Covering Houston and Texas TV, radio, newspaper and other medianoreply@blogger.com (mike mcguff)Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:18:58 -0500Blogger http://www.blogger.com11554125http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/en-usnocopyright mikemcguff.commikemcguff,Michael,McGuff,Houston,TV,technologyThe mikemcguff blog podcast will mostly feature technology issues, but you never know when it might lose control and just be entertaining.The mikemcguff blog podcast will mostly feature technology issues, but you never know when it might lose control and just be entertaining.mikemcguffmike@mikemcguff.commikemcguffhttp://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/2026-nab-marconi-radio-award-texas.htmldfwHoustonRadioSan AntonioTexasTue, 28 Jul 2026 19:25:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-6275300708036796766The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced the finalists for the 2026 NAB Marconi Radio Awards, and here are the Texas stations.NETWORK/SYNDICATED PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR  El Free Guey Show, TelevisaUnivision, Houston, TX Ryan Fox, Westwood One, Dallas, TX MAJOR MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR  Riggs, Katelyn & Erica, KKBQ-FM, Houston, TX SMALL MARKET STATION OF THE mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/vida-unida-expands-weekday-live.htmlHoustonRadioTue, 28 Jul 2026 18:27:43 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-491328569680877655HOUSTON, TX — July 28, 2026 — Vida Unida, Hope Media Group’s Spanish-language Christian media network, launched a new weekday lineup on July 7, marking the first time in the network’s history that Vida Unida will be live from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT each weekday.The expanded live schedule represents more than a programming change. It marks a significant step in Vida Unida’s growth as the network mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/ajay-patel-joins-kprc-2-houston.htmlHoustonTue, 28 Jul 2026 10:44:10 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-4598067445834747577 Ajay Patel is joining the KPRC 2 Houston news team as a reporter."All smiles over here, I am excited to announce that I am joining the @kprc2 team in Houston as their newest reporter," Patel posted.  "Grateful for everyone’s support to get me here. Everything’s bigger in Texas!"Patel arrives in Houston after spending the past two years at WLEX Lex 18 News in Lexington, Kentucky, where he mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/esmeralda-zamora-leaves-kxan-austin.htmlAustinMon, 27 Jul 2026 21:25:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-7795028448365402339Esmeralda Zamora announced she has left KXAN Austin as of July 2026.Zamora joined the KXAN team in July 2024 as the KXAN+ Digital Anchor and Digital Reporter.After college, she took on her first role as a Telemundo Bilingual Multimedia Journalist in Corpus Christi, Texas. At that station, she wore many hats, serving as a Producer, Photographer, Anchor, Weather Anchor, and filling in as a Reportermike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/isabella-garriga-named-first-alert-7.htmlTexasMon, 27 Jul 2026 21:16:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-493043435720365236Isabella Garriga was promoted to evening anchor at First Alert 7 KOSA in Midland-Odessa, a role she assumed in January 2026.Garriga now co-anchors the station's 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Jay Hendricks.The promotion marks a full-circle moment for the West Texas native. Garriga first joined KOSA in the summer of 2022 as an intern before returning to Texas Christian University mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/kelly-wiley-joins-kprc-2-houston.htmlHoustonFri, 24 Jul 2026 21:27:58 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-7638995237892727069Kelly Wiley joined the KPRC 2 Houston investigative team in July 2026 after five years at KXAN Austin.She most likely replaces Robert Arnold, who left KPRC in June. Wiley spent the past five years as an investigative reporter with KXAN, joining the station in July 2021. During her time in Austin, she covered accountability stories and in-depth investigations before announcing her departure mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/zach-lashway-shares-about-life-after.htmlHoustonFri, 24 Jul 2026 20:59:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-6755526896327143609After leaving KPRC 2 Houston, former anchor/reporter Zach Lashway is opening up about his decision to step away from television news and what life looks like in his new career.Lashway shared that he has spent the past six months working in corporate communications for Comcast, supporting the company's Texas Region from Houston alongside former KPRC 2 reporter and colleague Taisha Walker."I had mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/shelby-rose-joins-houston-public-media.htmlHoustonFri, 24 Jul 2026 20:53:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-1595286841976704156Shelby Rose has joined Houston Public Media's News 88.7 KUHF as an anchor."You’re looking at @houstonpubmedia new midday news anchor," Rose posted.  "Stoked to be broadcasting both local and statewide newscasts across all Texas NPR stations. Let’s doooo it!!"Rose departed her FOX 26 Houston KRIV reporter position in July 2025.So dedicated to the city, she got a Houston Astros tattoo live on mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/olivia-dague-joins-ksat-12-san-antonio.htmlSan AntonioFri, 24 Jul 2026 20:30:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-1827898848158346842Olivia Dague joined KSAT 12 San Antonio as a multimedia journalist (MMJ) in July 2026.Dague arrives in South Texas from WBIR 10 in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she spent three years as a reporter covering East Tennessee news.The move marks a return to Texas for Dague, who grew up in Arlington and has family throughout the San Antonio area.Dague graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2023 mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/drew-davis-leaves-hawaii-news-now.htmlTexasFri, 24 Jul 2026 19:30:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-5686716984431466381Drew Davis is leaving Hawaii News Now and returning to his home state of Texas.Here is a portion of what Davis posted on social:"My last day at Hawaii News Now will be on Friday, July 31st. My wife and I are moving closer to family after living three amazing years in Hawaii, in which we originally planned to spend many more.I’m being called to work closer to my family. My mother has battled, and mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/morgan-young-returns-to-wfaa-8-from.htmldfwFri, 24 Jul 2026 17:58:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-5778642193987077665mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/ashley-bowerman-joins-kbtx-bryan.htmlTexasFri, 24 Jul 2026 00:52:59 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-1258439879464744967Ashley Bowerman joined KBTX News 3 in Bryan-College Station in July 2026 as evening anchor.She co-anchors the station's 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Rusty Surette.Bowerman returned to her home state of Texas after spending more than three years at Gray Media's Tucson duopoly, KOLD 13 News and FOX 11 KMSB. She joined the Arizona stations in June 2023, anchoring FOX 11 newscasts mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/voting-open-for-texas-radio-hall-of.htmlRadioTexasFri, 24 Jul 2026 00:10:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-6268390224638570751(Houston, TX) July 24, 2026: The Texas Radio Hall of Fame (TRHOF) has released the names of the fifty (50) nominees for its 2026 Induction Class. The voting portal will be open and accessible to voting members in good standing via www.TRHOF.net through midnight on Monday, August 10, 2026.TRHOF Executive Director Doug Harris, a 2011 Inductee, reports an especially robust year of nominations, whichmike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/dominique-sachse-interviews-fmr-gma.htmlThu, 23 Jul 2026 20:00:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-5599544097507134715mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/tessa-barrera-joins-sunny-991-houston.htmlHoustonRadioThu, 23 Jul 2026 02:19:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-1769979304641349888As I first told you back in June, Tessa Barrera started filling in on Sunny 99.1 KODA, and now it looks like that is a permanent job.Barrera is the new weekday 3 to 7pm afternoon host. She takes over for afternoon host Chris Davis, who, along with Midday host Amanda Flores and overnight DJ Madison Reeves, was laid off last month.Barrera departed KPRC 2's Houston Life in March 2026 after mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/rachel-briers-joins-kprc-2-houston.htmlHoustonWed, 22 Jul 2026 19:20:10 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-7744558252551860067Rachel Briers is returning to Houston television, joining KPRC 2 as a part-time meteorologist."I am very lucky that KPRC is giving me the flexibility to work part-time so I can still spend plenty of time with my kids," Briers told mikemcguff.com.  "It’s definitely a win-win to be able to dedicate myself to a job that I love but, more importantly, to my kids.""I have some exciting news to mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/cw33-kdaf-dfw-gets-9pm-newscast-again.htmldfwWed, 22 Jul 2026 15:15:27 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-2137880274048943024CW33 KDAF Dallas - Fort Worth is getting a nightly newscast back in primetime.- Perry Sook reveals Nexstar-TEGNA deal outcome in DFWBeginning in mid-August 2026, KDAF will air a live 9 p.m. newscast seven days a week, immediately following The CW Network's primetime programming. UPDATE:  According to LinkedIn posts by Nexstar employees, TEGNA's WFAA 8 DFW will provide the news for mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/sportsradio-610-becomes-957-fan-houston.htmlHoustonRadioWed, 22 Jul 2026 10:42:20 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-7856637324860369785SportsRadio 610 KILT-AM Houston announced it will rebrand as 95.7 The Fan beginning Thursday, August 13, 2026, bringing its sports programming to the FM dial in place of 95.7 The Spot KKHH. That's after more than three decades on the AM dial. No word on what happens to the 610 KILT-AM.  Back to Top 40?  OK, that's a Gordon McLendon era joke. UPDATE: Radio Insight reports both mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/erin-heft-joins-wfaa-8.htmldfwMon, 20 Jul 2026 23:58:50 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-7776519624030063105Erin Heft has announced she is joining WFAA 8 Dallas-Fort Worth as a reporter as of July 2026.- Tiffany Liou leaves WFAA 8The move marks a return to Texas for Heft, who departed KCRA 3 in June after five years as a reporter and fill-in anchor in Sacramento, California.Heft originally joined KCRA in June 2021 and also served as a fill-in traffic anchor during her tenure. Before moving tomike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/mo-haider-departs-abc13-houston.htmlHoustonMon, 20 Jul 2026 22:00:12 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-4305499530200908487Mo Haider has left his news and sports reporting position with ABC13 KTRK Houston after returning to his hometown station in 2024.In an internal memo obtained by mikemcguff.com, ABC13's VP of News and Digital, Keaton Fuchs, called Haider "one of the nicest people in the biz.""As I wrap up my time at KTRK, I just wanted to give a heartfelt thank you to all of you," Haider wrote in the memo to the mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/khou-11-to-provide-cw39-9pm-newscast.htmlHoustonMon, 20 Jul 2026 21:59:19 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-1156022111620245501 KHOU 11 Houston is taking over the CW39 KIAH 9pm news duties from ABC13 KTRK, mikemcguff.com has exclusively confirmed.- CW33 KDAF DFW gets a 9pm newscast again via WFAA 8The switch happens starting August 29, 2026.I've also heard KHOU will soon be hiring six new job positions.  Get those resumes handy, my friends!“ABC13 Eyewitness News at 9 PM on CW39" debuted in May 2020.  mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/houston-public-media-renews-resiliency.htmlHoustonMon, 20 Jul 2026 17:43:04 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-3046674596659968875 HOUSTON, TX (July 20, 2026) – Building on the strong support of donors across the region, Houston Public Media today announced that it is renewing its Resiliency Fund campaign, noting that it is very near to its fundraising goal of $4.4 million. With $3.7 million raised to date, the Resiliency Fund was started in 2025 to help offset two years of annual federal funding losses resulting from mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/emichelle-frias-joins-telemundo-las.htmldfwMon, 20 Jul 2026 17:36:42 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-1792065574967500375Emichelle Frias has joined Noticiero Telemundo Las Vegas KBLR as a multimedia journalist, beginning today, Monday, July 20, 2026.Frias joins KBLR from the Dallas-Fort Worth market, where she served as a digital multimedia journalist for Univision 23 / KUVN. In that role, she reported, shot, wrote, edited and produced stories for broadcast, digital and social media platforms.“Emichelle brings mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/xitlaly-ruiz-joins-noticias-telemundo.htmlMediaMon, 20 Jul 2026 17:32:20 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-6348820626217716119Xitlaly Ruiz has been named anchor and multimedia journalist for Noticias Telemundo Colorado KDEN.Ruiz joins Telemundo Colorado from Univision Arizona / KTVW , where she has served as multimedia journalist, traffic anchor, fill-in anchor and producer since April 2022. In that role, she has covered breaking news, traffic and stories impacting local communities, while also producing and anchoring mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2026/07/derick-garcia-signs-off-cbs4-rio-grande.htmlTexasFri, 17 Jul 2026 21:12:00 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428954.post-9097679079193263404Derick Garcia is leaving CBS4 News Rio Grande Valley after 10 years, with the evening anchor and investigative reporter's final newscast set for July 17, 2026.Here is what Garcia posted on social:"Thank you for 10 years of trust and truth. You have made a Brownsville kid’s dream come true.This Friday, July 17, at 10 pm will be my final broadcast with CBS4 News. More than a quarter of my lifemike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)