Houston TV anchor subject of art show

CW39 KIAH Morning Dose Houston anchor Maggie Flecknoe inspiration for art show

In all my years of blogging, I cannot remember posting about a Houston anchor being the inspiration for an art show, but now I can add that to my writing bucket list.

CW39 KIAH Morning Dose Houston anchor Maggie Flecknoe is the muse I'm talking about. Imagine you and me wearing berets and deconstructing works like the Mona Maggie, Anchor with a Pearl IFB or Eye Opener Gothic.

Before we go sample some wine and cheese...let's find out how the heck this happened!

It all started when Flecknoe covered the artists at the Rockstar Gallery.

CW 39’s Eye Opener and Maggie Flecknoe came out to ROCKSTAR on St. Patricks day, bright and early! Maggie featured the gallery and our “Luck of the Irish” art show live on TV that morning! It was truly a great experience, and all of the artists in the gallery at that time, felt a connection with her! We all want to do a special art show just for her, so we asked her some questions, and she answered!

This past weekend, those artists displayed their Flecknoe based work.

"Each one of these artists used me as their muse & created masterpieces out of questions I answered," Flecknoe posted. "It was truly magical to walk in Rockstar Gallery and see my life in art! I'm so humbled and touched!"

No word on when the paintings will be available for auction. Artist Cherie Salinas tweeted to me that she is the one to contact if you are interested in buying the Maggie Flecknoe lollipop painting. All else...contact the gallery.

Now I would be remiss if I didn't mention that at least one other Houston TV personality has been featured in paint form. Maring Zindler has been immortalized in HMD STUFF & THANGS's Saint Marvin works. I own the t-shirt version!



As for what the heck is this “morning dose.” stuff replacing "Eye Opener" - well here you go:

TRIBUNE BROADCASTING PARTNERS WITH DOSE TO LAUNCH “MORNING DOSE.”
A DATA-DRIVEN WEEKDAY MORNING NEWS SHOW
MELISSA RYCROFT, BRANDON LONDON AND LAILA MUHAMMAD TO HOST;
RICK JOYCE JOINS AS CREATIVE CONSULTANT

Dallas, June 15, 2017 – Tribune Broadcasting today announced the launch of “morning dose.,” a first of its kind, live social “wake-up” show, in partnership with Dose, a top digital media agency that specializes in data-driven, shareable content. Hosted by television personalities Melissa Rycroft and Brandon London, and news anchor Laila Muhammad, “morning dose.,” will launch on June 29th and will feature compelling and timely news stories powered by Dose’s social storytelling and scientific method to create and distribute content.

“morning dose.” will air weekdays syndicated in six Tribune markets: KDAF/Dallas, KIAH/Houston, WPHL/Philadelphia, WDCW/Washington DC, WSFL/Miami and KRCW/Portland, OR.

Host Melissa Rycroft captured America’s hearts as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” in season 8 and was crowned champion of its all-star season in the 15th cycle of the long- running ABC program. Rycroft can currently be seen on CMT’s reality series "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team" as a mentor as she herself is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Rycroft’s television debut however was as a contestant on the ABC’s beloved show, “The Bachelor.” Rycroft has hosted reality-TV competition shows such as ABC’s "Bachelor Pad" and CMT’s "Redneck Island” and is a frequent contributor to both “GMA” and “Access Hollywood.”

Host Brandon London is a former NFL and CFL football player and New York Giants Super Bowl champion. Most recently, London was on-air conducting interviews & segments for various “Giants TV” shows on the MSG Network. He's also been seen as a co-host on “The Maury Show” and Esquire TVs “Car Matchmaker” among others.

“morning dose.” news anchor Laila Muhammad, is a seasoned journalist, host and television personality with more than a decade of experience. Muhammad was most recently host of Tribune Broadcasting’s daily news program “Eye Opener” which “morning dose.” will replace. Muhammad previously served as an anchor at WTKR/WGNT, Tribune’s CBS/CW affiliate in Norfolk.

Creative Consultant Rick Joyce, an award-winning showrunner, was formerly the Co-executive Producer of “Entertainment Tonight” and was previously the Executive Producer of “The List,” a lifestyle news magazine. He also developed and launched the digital platform CelebTV.com.

“Working with our partners at Dose we’ve developed a morning program that will go beyond the traditional broadcast treatment of ‘trending’ social content,” said Bart Feder, Tribune’s Senior Vice President of News. “The goal of ‘morning dose.’ will be to set the morning agenda by showcasing the content and advancing the stories that will drive the day’s social conversation.”

“The future of broadcast is data-driven creative and we’re excited to partner with Tribune to create a morning news show unlike any other,” said Dose CEO Emerson Spartz. “Dose’s technology minimizes the guesswork of identifying which stories and angles will resonate. For years, we’ve planned to adapt our process to TV, and it’s thrilling to finally be opening up these new frontiers of innovation in storytelling.”

“morning dose.” will air in the following markets:

Station/Market
KDAF/Dallas 5a-8a
KIAH/Houston 5a-8a
PHL/Philadelphia 6a-8a
WDCW/Washington DC 6a-8a
WSFL/Miami 6a-8a
KRCW/Portland, OR 6a-8a
Local time periods

For more information, please visit http://morning.dose.com/

CW39's Morning Dose adds another hour

KIAH CW39 Houston's Morning Dose adds extra hour to now air from 6am to 10am

Today, CW39 Houston KIAH announced on social media it's adding an extra hour to Morning Dose.

So instead of 6 to 9am, the show will now air from 6am to 10am.

That puts Morning Dose at more hours than most of the other station's AM newscast offerings, but it still has a couple of hours to match FOX 26 KRIV's 4am to 10am.

When Morning Dose re-launched as a Houston only newscast, the station chose to only go head to head with the other stations starting at 6am, and then only competing with FOX 26 after 7am as the other channels go to network programming.

Judge Jerry, which was airing at 9am, has moved to the noon slot. Now what was on at noon before, I have no idea. My skills only go so far. UPDATE: The noon slot was previously occupied by Couples Court.

RELATED
- Shannon LaNier is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson
- CW39 KIAH Morning Dose Anchor/Senior Producer Trey Serna leaves
- CW33 KDAF DFW launching Morning After with Ron Corning and Jenny Anchondo


(Thanks Christian)

NewsFix and morning dose cancelled by Tribune

UPDATE OCTOBER 18, 2018
Sharron Melton returns to Houston TV on CW 39 KIAH

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 14, 2018
NewsFix officially signs off, plus remembering the old 39 News

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.

Larry Wert

Back in 2010, Tribune announced it was reinventing news with the NewsFix format and chose KIAH CW39 to be the start of its news revolution. The idea then moved to KDAF CW33 in Dallas-Fort Worth.

"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: SEPTEMBER 14, 2018
NewsFix officially signs off, plus remembering the old 39 News

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.

Is CW33 KDAF Dallas getting TV morning news again?

UPDATE MAY 29, 2020
CW33 KDAF DFW launching Morning After with Ron Corning and Jenny Anchondo

Are we watching a CW33 KDAF daily digital show morphing into an actual morning television newscast?

Could a daily digital show on CW33 KDAF Dallas really be development for a new morning television newscast? Well, a tease on social media pretty much says that, but more on that in a minute!

After NewsFix and the syndicated version of Morning Dose were cancelled before Irving-based Nexstar Media Group bought Tribune Media, CW33 KDAF in Dallas-Fort Worth stopped producing newscasts.

Morning Dose's syndicated set at KDAF in Dallas, was shipped to Houston and the show, in name only, continued on CW39 KIAH with a new team.

Now it appears KDAF is set to start morning news on its TV signal once again.

RELATED
Former CW33 KDAF DFW chief meteorologist Kevin Roth joins abc13 KTRK Houston

In early April, the station launched a digital program called “Coronavirus: The Daily” hosted by DFW TV personalities Ron Corning and Jenny Anchondo with producer Melissa Plaskoff.

Corning, as DFW watchers will know, left WFAA 8's Daybreak in March of 2019. He was an anchor on the show for eight years. Before that, you might have seen him nationally on World News Now and ABC World News This Morning or The Daily Buzz.

Anchondo's last TV gig was co-host of the syndicated version of Morning Dose. Before that Anchondo anchored the FOX 4 KDFW weekend morning newscasts, “Good Day Saturday” and “Good Day Sunday” and reported for "Good Day" throughout the week. Before Texas, she worked for WXIN Indianapolis, KOLD Tucson, AZ, KNDU/KNDO Kennewick, Washington and KQQQ-AM Pullman, Washington.

UPDATE MAY 29, 2020
CW33 KDAF DFW launching Morning After with Ron Corning and Jenny Anchondo

After Morning Dose, Anchondo has teamed up with her husband for the podcast, Second Shot with Heath Oakes and Jenny Anchondo.

Now there are teases on social media that this digital project is going to TV. It doesn't get anymore clearer than "Sneak Peek! New AM show coming soon to [CW33] #REHEARSAL".

Here is where I will throw in my unsolicited two cents, no matter what any TV station says, digital shows are not where the money is...not yet at least. The moneymaker, even with declining TV news viewership before the coronavirus, is the actual television signal.

In Houston at least, I look at some of the view counts the station's digital shows get on YouTube and they are minuscule compared to the actual television news broadcasts. It appears hitting a thousand views would be a cause for celebration.

UPDATE MAY 29, 2020
CW33 KDAF DFW launching Morning After with Ron Corning and Jenny Anchondo

If you have any Dallas media news tips (or any Texas market) let me know. I mainly cover Houston TV news, but will gladly cover other parts of our great state.

Trey Serna leaves CW39 KIAH

CW39 KIAH Morning Dose Anchor/Senior Producer Trey Serna leaves

CW39 KIAH Anchor/Senior Producer Trey Serna lets us know he is no longer with Morning Dose:

"Some professional/personal news to share: I am no longer with Morning Dose.

I am incredibly thankful for the unique opportunity I had on this show. It was unlike anything else I have ever done. Working on a three-hour morning show with some talented writers, producers and directors was exciting and rewarding.

I was also able to bring stories to viewers that truly meant something to me.

To top it all off, I got to co-anchor alongside some hilariously fun people who made going into work in the middle of the night a tad more tolerable. 🤪

So what’s next? Rest, reflect and recharge! I’m looking forward to some time for myself, my husband and my boys.

[insert inspirational quote here] ✌🏼😆"

RELATED
- CW39's Morning Dose adds another hour
- Shannon LaNier is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson

Serna re-joined CW39 in December 2018 for the new local version of Morning Dose.

He previously worked for the station as a 39News and NewsFix supervising producer, joining right before the anchor-less show's launch in 2010.

He worked for the then Tribune owned station until 2015 when he worked in a communications role for the Sheldon and Fort Bend school districts.

Serna got his broadcast TV news start at KRGV Weslaco in 2008.

Nexstar Media Group completed its acquisition of Tribune Media Company near the end of 2019.

Since then, we have seen longtime employees such has Station Manager and Director of Sales Harvey Saxer and news director Steve Simon have their job titles eliminated in the last few months.

In May, Chris Pruitt was named the Vice President and General Manager for KIAH CW 39.

New openings on the Nexstar TV jobs database include Executive Producer and Manager, News Operations.



(Thanks Candi)

Morning Dose returns to CW39 Monday away from studio

After being off the air Friday, CW39 KIAH's Morning Dose returns Monday

Morning Dose returns Monday morning on CW39 KIAH, but from now on, like many of the other Houston TV stations, will have at least some of its anchors and reporters from home.

Channel 39 viewers notified me Friday that Morning Dose did not air that day. Instead episodes of Friends were on the air with a "Viewer Notice" scroll saying due to circumstances beyond their control, Morning Dose would not been seen that day.

RELATED
A running list of ways the Houston media is affected by coronavirus

I told you Sunday that FOX 26 KRIV has already tested doing remote newscasts away from the station if that becomes necessary.

abc13 KTRK 3pm and 6:30pm anchor Chauncy Glover is the first known positive test for COVID-19 that I am aware of. Glover announced it on social media last week. He also released a video to address his loyal viewers about his current condition.

Stay safe.

CW 39's Maggie Flecknoe is a survivor

She has survived a layoff, avoided another one, and most importantly survived a near-death experience, now CW 39 KIAH's Maggie Flecknoe is ready for a new "Morning Dose"
"You can produce a show, but you can't produce your life."

UPDATE OCTOBER 18, 2018
Sharron Melton returns to Houston TV on CW 39 KIAH

For CW 39 KIAH morning anchor Maggie Flecknoe, perseverance has paid off.

She helped start channel 39's foray into the morning news wars way back when she was working local news cut-ins for what was then Tribune's syndicated morning show Eye-Opener out of Chicago.

And this coming Monday, Morning Dose becomes a Houston-based newscast broadcast from the KIAH studios.

"I've always wanted to do mornings since I was little," Flecknoe told mikemcguff.com. "To have people choose to wake up to you and start their day, to me that's such an honor. And I think it's also the place in our business right now that's expanding the most."

She certainly is right about that.

FOX 26 KRIV expanded its morning show to six hours years ago. And right now, channel 26 owns the local news and advertising world from 7am on as the other stations run network programming.

You might remember that in September 2018, Tribune announced the cancellations of its anchor-less NewsFix newscast in Houston and Dallas and its syndicated Morning Dose newscast.

RELATED
Revelations from NewsFix's development and what the old KIAH newsroom was like before the new show's debut

Turns out, Houston consistently performed better than the other markets that ran the syndicated morning newscast. Now KIAH sees an opportunity to hold on to that audience and expand.

At the time of this writing, Dallas-Fort Worth sister station KDAF 33, which served as the broadcast studio of the syndicated Morning Dose, will not have AM news once the show stops production there this Friday.

Tribune has already shipped its state-of-the-art Morning Dose set to KIAH Houston. For Houston history buffs out there, to make room, the station told me it removed the bleachers from its studios that once sat the audience for Paul Boesch's Houston Wrestling that was a staple on Houston televisions until the end of the 1980s.

Right now, Flecknoe is one of a handful of news department employees continuing with the station after the NewsFix layoffs. As far as we know now, she will be the only on-air personality to transition into the new local show along with other soon to be announced on-air staff.

One hire we do know, is KBTX Bryan-College Station reporter Courtney Carpenter, who announced on social media she is joining KIAH in some capacity.

"It's been a whirlwind and you go through different emotions because, you know, I just lost my colleagues that I've been working with," Flecknoe said.

For Flecknoe, staying strong helped start her broadcasting career in Houston and keep it here.

After studying at Harvard University's Moscow Art Theater School, Flecknoe arrived in H-Town with few connections.

Someone in the local film community told her she should audition for anime voice overs at an area studio. A decade later, with around one hundred characters voices attached to her, Flecknoe actually started a career that's still going strong and has nothing to do with Houston television.

Although, don't tell that to her anime fans, they still sample her TV news work from afar.

"That's why it's also good I put things online, because they share it and they watch," Flecknoe said. "In Pakistan for instance, they watch anime to learn English, and then now they're huge fans of the Facebook Lives."

One of Flecknoe's favorite roles was as Yukari Yukino in The Garden of Words which earned her honors at the 2nd Annual BTVA Anime Dub Awards. She believes her breakthrough role was on the TV show High School of the Dead as Saya Takagi.

"I have all of [the shows]. One day I'll show my kids and be like, 'look what mommy did,'" she said.

Outside of anime, Flecknoe has also appeared in commercials with former Houston Rocket Yao Ming and country band Lady Antebellum. She also has performed at the Alley, Upstage and Texas Repertory Theaters.

So if you have a background as an actress facing auditions, what's the next career path with lots of obstacles? Television news.

"I've been rejected for roles since I was 5 years old," Flecknoe admitted.

It turns out Flecknoe's entrance into broadcasting was a happy accident. She was "discovered" while working at Nordstrom in The Galleria.

That encounter led to her start on air at 740 KTRH and 790 KBME, then known as "The Sports Animal," only to be laid off during a round of Clear Channel cuts the day of President Obama's 2008 inaugural speech.

For six months after that, Flecknoe peppered KIAH with her resume tape and the station gave her a chance due to her tenacity. What started out as a part-time news writing job quickly added on-air and online duties with the "Online Dish" with Maggie. Looking back nearly a decade ago, that segment was ahead of its time. It was one of the first TV news pieces in Houston that targeted the millennial set. Now every channel appears to be chasing the younger demos.

"They allowed me a lot of artistic freedom, let's just put it that way," Flecknoe admitted. "And that's what I've loved about Tribune too, is that they've allowed me to have that artistic freedom which to me is priceless."

In 2011, when the Chicago-based company announced it was launching its first entrance into the syndicated morning world with Eye-Opener, Flecknoe volunteered to work that shift alongside then CW39 anchor Mia Gradney. When Gradney went across the street to KHOU 11, Flecknoe slowly transitioned into the anchor role.

Over time, the small, yet dedicated KIAH morning crew were feeling the ratings momentum. Flecknoe, who anchor/produces news cut-ins, weather and traffic, even started doing Friday morning live shots from different Bayou City hot spots.

"I love Fridays, because we came up with the idea one day, and my first live shot actually went viral," Flecknoe recalled. "I was at the rodeo and a pig pooped on me."

Then came the morning of October 6, 2016. 3:24 in the morning. She was four minutes late on her way to work.

"I had my Velcro rollers in and I was driving just like I always do same intersection," Flecknoe recalled. "I've driven this way for years I've done the morning shift."

At the corner of Rice and Richmond Avenues, Flecknoe looked to her right and saw a white SUV come plowing towards her. She remembers gripping the steering wheel and slamming on the brakes as hard as she ever had while screaming, 'No!'


The accident was bad enough that news stringers and TV stations showed up the scene to get footage. Flecknoe says the other driver had been drinking.

The aftermath left Flecknoe with a cervical sprain, herniated disks and put her in a state of shock.

With all of that, she still thinks of the Houston firefighters who saved a precious item from her car. It's a cup decorated with sunflowers (her favorite flowers) with the words "You are my sunshine" that was given to Flecknoe by her grandmother.

"It's actually on my desk right now," Flecknoe said. "So that's always on set with me. I'm kind of superstitious."

So between the accident and losing her grandfather at the same time, Flecknoe showed up back to work just days later in a back brace. She took injections over her Christmas vacation so she could stand long enough to cover the upcoming Super Bowl LI Houston activities.

"I hate driving to work in the morning to this day and it's going to be two years," Flecknoe admits. "But I cannot go down that intersection to work. I just can't. So I go the long way to work and sometimes I'll leave a little bit later and just hope that it doesn't happen again. But I see people running lights all the time."

In the hours between work and physical therapy, Flecknoe says she was fairly bedridden due to pain. She laid there asking God, "why me?"

"That's when I re-assessed my life and my crew here, I'm like, it's OK if we make a mistake, it's live TV, we get to do it again," Flecknoe said. "Life's way too short. And then I saw the way that [members of the Houston media] wrote up my accident from an outside perspective, because they didn't know it was me, and the way they told the story and I was like, 'Huh, that's not at all what happened.' That's somebody's trial, that's somebody's significant other maybe. It inspired me to tell stories differently and to not just assume one thing."

The accident, although creating a whole new set of recovery and physical work, did force the morning anchor to not obsess over work.

"I'm glad [the accident] happened, in a way, because it forced me to slow down, because as I told you before, I was doing so much for the show and the station and my life was consumed by work. And that literally forced me to stop."

So as she gears up for the new show, while still keeping the old one on the air, Flecknoe continues to keep to her early schedule of getting to bed by 9pm and getting up way before sunrise.

"I truly feel like I'm a survivor in more ways than one," Flecknoe told me. "I've survived a layoff in this business - in radio. I picked myself back up again. I've been through a lot of different shows and formats here at the station and I've survived a near death experience [and] heartache. I mean I've been through it all. And I'm sure there's going to be something else too. I know it sounds cliche, but everything happens for a reason. And my big thing is, you can produce a show, but you can't produce your life."

UPDATE OCTOBER 18, 2018
EXCLUSIVE: The Houston on-air team of the new Houston only "Morning Dose" on CW 39 KIAH

Sharron Melton returns to Houston TV on CW 39 KIAH

EXCLUSIVE: The Houston on-air team of the new Houston only "Morning Dose" debuting Monday on CW39 KIAH

Sharron Melton

As I blogged this week, Tribune's syndicated morning show Morning Dose is becoming a Houston-only newscast this Monday (10/22/2018) exclusively on CW39 KIAH from 6 to 9am.

The newly relocated show will debut a new set of on-air anchors and reporters except for Maggie Flecknoe who continues with channel 39 where she has been providing local morning cut-ins for the station..

So who are the new faces of CW39's local version of Morning Dose? According to an internal email obtained by mikemcguff.com, we have the answers!

Sharron Melton – ANCHOR

The first personality needs no introduction as she is very familiar to Houston viewers from her tenure at mornings on abc13 KTRK which ended in 2015. In fact, anchor Sharron Melton has been the subject of my number two overall post of all time!

The San Antonio native came to Houston's channel 13 in 2007 from weekend anchor duties at WSVN Miami. Prior to that, she was an anchor at WPMI Mobile, Alabama and KOBR Roswell, New Mexico. The award winning journalist got her start as a radio reporter for the Agriculture Communications Network in Texas. The Texas A&M grad also has a Master's degree in television communication from Eastern New Mexico University.

Since her KTRK days, Melton has launched her podcast “Sharing the Sugar with Sharron” where she interviews some big names about the importance of giving back to their communities.

She knows something about that.

Melton is a proud member of the International Women’s Forum Houston Chapter, the National Association of Black Journalists and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council in Houston and Steering Committee for Women of Wardrobe with Dress For Success Houston.

Houston Woman’s Magazine named her one of the 50 Most influential Women in the City of Houston.

Shannon LaNier – ANCHOR

Shannon LaNier has most recently worked as a weekend morning anchor at Fios1 News in New York. Before that he was a multi-media journalist (One-Man-Band) at News 12 Networks.

After graduating from Kent State University, he made his New York City debut as a segment producer for the WCBS CBS2 Morning Show.

As a teenager in Cincinnati, LaNier got his first television job on “Real Exchange,” an Emmy Award winning talk show focusing on issues important to young people.

LaNier co-authored the Random House Inc. book Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family along with photojournalist Jane Feldman. The book follows his journey to uncover the history behind his heritage as a 9th generation direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings.

LaNier remains an active member of his church, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and the National Association of Black Journalists.

He’s married to his college sweetheart, Chandra, and they have three children - Madison, McKenzie and Carter.


Maria Sotolongo – METEOROLOGIST

My Dallas-Fort Worth readers will recognize Maria Sotolongo from her six years at FOX 4 KDFW's "Good Day," where she was not only a meteorologist, but also an entertainment reporter.

In 2007, Sotolongo stepped away from morning television to be a full-time mother - since moving to Houston.

During that time she also produced two documentaries. "Breathe,” about home births, earned her a Remi Award at Houston’s Worldfest.

Like many Houstonians, Sotolongo and her family were flooded by Hurricane Harvey's waters after the dam releases. Her desire is to share her journey and inspire changes so this doesn’t happen again. She most recently finished a documentary on Harvey called “Changed: When the Dams Opened”.

Before her time Dallas, Sotolongo did weather and entertainment for Telemundo’s “Primera Edicion.”

Her TV career started at just age 19 working for Telemundo’s nationally syndicated music video show, “Ritmo Latino” where she landed interviews with the likes of Julio Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez.

Sotolongo has two degrees, in Communications (University of Houston) and in Broadcast Meteorology (Mississippi State University).


Shane Allen – REPORTER

Another Dallas transplant, Shane Allen started his TV career in 2001 in Beaumont, then Austin and finally to the Metroplex. His bio says he has done everything from running newsrooms to anchoring newscasts. He comes to Houston from producing the syndicated version of Morning Dose at KDAF.

For his work, Shane has been awarded a National Edward R. Murrow Award, an EMMY Award, several regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, the national Society of Professional Journalists’ medal for excellence in reporting, as well as the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters / Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Award for outstanding work in issues related to public information.

Shane is also certified and has been trained by the Texas Office of Attorney General and the Texas Bar Association in the Texas Public Information Act.


Courtney Carpenter – REPORTER

In my Flecknoe profile, I revealed that KBTX Bryan - College Station reporter Courtney Carpenter was coming to KIAH.

She has been with KBTX since February of 2016.

Carpenter started in local TV at KRBC Abilene.

It was golf that got Carpenter's foot in the TV door.

She began playing golf competitively at a young age, eventually attending Dallas Baptist University on a scholarship.

After graduation, Carpenter got the opportunity to intern with CBS Sports and travel each week with the PGA Tour. She assisted in production of CBS golf coverage for several tournaments.


So that's what I know now. Stay tuned for the debut Monday morning running from 6 to 9am.

CW33 KDAF DFW launching Morning After with Ron Corning and Jenny Anchondo

Earlier in May I asked if CW33 KDAF Dallas getting TV morning news again? The answer is yes, but not a traditional morning newscast.

KDAF announced that it's launching Morning After Monday, June 1st at 10am on air and online. First the station produced Morning Dose, now it is the Morning After...I like it.

The show, which will be hosted by Ron Corning and Jenny Anchondo, promises to be, "equal parts informative and entertaining, engaging viewers as they go in-depth on topics that are top of mind locally and nationally."

“With the addition of Morning After, CW33 clearly recognized that in the last year Ron and Jenny have cultivated an audience and a following in the video podcast space,” KDAF Vice-President & General Manager John Trevino said on the station's website. "Bringing these two popular podcasts to broadcast made perfect sense, “This was an opportunity to build on a proven formula that brings hyper-local content to DFW viewers that audiences are craving on both our broadcast and digital platforms. This will also be the only local show at 10am, produced by the only locally owned TV station in the DFW market.”

As I posted a few weeks ago, in early April, KDAF started producing a web show called “Coronavirus: The Daily” with DFW TV personalities Corning and Anchondo along with producer Melissa Plaskoff. The station notes, that the two anchors were first paired to host the Dallas Holiday Parade.

In March 2019, Corning left WFAA 8's Daybreak where he anchored mornings for eight years. Before Dallas, he anchored nationally for World News Now, ABC World News This Morning and The Daily Buzz. Since channel 8, Corning has been helming the vodcast Morning After with Ron Corning, so the name continues on with his new project.

Anchondo returns to CW33 where she previously co-hosted the syndicated version of Morning Dose. Before KDAF, Anchondo anchored the FOX 4 KDFW weekend morning newscasts, “Good Day Saturday” and “Good Day Sunday” and reported for "Good Day" throughout the week. She also worked for WXIN Indianapolis, KOLD Tucson, AZ, KNDU/KNDO Kennewick, Washington and KQQQ-AM Pullman, Washington.

After Morning Dose, Anchondo hosted the Second Shot podcast.

Shannon LaNier is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson

Shannon LaNier, KIAH CW39 Houston "Morning Dose" anchor, is a ninth generation direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings

Shannon LaNier

CW39 Houston "Morning Dose" KIAH anchor Shannon LaNier is a ninth generation direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings.

Recently LaNier participated in a Smithsonian Magazine project where photographer Drew Gardner re-imagines historical figures through the eyes of their living descendants.

In the photo, LaNier chose not to wear a wig like Jefferson.

“I didn’t want to become Jefferson,” LaNier told Smithsonian Magazine. “My ancestor had his dreams—and now it’s up to all of us living in America today to make sure no one is excluded from the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

LaNier co-wrote wrote the book, "Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family," about his journey to uncover the history behind his heritage as a descendant of Jefferson and Hemings.

RELATED
CW39's Morning Dose adds another hour

View this post on Instagram

Does Jefferson look like this black 6th great-grandson????? Here's a #BehindTheScenes sneak peek at the making of @SmithsonianMag new #Descendants project that reimagines #HistoricalFigures through the eyes of their living descendants. As a 9th generation descendant of #President #ThomasJefferson & his slave #SallyHemings, @MrShannonLanier decided to participate... not to erase "#HIStory" but to tell the "FullStory." #DNA #Legacy #YouCantPickFamily #ShannonLanier

A post shared by Shannon LaNier (@mrshannonlanier) on Jul 3, 2020 at 8:20am PDT

The Kent State University graduate, has been co-anchoring "Morning Dose" with Sharron Melton since 2018. He previously worked as the weekend morning anchor at Fios1 News in New York.

LaNier also hosts a podcast called Daddy Duty 365.

Former Houston sportscaster joins syndicated show

Former KPRC 2 sports reporter Gary Striewski joins "morning dose"

Former KPRC 2 multi-media news, then sports reporter Gary Striewski is returning to Houston TV...sorta.

In 2013, Striewski left channel 2 to work as a reporter/sports anchor at NESN "New England’s most watched sports network."

According to Boston area news reports, he left the network earlier this year.

So where will he end up on Bayou City TV screens?

Well, instead of Houston's channel dos, Striewski will be appearing on "morning dose" (sorry I couldn't resist). You can tell "morning dose" is hip and different because it refuses to be constrained by capitals.

For the uninitiated, morning.dose is the new Tribune morning show that replaced Eye Opener from the studios of KDAF in Dallas-Fort Worth.

You can watch it and Striewski in Houston on CW39 KIAH.

Have a great weekend from the @morningdosetv crew!! @CourtenayDeHoff @HilaryKennedy @lailamuhammad @MelissaRycroft @garystriewski pic.twitter.com/G9IghOckZx

— Brandon London (@BrandonLondonTV) July 14, 2017

Hannah Trippett joins CW39 KIAH's 'Morning Dose'

Former News 4 San Antonio and KABB FOX 29 News in San Antonio sports reporter Hannah Trippett joins CW39 KIAH's 'Morning Dose' as traffic anchor

Hannah Trippett returns to her hometown of Houston to join CW39 KIAH's Morning Dose as the show's traffic anchor.

UPDATE DECEMBER 2022
Hannah Trippett leaves CW39 Houston

"I’m fulfilling a dream I didn’t know I had when I first started in the TV business," Trippett posted on Facebook. "I’ve covered sports for the last five years, but now it’s time for a little bit of change!"

Trippett last worked at News 4 San Antonio and KABB FOX 29 News in San Antonio as a sports reporter. She was there for two years up until last August.

Before that she worked at WDHN Dothan, Alabama as the station's sports director/anchor.

The University of Texas Austin grad interned at ESPN and Sports Talk 790 KBME.

Trippett replaces Shane Allen who left the show after a little more than a month from its re-launch in Houston.

Allen, who worked on the syndicated version of Morning Dose which was produced out of Dallas, returns to the Metroplex to work as a production director and producer of live broadcasts at an unnamed company.

Texas TV news and radio job moves January 2020

RELATED
- Houston social media stars January 2020
- Best TV News Bloopers January 2020


DALLAS - FORT WORTH

Unclebarky.com cancels itself, goes into reruns.

Mike Rhyner, co-founder of ‘The Ticket’ and a Dallas radio fixture since the 1970s, is off the air.

Jamie Hancock becomes the North Texas Editor for the Dallas Morning News.

Mac Daniels Exits As KPLX/KSCS Program Director.

Shannon Murray renews her agreement with KDFW in Dallas. She continues reporting and filling-in at the anchor desk. - Napoli Management

Morning Changes At Radio One/Dallas' KBFB (97.9 The Beat) And KZMJ (Majic 94.5)

Colt Parkey Moving To Nights At KHKS Dallas.

Three CBS-Owned CW Stations Add Nightly News - WKBD Detroit newscasts will be produced by KTVT.

- Sophia Beausoleil joins NBC 5 KXAS

HOUSTON

Multiple sources have told me that the iHeartMedia January 2020 job cuts did affect Houston. Radio Insight has a running list of affected cities from across Texas and the US. In Houston, the site reports that Mixers/on-air hosts DJ Ebonix, DJ Shante, and OG Ron C & The Chopstars exit Hip-Hop “93.7 The Beat” KQBT. I also hear members of the IT and production department were also let go.

Reporter David Barron celebrates 30 years with the Houston Chronicle.

Jenny Dial Creech leaves the Houston Chronicle after 14 years to join The Athletic Houston as the managing editor.

Keri Blakinger leaves the Houston Chronicle and joins The Marshall Project as a reporter.

Dylan McGuinness is now covering City Hall for the Houston Chronicle.

News producer John Carreon celebrates 24 years at abc13 KTRK.

John Brewer joins CW39 KIAH Morning Dose as an assignments editor from 740 KTRH.

Producer Geordan Tilley leaves CW39 KIAH Morning Dose.

Mumbles hits 10 years on the 104.1 KRBE The Roula & Ryan Show.

After 12 years, KHOU Digital Sales Manager Christine Di Stadio joins WTVF Nashville, TN as an account executive.

Fabian Gutierrez left his position as the Lead News Assignment Editor with Telemundo after 3.5 years to join the American Heart Association as their new Director of Media Relations.

Donna Reed (formerly of KLOL, KODA and KHPT Houston) has launched a new hour-long show of chill tunes called MELLOW MONDAY WITH DONNA REED. Click here.

- KHOU launches Sunday morning newscast
- Anayeli Ruiz joins KHOU
- Madd Hatta Show on 97.9 The Box?
- J.J. Watt calls out abc13 KTRK over tweet
- Jessie Watt joins Mix 96.5’s “The Morning Mix”
- Lisa Hernandez leaves KHOU 11
- Brandon Walker hit by truck - in recovery
- Doug Miller talks 'Jeopardy!' appearance
- Chauncy Glover adds 6:30pm news duties
- Brandi Smith new KHOU Saturday morning anchor
- Shelley Childers has baby #2
- Larry Seward leaves KHOU
- Sophia Beausoleil leaves KPRC 2
- Matthew Seedorff joins FOX 26 KRIV
- Hannah Mackenzie joins KPRC 2
- Jennifer Reyna update 2020
- Cathy Hernandez has baby!
- FOX 26's Ivory Hecker is a singer-songwriter
- KLOL doc featured on CW39 Morning Dose
- Heather Sullivan joins FOX 26
- KPRC 2 reveals Tokyo Olympic coverage plans
- Katherine Marchand leaves abc13 KTRK
- Samica Knight returns to abc13 KTRK
- Brandon Walker reveals accident aftermath and who helped him
- Sally Mamdooh is married
- Dominique Sachse on 'TODAY with Hoda and Jenna'
- KHOU 11 buys KTBU 55
- Bill Balleza signs off KPRC 2
- VIDEO: Bill Balleza's goodbye on last KPRC 2 newscast


SAN ANTONIO

Sharon Ko named co-anchor for 'KENS 5 Eyewitness News at 6 p.m.'

New KENS 5 'Great Day SA' co-host Clarke Finney arrives from KMID and KPEJ in Midland.

12 News KBMT's Jordan Foster has been in Beaumont for almost two years is joining KENS as a reporter February 3rd.

AUSTIN

93.7 KLBJ’s ‘Dudley and Bob with Matt’ is moving to afternoons.

Anchor/reporter Courtney Schoenemann leaves KEYE and TV news to work at the Baylor College of Medicine as the associate development director of communications.

John Dabkovich returns to his home state of California and joins KOVR/KMAX in Sacramento as morning anchor. Previously, he was morning anchor for KXAN in Austin, TX. - Napoli Management

Bob Mackay is the new Market Manager for Entercom Austin - moving from Houston where he was GSM for Entercom.

KTXX (The Horn)/Austin Adds Weekend Show With Tyler Campbell.

New female-centric Austin media outlet seeks to revolutionize American journalism.

Bama & Heather Return To KVET Sans Rob Mason.

KOKE's Scotty Bennett Moves To 'Texas Nights.

AROUND TEXAS

Farewell Estela: El Paso’s most recognizable person steps down after 27 years at ABC-7.

Ann Harder to retire during her 25th year at KXXV 25 News.

KVII Amarillo issues statement following anchor Anthony Pittman's arrest.

KIII Corpus Christi morning anchor John-Thomas Kobos is now also the show's executive producer.

A KWES anchor doing commercials?

Morning anchor Hunter Davis leaves KXXV Waco, Temple, Killeen to work as a Fox News multimedia reporter.

John Van Camp Out At KXGL/Amarillo, TX.

Paige Monet' Hubbard is joining KFDM/KBTV News Beaumont as a Multimedia Journalist.

KGBT-TV sold to Nexstar.

- Barbi Leo joins KIII

REMEMBERING

Reba Campbell, pioneering female journalist and hand in Texas Football magazine, dies at 95.

R.I.P.: Kelli D'Angelo, Longtime Lubbock Personality

Former Dyess airman, husband of ex-KTXS meteorologist, killed in Afghanistan plane crash.

FOX 26 to debut "Houston's Morning Show"

FOX 26 KRIV promises some big changes Monday on its re-branded Houston's Morning Show newscast

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FOX 26 Houston (@fox26houston) on Jan 11, 2019 at 4:09pm PST

FOX 26 KRIV is promising some big changes Monday morning. The station has been posting cryptic social media messages promising out with the old and in with the new for 2019.

"Welcome to our very LAST DAY of FOX 26 MORNING NEWS!! Wait for it....on Monday, won’t you join us for Houston’s Morning Show," posted morning anchor Melissa Wilson on Facebook Friday morning.

As Wilson mentioned, the new show will be called Houston's Morning Show, not to be confused with Houston's Morning News on 740 KTRH. It will apparently be the same anchors, but just with schedule changes.

For example, 'Wake Up! With SallyMac & Lina' which debuted in September gets an extra hour.

The station even created a Facebook event to reserve your time Monday morning to get a backstage look at the new newscast:

NEW YEAR, NEW SHOW
You are cordially invited to FOX 26's new morning show launch event...WAKE UP to "Houston's Morning Show"!

We’re making mornings more about YOU, Houston! More LOCAL coverage with more content that YOU care about. But we’ll need your help by attending this event! Don’t worry, you won’t need to put on pants for this event - sit back & relax and enjoy a news experience like no other in the comfort of your own home!

WHO:
You, duh!

WHAT:
We're taking you BEHIND the SCENES at the FOX 26 Studios for the very first day of Houston's Morning Show and streaming it LIVE on our FOX 26 Facebook page! This event is a way for YOU to get to know us & for us to get to know YOU. Learn more about your favorite anchors & reporters with fun interactive Q&A sessions all morning long, all the while giving you an opportunity to be heard. Houston, to make Houston's Morning Show all about YOU, we have to hear from YOU! Which is why we're opening up the floor to our viewers for all questions and comments during this live event :)


WHEN:
Monday, January 21st from 7-10am

WHERE:
Wherever YOU are

I have no idea if this has anything to do with these promised big changes, but FOX 26 recently got competition from a new local version of Morning Dose on CW39 KIAH. Also in 2018, KHOU 11 re-branded its morning newscast #HTownRush with a more youthful appeal.

Shannon LaNier launches Daddy Duty 365 podcast

CW39 Morning Dose's Shannon LaNier tackles celebrities and fatherhood with Daddy Duty 365 podcast

CW39 Morning Dose KIAH anchor Shannon LaNier has launched a new podcast and it's geared to fathers or anyone who likes celebrity dads.

His first season of the "Daddy Duty 365" podcast includes interviews with names like Chris Pratt, Master P, Sting and Trae Tha Truth just to name a few! LaNier's goal is to go beyond the celeb's latest movie, album or comedy show and expose the fun, crazy and unpredictable lives of real Dads on Duty 365 days of the year.

Mike McGuff: There are so many mother related blogs and podcasts out there, why does there need to be one for fathers?

Shannon LaNier: There is so much negative news surrounding deadbeat dads that we have to let the world know that there are also a lot of amazing and responsible dads that are taking care of and loving their kids. We rarely hear celebrity dads talk about that side of their lives, but the “Daddy Duty 365” podcast offers that opportunities for our favorite stars to reveal the good, the bad and the funny of fatherhood. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes it’s oh so wrong, but at least they are a positive present force in their kids’ lives. We not only want to highlight our star-studded dads, #DD365 wants to help and encourage other dads to be even better fathers. We offer tips, solutions and in some cases a blue print to daddy duty 365 situations.

MM: How did you come up with the idea to produce the Daddy Duty 365 podcast?

SL: I have 3 kids and am unapologetically a present and active dad...so much so that people kept saying you have to help my husband or encourage my baby’s father. So, the Daddy Duty 365 podcast was born to help. People love and look up to celebrities, so who better for dads to listen to than their favorite athlete, actor, singer, boxer, and entertainer b/c some dads surely aren’t listening to their wives… but don’t worry, we help with that too! LOL!

MM: You have interviewed a lot of big names, what was there reaction when you started asking about their daddy duties?

SL: When interviewing celebrity dads like Chris Pratt, Sting, & Omari Hardwick to name a few, they always love talking about their kids. Most interviews give them 3 minutes to talk about their latest project, but they rarely get to talk about their most important job and the one they love the most...fatherhood. So I provide them with the outlet and they take off. I’m also always surprised at how vulnerable a lot of the celebrity dads allow themselves to be. On the Daddy Duty 365 podcast, they aren’t just saying what their publicist wants them to say, we are having real, heartfelt and thoughtful conversations. That’s a breath of fresh air!

Although the podcast is called Daddy Duty 365 and it’s for dads by dads, moms are welcome to be a fly on the wall and listen in. Even if their child’s father isn’t the best communicator, we’ll be there to fill in the gaps and tell you what they’re likely thinking. We cover just about every topic and nothing is untouchable so we’ll help out the mom’s too.

Click here for more: DaddyDuty365.com

LaNier knows the dad life well as he and wife, Chandra, have three children - Madison, McKenzie and Carter. Some of the topics he and the guests discuss include mom and dad dating with kids, breast feeding (from a dad’s perspective), raising kids with special needs, homework hell, daddy dinners made easy, finding laughter after loss, dads doing hair and more.

The Kent State University graduate, who has been co-anchoring Morning Dose with Sharron Melton since 2018, previously worked as the weekend morning anchor at Fios1 News in New York.

He is also an author. LaNier co-wrote wrote the book "Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family" about his journey to uncover the history behind his heritage as a ninth generation direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings.

Lindsey Day joins CW 39 KIAH Morning Dose

Former FOX 26 KRIV meteorologist Lindsey Day joins CW39 KIAH Morning Dose


Former Fox 26 KRIV meteorologist Lindsey Day has joined KIAH CW39's Morning Dose.

You saw her this morning as a fill-in meteorologist for Maria Sotolongo. Day says she will be filling in through Wednesday.

The rest of the time she'll be hosting a Fitness Friday segment.

When she left KRIV in 2016, Day became a personal trainer.

Day came to Houston from KOZL & KOLR in Springfield, Mo.

Before that she worked at WCTV Tallahassee.