2's new dog, Tex, joins Houston Life
- Sara Donchey has her baby
- Lina De Florias joins FOX 26
- Good news for Greg Bailey!
- abc13 KTRK to debut 3pm newscast
- KHOU 11 reveals what happened during Harvey evacuation
- Sherry Williams is leaving KHOU 11
- KHOU 11's Sherry Williams joins HISD

SAN ANTONIO

News 4 WOAI's David Chancellor is making the move from sports to become the station's morning co-anchor.
- Multiple exits, additions at News 4 WOAI, Fox 29 announced on social media

WOAI has named a permanent co-anchor for its 10 p.m. newscast - Irene Cruz.

KSAT12 to Expand Weekend News and Add "KSAT News at 9."

AUSTIN

Publisher Susie Biehle and Editor Debbie Hiott announced they are leaving the American-Statesman.

After 2 years away, former KVUE news boss returning to Austin.

AROUND TEXAS

KRBC Abilene Chief Meteorologist and Main Anchor Randy Turner to depart the station.

Former WSIL Southern Illinois anchor Dennis Turner resurfaces at KXXV Waco.

KGBT hires reporter Clara Benitez

REMEMBERING

Legendary abc13 KTRK weatherman Ed Brandon has died

Texas Monitor founder and longtime investigative journalist Trent Seibert dies

Scott Keenan leaves CBS DFW KTVT as news director

Scott Keenan has left CBS News Texas KTVT as Vice President of News after six months according to Rick Gevers. Assistant news director Ginger Maddox takes over as interim news director. 

UPDATE MAY 2023
Meagan Harris named CBS DFW news director

This September 2022 hiring was a return to KTVT for Keenan since he was the station’s assistant news director from 2004 to 2006.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Scott for many years, going back to my time as the news director at KTVT,” said Adrienne Roark, president of CBS Stations when Keenan was hired. “He is a tremendous journalist and a true difference maker. I am so pleased, personally and professionally, that he is continuing his nearly 30-year career with CBS as our Dallas-Fort Worth news director.”

Since leaving KTVT, Keenan served as the Dallas-based bureau chief for the CBS News southern bureaus overseeing the network’s news bureaus in Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, which cover stories in 13 states.

“Scott’s outstanding professional experience in North Texas, both as an executive with CBS News and here at CBS 11, his thoughtful approach to leadership and his commitment to innovation make him ideally suited to serve as our news director,” said Raquel Amparo, president and general manager of CBS Dallas-Fort Worth at the time of his hiring. “We are excited to have him coming back to our newsroom and helping us deliver on our commitment to serving our viewers across our broadcast, streaming and digital platforms.”

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to come home to CBS 11,” Keenan said in 2022. “It’s so impressive to see what’s been accomplished during the past year under Wendy McMahon (president and co-head of CBS News and Stations), Adrienne and Raquel’s leadership, and I look forward to doing everything I can to contribute to the future growth of our organization. As I transition to this new role, I am grateful for the support I have received from my bosses at CBS News and all of the incredible colleagues at our network news bureaus in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Miami. Even though my new office will be down the road in Fort Worth, it means a lot to me that all of these great people will still be family.”

Keenan succeeded Laurie Passman, who transitioned to the newly created role of director of special content for CBS News DFW in June 2022.

A CBS family member for 28 years, before joining CBS DFW as assistant ND in 2004, Keenan spent eight years in various roles with CBS Chicago 2 WBBM and three years as a Chicago-based field producer for CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.

In between times with CBS, the Chicago native was Manager of News Operations for WGN 9.