In two newscast segments, Schechter was praised by the anchors. In one broadcast, he said WFAA Director of Photography, Chance Horner, will be joining him on his next unannounced adventure.
Schechter is known for his groundbreaking Verify Road Trip and Banking Below 30 segments and has earned the TV news industry awards to prove it.
Schechter joined WFAA in September 200 from WCCO Minneapolis, Minnesota where he served as the station's investigative reporter for seven years.
Before WCCO, Schechter worked for:
- FOX4 WDAF Kansas City, Missouri - Special Projects Reporter
- WFMJ 21 Youngstown, Ohio - reporter
- KDUB-TV Dubuque, Iowa - Anchor/ Reporter
The University of Michigan grad is a two-time winner of a national Murrow Award, a two-time Scripps Howard winner and a Poynter Institute Ethics Fellow.
KOKE and The HORN transitioned from terrestrial over-the-air radio frequencies to an exclusive focus on digital streaming platforms. - Bob Cole & Eric Raines Exit KOKE-FM With Online Move
KXAN city hall/local government reporter Grace Reader re-signs with the station for three more years.
Lee Meier has been named Assistant News Director at FOX 26 Houston, announced station Vice President and News Director, Susan Schiller. Reporting directly to Schiller, Meier assumes this position in late September.
In making the announcement, Schiller stated, “Lee is a highly regarded television journalist and our FOX 26 newscasts and digital platforms will benefit greatly from the breadth of her experience. We are thrilled she is coming back to Texas, and making Houston her home.”
Most recently, Meier has served as Managing Editor for WTXF, the FOX-owned station in Philadelphia, where she previously held the roles of Special Project Manager and Executive Producer. Prior to that, Meier served as an Executive Producer for WDAF in Kansas City, Missouri. Before that, she was an Executive Producer for KDBC in El Paso, Texas. Meier began her career in news as a producer for KTSM in El Paso, Texas.
A graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, Meier holds a Bachelors degree in Communications and Political Science.
Meier added, “Houston is a great city with vibrant people. I can’t wait to return to Texas as part of such a driven news team, bringing their stories to viewers each and every day.”
FOX Television Stations owns and operates 28 full power broadcast television stations in the U.S. These include stations located in nine of the top ten largest designated market areas (DMAs), and duopolies in 11 DMAs, including the three largest DMAs (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago). Of these stations, 17 are affiliated with the FOX Network. In addition to distributing sports, entertainment and syndicated content, our television stations collectively produce nearly 1,000 hours of local news every week. These stations leverage viewer, distributor and advertiser demand for the FOX Network’s national content.
(This post was taken from a release sent to me by FOX Television Stations)
"After just under eight & a half years, next Friday will be my last day on Good Day Austin (not giving back the mug, though). I’ll be moving down the road to anchor the morning show @khou11 (where hopefully new mugs will be available).
I talk & write for a living, but lately when this subject comes up, I’ve almost been at a loss for words. Houston’s my hometown, and the opportunity to anchor a morning show back home where I can reconnect with family & friends is something I’ve dreamed about for years-and at times doubted would ever happen.
I can’t wait to get started.
That said, Central Texas is a special place. It was special as a little kid when we’d head up 290 for Longhorn football games. It was special at 18 when I got to step on the 40 Acres as a student, and it’s been special over these years at Fox 7.
I’ve made DEEP friendships that will last the rest of my life, and had amazing experiences as my wife and I finished raising our kids here. Most of all, it’s been fun! And I’m so thankful for every minute of it.
So there’s that.
But as I look forward to more fun and adventures in Houston, the main thing I want to say in this post is THANK YOU to everyone who’s watched over the years & has connected here on social media.
It really does mean more than you know.
I’ll see you around-I’m sure of it. But till then, God bless you and (with apologies to @zackshieldsonfox7) Hook Em!!"
KREX (CBS) Grand Junction, CO Anchor/Reporter 2000 — 2001
KPRC (NBC) Houston, TX Production Assistant 1999 — 2000
Froehlich is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.
FOX 7 "Good Day Austin" meteorologist Zack Shields posted this about Froehlich's move to Houston's KHOU 11:
"Austin we have a problem! Dave is going to Houston.
He has been a big part of Good Day Austin for the last 8 years. Now he is taking his talents to H-Town.
He is going back home. We are so happy for him and proud of him. It is bittersweet.
Not only has he been an amazing co-worker but also my friend. Since he is a single child I have taken on being his honorary big brother and bugging him all the time. I will miss all the good times and laughs, all the long conversations about life but mainly football and beating him in golf. I won’t miss him making me watch Golf Channel all the time, coffee and food spills on my desk, sabotaging my social media and talking Longhorn sports all the time.
This will be his last week on Good Day. Houston is getting a great dude and we wish him all the best on his new adventure. Like you always tell me, light breeze nothing serious. Dave you will be missed!"
FOX 7 "Good Day Austin" Morning traffic anchor/reporter Jane Lonsdale added on Facebook:
"Today we said goodbye to Dave Froehlich on Good Day Austin. While sad for us, he gets the incredible opportunity to return home to Houston to knock it out of the park as morning anchor at KHOU.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dave and the rest of our fantastic team for 4 years now. He is a seasoned anchor, a stellar live interviewer and ad-libber, but most importantly—a really amazing person. As most of you know, he is also downright hilarious!
No doubt our team is sad to lose his incredible talent, but we couldn’t be more happy and proud that he gets to go home! You will be phenomenal in your new position, just as you were here. Wishing you nothing but the best and congratulations on this new journey!"
Now channel 13 meteorologist Collin Myers is playing the game as a contestant!
"I had a fantastic experience meeting and working with [host] Chris Harrison, and the game is far more difficult in person than you’d think from watching the show," Myers told mikemcguff.com. "It’s also hard to think ‘out loud’ while answering a question-but you must, in order to fill the silence during the show. Overall, fun experience."
Myers will be playing for one million dollars to be donated to charity, Living Water International, during "Play It Forward Week" Friday and Monday, Feb 22 and 25.
"I chose Living Water International because they do excellent work for the underprivileged across the globe, and many don’t realize that they’re primarily based right here in Houston," Myers told me.
In Houston, Millionaire airs 1:30pm weekdays on channel 13.
Myers won't be the only TV staffer playing for charity. Five other local broadcasters from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire stations around the country will also play the game opposite Harrison during “Play It Forward Week.
Monday, February 18 – Steve Dunn
Steve Dunn, anchor at KATU-TV in Portland, OR will be playing for Meals on Wheels.
Tuesday, February 19 – Krystal Allen
Krystal Allen, co-anchor at KSNV-TV in Las Vegas, NV will be playing for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Wednesday, February 20 – Danny Romero and Pat McGonigle
Danny Romero, weathercaster at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, CA will be playing for East LA Rising. Pat McGonigle, anchor at WDAF-TV in Kansas City, MO will play for Love Fund for Children, and continues his gameplay on Thursday, February 21.
Thursday, February 21 – Pat McGonigle and Margot Kim
Margot Kim, co-anchor at KFSN-TV in Fresno, CA will be playing for Marjaree Mason Center, and continues her gameplay on Friday, February 22.
Friday, February 22 – Margot Kim and Collin Myers
Collin Myers, meteorologist at KTRK-TV in Houston, TX will be playing for Living Water International, and continues his game play on Monday, February 25.
This season, the game show will give away more than $100 million in total winnings since its syndicated debut.
Here is what Froehlich said on Instagram in a video:
"All right. Exciting morning. Hectic morning. But if you didn't know and you care, my time on KHOU 11 morning news and my time at KHOU has come to an end as of this morning.
It's very full circle. I just happen to know it was September 1st when I got to walk in the building for the first time, September 1st, 2021, for my for my interview there. And now two years later, it's wrapped up.
And it was a dream come true to get to work in TV in my hometown. It's what I always wanted to do and I got to do it. And it was it was everything I could have hoped it would have been because of the great people who you see on the show every day, Steph and Kim and Chita and Jen and and all the reporters, all the producers, all the directors, all the editors and everybody in the building. So that's a great team.
I hope you keep watching the show. I'm going to keep watching the show. And I just want to say thank you for a great experience and a great run at KHOU. Again, I'm going to keep watching.
As for what I'm going to do next, um, I don't know. I'll let you know, but I don't know right now. I might take a nap."
Sources tell me that Curry is no longer with abc13 and the fact that she has been removed from the station's website confirms that.
My readers are reporting that at 9am this morning, abc13 meteorologist Elita Loresca introduced Myers on air as the new weekend morning met.
Loresca will be moving to the 11am and 4pm newscasts where Curry has worked for several years.
According to her bio, Curry has worked at KTRK since August of 2006. She eventually took Doug Brown's spot on the morning show after he retired.
My blog is by no means an official determination of on-air talent popularity in Houston, but by going on which posts are the most popular here, Curry is in the top echelon.
If you are reading this, most likely you are a big fan.
Then you will probably know that Curry devotes a lot of time to charitable work in Houston. Just follow her on social media and you will see her work and support of charities like Red Collar Rescue, Texas Wildlife Rehab Coalition and Friends of BARC.
Prior to Houston, Curry most recently had worked places like FOX 4 WDAF Kansas City and KWGN Denver. Before that she worked in Indianapolis, Chicago and Abilene, TX. She got her TV start in Victoria, which for those not in Texas, is very close to Houston.
She is a graduate of the University of Colorado.
Stay tuned.
It will be interesting to see where Curry will end up.
Top row: Jay Jones, Gary Stone, Mat “The Mighty Quinn” and Lance Zierlein. Middle row: Paul Gleiser and John Granato. Front row: Jud Ashmore, Val Wilson, Mary Lanoue, Melanie Miller, Terri Thomas, and “Big Frank” Franklin (Photo credit: Bachman-Hand)
The Texas Radio Hall of Fame (TRHOF) inducted its new batch of members at the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore the first weekend of November 2024.
The Friday night before the big induction ceremony, the radio greats were treated to a special screening of my 101 KLOL documentary "Runaway Radio!" On stage for a terrific doc Q&A were 2024 inductee Jay Jones (former KLOL owner), members Dayna Steele and Doug Harris, and me, your favorite media blogger/director.
Fun fact, some "Runaway Radio" scenes were shot at the Texas Broadcast Museum so it was super cool to actually show the film there! If you love broadcasting, the museum is worth the drive!
On Saturday, Hall of Famer Scott Arthur kicked off the ceremony with the induction of San Antonio's Jud Ashmore, who had just celebrated his 100th birthday.
Hall of Famer Steele returned to the stage to welcome Mary McCoy, holder of the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest career as a female radio personality (72 years!), and nine-year-old Mary Ella Woodstock, host of KIDZ STAR Radio on DFW's KNON-NOW.
Texas Association of Broadcasters president Oscar Rodriguez provided a legislative update, and THROF Executive Director Josh Holstead touted the organization's scholarship program.
TRHOF Executive Director Doug Harris noted that the Induction ceremony was sold out for the third consecutive year. As a result, the event will again be held in Kilgore on November 7-8, 2025.
A complete list of the TRHOF's Class of 2024:
Jud Ashmore - WOAI, KENS, KBUC San Antonio
Jay Britt - KBZB Odessa and KILT FM100 Houston
Raoul Cortez - Founded KCOR San Antonio, the first full-time Spanish-language radio station in the contiguous United States
“Big Frank” Franklin - K-99 Corpus Christi and 98-1 KVET Austin
Paul Gleiser - owner of 600 KTBB-AM and 97.5 KTBB-FM and "92.1 The Team" KRWR Tyler-Longview
Charlie Parker - WOAI San Antonio morning host and KCCW, KLLS, KKYX, KRIO, KTSA
John Roberts - Classic Rock 96.1 KKTX Kilgore
Clifton “King Bee” Smith - KCOH Houston.
Gary B. Stone - President Chief Operating Officer with 40 years of Broadcast experience. 30 years of Spanish media experience, 25 years with Univision Radio.
Terri Thomas - Former Director of Operations/Programming for 97.9 THE BOX KBXX, MAJIC 102.1 KMJQ
Harvey “Harvey T” Thompson - 95.7 KIKK Houston
Jerry Trupiano - Houston sports play-by-play announcer
Val Wilson - Radio One "Sunday Morning Live," KTSU2 and Texas Southern University - School of Communication Adjunct Professor - Radio, Television, Film Department
Following Saturday's induction ceremony, a reception for inductees and their families was held at the restored Post Office, operated by the Kilgore Historical and Preservation Society.
Dave Froehlich left the KHOU 11 Houston morning news a little more than a month ago and today it was announced he is returning to his old job as a FOX 7 KTBC's "Good Day Austin" anchor.
"KHOU was a great opportunity, but for almost two years now I’ve missed Central Texas, and I’ve especially missed all of my friends at Fox 7, both on & off camera," Froehlich told mikemcguff.com. "I can’t wait to join them again & get back to work!"
Froehlich hits the FOX 7 Austin airwaves on October 25, 2023.
In this role, Logan will oversee programming and operations for Mix 96.5 (KHMX-FM), The Bet Houston (KIKK-AM), SportsRadio 610 (KILT-AM), 100.3 The Bull (KILT-FM), 95.7 The Spot (KKHH-FM) and Mega 101 FM (KLOL-FM).
JR Ammons expands his role as the new Brand Manager of Mix 96.5, overseeing the station’s content strategy, talent, operations and branding. Ammons will continue to serve as Brand Manager of 99.7 The Point (KZPT-FM) and 106.5 The Wolf (WDAF-FM) in Kansas City, 102.5 KEZK (KEZK-FM) and Y98 (KYKY-FM) in St. Louis and Vice President of Programming for Audacy Kansas City.
“We’re excited to welcome Bruce back and bring JR to the Audacy Houston team. Bruce is a Country expert and one of the original architects of The Spot. He has always been a great partner and leader, and I can’t wait to see what he cooks up!” said Sarah Fraizer, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Houston. “JR is a great leader who has delivered outstanding results and I look forward to seeing him expand his expertise to Mix 96.5.”
“I’m so excited to be returning to Audacy and Houston!” said Logan. “Thanks to Sarah Frazier, Brian Purdy, Tim Roberts, Dave Richards, Jeff Sottolano and Chris Oliviero for once again handing me the keys to these legendary Houston brands. I know Houston is hot, I know it’s where to find the best queso in the world, and I know how to help teams achieve success! We start immediately.”
"Mix 96.5 is one of the most listened to Hot AC stations in the country, with a weekly audience of over a million people. I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to work alongside the talented team at KHMX,” said Ammons. “A huge thank you to Jeff, Dave, Brian and Sarah for trusting me to be part of something so special.”
Logan is a radio veteran who began his career at iHeartRadio in 1996, where he held roles ranging from Operations Manager to Regional Vice President of Programming. He moved to Audacy Houston in 2013 as the Operations Manager and quickly rose to Vice President of Programming. Most recently, he was the Operations Manager and Brand Content Director for Hubbard Broadcasting.
Ammons has over three decades of industry experience and an extensive background in operating multiple stations. He rejoined Audacy in 2022 after 11 years as Operations Manager for WZPL-FM, WNTR-FM and WXNT-AM in Indianapolis. He also has prior programming stops at Atlanta sister station Star 94 (WSTR-FM), WAPE-FM in Jacksonville, FL and KMXV-FM in Kansas City.
“Glen has successfully developed top newscasts and digital content in multiple markets,” said Sinclair San Antonio VP/General Manager Dean Radla in a statement. “He’s the perfect person to lead our news team as we provide important, relevant local content to our viewers via our newscasts and social channels.”
Horn has been the news director at the Nexstar Media Group station WDHN Dothan, Alabama, since 2021.
According to LinkedIn, Horn previously worked as a:
Senior Promotions Producer – WDAF-TV FOX4, Kansas City (2018–2019)
Consultant/Producer – Susan Peters Productions (2016–2018)
Dave Froehlich is the newest member of the KTBC news team announced Pam Vaught, the station’s Vice President and News Director. Effective July 3rd, Froehlich will be a co-anchor for “Good Day Austin” alongside co-anchor, Keri Bellacosa and meteorologist, Zack Shields.
In making the announcement, Vaught stated, “Dave will be a real asset to our newsroom. His intelligence, quick wit and experience covering news in Texas make him a great fit for our morning news.”
Most recently, Froehlich served as Anchor/Reporter for KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi, TX. Prior to that, he was Weekend Anchor/Reporter for WDAF-TV in Kansas City, MO. Earlier, Froehlich served as Anchor for KVII-TV in Amarillo, TX and KREX-TV in Grand Junction, CO, where he also served as Sports Director. Froehlich began his career as a production assistant for KPRC-TV in Houston.
Added Froehlich, “I can't wait to share the morning with our viewers, get reacquainted with old friends and make new ones as my wife and I live, work and raise our kids in this wonderful community.”
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Froelich holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History.
(This post is from a release sent to me by FOX Television Stations)
NewsFix and morning dose will no longer air on KIAH CW39 Houston and KDAF CW33 DFW
According to an internal email obtained by mikemcguff.com, Tribune Media is cancelling NewsFix and its syndicated show morning.dose.
However, we learn from the memo that a new three-hour local morning newscast will launch this fall on CW39 KIAH.
No word on how Houston morning anchor Maggie Flecknoe or NewsFix voiceover/commentator Greg "Grego" Onofrio will be incorporated into the station's new plans.
Apparently the shows will stop production next Friday.
Here is the memo:
I want to take a moment this morning to make you aware of some strategic decisions we have made regarding newscasts in several of our markets. First, some context—while broadcasting delivered strong financial results in the second quarter, to continue being successful, we need to be constantly looking for new growth opportunities and finding new ways of improving our existing businesses. We must be nimble, innovative, and, where it makes sense to do so, be willing to re-think some of our strategies.
It is with these things in mind that we have made the decision to discontinue production of Morning Dose, News Fix in Houston and Dallas, and the late newscast at WDCW in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of a lot of talented employees, these shows haven’t delivered the ratings or the revenue we hoped for when they were launched. The decision to discontinue any show is never easy and we don’t do it lightly. We understand that these decisions affect the lives of good people who gave their best efforts to achieve success; we hope to give many of them the opportunity to transition to new roles elsewhere in our station group.
Taking these steps will enable us to reallocate the resources devoted to these shows to other areas of our broadcasting business, including the further expansion of local news in several markets. This fall we will add a new three-hour local morning newscast at KIAH in Houston and expand PHL Morning News from 90-minutes to three hours at WPHL in Philadelphia. Mornings are a time-period where we have seen growth, and by shifting resources we believe we can better serve our local audiences.
Tribune continues to make strategic investments. We’re also devoting significant capital to improve the infrastructure at many of our stations and their newsrooms. As Peter mentioned, we’ll be building a new set/studio at WDAF in Kansas City, and in Arkansas, we recently broke ground on a state-of-the-art facility for KFSM and KXNW. KFOR’s new stormproof building in Oklahoma City is now complete and nine of our newsrooms kicked off substantial capital improvements in infrastructure, sets and building renovation this year.
We need to work to make these investments pay dividends for our viewers and advertisers, and ultimately for the company. This year, our broadcast group will produce roughly 84,000 hours of local news across our station group. In the last 5 years, we have expanded our news hours by 34 percent, more than any other station group in the U.S. Of our 27 news producing markets with full news operations, 21 of our stations are ranked #1 or #2 in the market among adults aged 25 to 54. Many markets have reached new rating milestones in 2018 through ratings growth and expansion. Finally, Tribune Media continues to be the #1 broadcast group online and one of the top-20 providers of online news in America. Our strength in local news has allowed our sales departments to drive significant share growth in political advertising, helping to offset the softness in the overall core market.
Peter has challenged us to find growth opportunities and improve our businesses while we navigate the current industry trends. To date we can all be proud of our collective performance, and for that I am grateful. As we close out Q3, let’s continue to play offense, focus on innovation and redirect our thinking to find opportunities that make our company better every day. I thank you for your hard work and dedication to your stations and to Tribune Broadcasting.
"I remember being told in the beginning that NewsFix wouldn't last six months," NewsFix contributor and Houston Chronicle reporter Craig Hlavaty told mikemcguff.com. "We made it seven years. In terms of longevity in a city like Houston that's massive. I am floored thinking about the amount of creatives that worked on that news show over the years. My weekly segment opened up an immeasurable amount of doors for me personally, creatively, and professionally. It's hard to quantify the impact it had on my life, suffice to say it changed my life forever."
"There were a lot of firsts," Hlavaty added. "I think I was the first TV reporter to tattoo himself on camera, get thrown in a pool by Lou Ferrigno, nearly get punched by Mike Tyson, get an IV full of vitamins, and interview the lead singer of GWAR. Through my segment I wrapped my arms around the city of Houston and points beyond and I will never let go, ever. That love affair with the city translates daily into my work as a Houston Chronicle staffer."
Just last summer, Tribune re-branded its Dallas-based morning show Eye Opener, as morning dose (yes they keep it all lowercase).
At the time of its re-launch morning dose aired in these six Tribune markets: KDAF/Dallas, KIAH/Houston, WPHL/Philadelphia, WDCW/Washington DC, WSFL/Miami and KRCW/Portland, OR.
As you have probably read in the news, Tribune tried to sell its stations to the Sinclair Broadcast Group. That did not work out. Just yesterday, a new report surfaced Tribune is attempting to sell again.
UPDATE SEPT. 11, 2018 According to the Houston Business Journal, Tribune Broadcasting will cut 120 jobs in Houston and Dallas as a result of recently canceled shows.
Tia Johnson joins 12News KBMT Beaumont as Daybreak morning newscast co-anchor, Midday at 11am anchor and investigative journalist.
"I’m so excited to be back in Texas," Johnson said in a statement. "This new role at 12News not only gives me an opportunity to be closer to family, but to advance my career as a journalist."
Johnson starts October 9th, 2023. She will join co-anchor Tracy Kennick and meteorologist Jeff Gerber weekday mornings from 4:30am to 7am.
Johnson joins KBMT from FOX 4 WDAF Kansas City, Missouri where she was a reporter.
The Houston native previously worked for abc2 WBAY Green Bay, Wisconsin as a reporter/MMJ. She got her TV start at KTRE 9 Lufkin, Texas as an MMJ.
A graduate of Prairie View A&M University, Johnson interned with KBTX 3 Bryan/College Station, 104.1 KRBE and FOX 26 KRIV.
