Saturday, June 07, 2025
Friday, June 06, 2025
Melanie Lawson returns with Tina Knowles interview
Many loyal ABC13 Houston KTRK viewers have been asking me about the whereabouts of Live at Five anchor Melanie Lawson.
Well, Lawson recently returned to the Channel 13 airwaves with this Tina Knowles interview.
For those that don't know, Tina is Beyoncé's mother. Lawson has always been very good at landing the big interviews!
Where is Jonathan Novack?
I just returned to Houston yesterday after being away for a week and a half, and my inbox is filled with "Where is Jonathan Novack on CW39 Houston KIAH?" inquiries.
This post is to say I have received your messages and stay tuned for more details as we learn them.
For those asking about Alex Bozarjian and Samica Knight, I hear you, too.
The popular, former KPRC 2 weekend meteorologist returned to Houston at CW39 in September 2024, after working in Southern California for the likes of FOX 11 Los Angeles, KTTV, and ABC7 Los Angeles, KABC.
Noavack arrived at Channel 39 at a time when the station lost three of its only meteorologists simultaneously, so he has been working the three-hour morning show (the only news the station produces) mostly by himself, as far as I understand.
One of the meteorologists who announced they were leaving, Idolina Peralez, is back filling in, according to what viewers are telling me.
The other CW39 weather staff who left back then were Adam Krueger and Carrigan Chauvin.
In addition to TV news, Novack also appeared on ABC's The Bachelorette and The Bachelor Pad.
Before his role at FOX LA, he hosted Court Report on the Tennis Channel and served as both meteorologist and correspondent for ABC7 Los Angeles (KABC) and ABC’s syndicated program On The Red Carpet.
Novack is a graduate of Syracuse University and Mississippi State University’s Broadcast Meteorology Program. He launched his television career at KCBD NewsChannel 11 in Lubbock, later moving on to WSVN 7 News in Miami.
McKenna King promoted to CBS News Texas First Alert Chief Meteorologist
McKenna King has been promoted to the CBS News Texas KTVT Dallas-Fort Worth First Alert Chief Meteorologist position after Scott Padgett left for CBS New York WCBS's First Alert Weather team.
"In tornado coverage, McKenna is calm," said Meagan Harris, KTVT VP of News & Creative Content. "She knows the science and how to deliver it in moments it’s needed most."
King joined CBS News Texas in December 2024 as its weekday evening meteorologist at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., following Padgett's move to the new KTVT morning show in July.
She arrived in North Texas from NBC4 WCMH Columbus, Ohio, where she has been the weekday morning meteorologist since January 2022.
Before NBC4, King worked for:
- ABC Action News: WFTS, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota, Florida as Weather Anchor/Anchor/Reporter
- Idaho News 6 KIVI, Boise, Idaho as Weather Anchor/Anchor/Reporter
- KSL, Salt Lake City, Utah as Associate Producer/Traffic Producer
- KBYU, Provo, Utah as Weather Anchor/Reporter
A Utah native, King is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Mississippi State University.
- From DFW to El Paso, TV love is in the air
Sydney Persing joins FOX 5 DC
Sydney Persing is joining FOX 5 DC WTTG Washington, DC, as a weekend evening anchor from WFAA 8 Dallas-Fort Worth, where she is a reporter.
"Hello, DC! I’m so excited to share that in two weeks I’ll start my new job as a weekend evening anchor and reporter at @fox5dc," Persing posted. "Reporting in our nation’s capital has always been a dream of mine, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity!"
Persing joined WFAA from WINK Fort Myers, Florida, in May 2022, where she had been a reporter since 2019.
The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Hussman School of Journalism and Media grad interned for the Fox News Channel and reported for the UNC Journalism School’s Carolina Week, Carolina Now, and Sports Xtra.
Hello, DC! I’m so excited to share that in two weeks I’ll start my new job as a weekend evening anchor and reporter at @fox5dc 📺 Reporting in our nation’s capital has always been a dream of mine, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity! pic.twitter.com/bk4vHwQwmW
— Sydney Persing (@sydneypersing) June 5, 2025
Joel Robinson joins KYTX CBS19 East Texas
Joel Robinson joins KYTX CBS19 Tyler as weekend meteorologist in June 2025.
Robinson earned a bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma in May 2025, where he was actively involved in OU Nightly and the Oklahoma Weather Lab. He interned with WLNS Lansing, Michigan.
Earlier in his career, Robinson contributed written forecasts for the Genesee County Sentinel and delivered on-air weather reports for News Central 34 while attending Central Michigan University for a year.
It appears Robinson is taking over for Savannah Hale, who left KYTX a few months ago.
Thursday, June 05, 2025
José Griñán's memorial service
Former FOX 26 Houston anchor José Griñán's funeral service was held June 4, 2025 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston.
Griñán was 72 years old.
Will Kunkel exits FOX 26 Houston; sports coverage still intact
FOX 26 Houston KRIV sports director Will Kunkel announced that he was let go from the station, but went on to say that the entire sports department has been cut.
The last part is not true, according to FOX 26 Houston.
A KRIV spokesperson told mikemcguff.com minutes ago on the phone that while Kunkel's position is gone, FOX 26 still is covering sports in all day parts. For example, morning sports reporter Nate Griffin is still listed on the FOX 26 bios page. I'm told sports will still be covered at other times with the news reporting staff.
Kunkel served as the sports director at FOX 26 Houston (KRIV), beginning in September 2023, following the retirement of longtime sports director Mark Berman.
He also launched a station video podcast called Kickin' it with Kunkel, which you can see embedded above.
Kunkel led all of the station’s sports coverage and anchored the evening newscasts alongside Anthony Antoine, Caroline Collins, and Rashi Vats.
Before joining FOX 26, Kunkel served as sports director at FOX 46 Charlotte (WJZY) in North Carolina. His previous experience also included:
Lead Sports Anchor at KWCH 12 News in Wichita, Kansas
Sports Director at NBC 24 (WNWO) in Toledo, Ohio
Sports Anchor and Reporter at KVRR in Fargo, North Dakota
Production Assistant at ESPN
Outside of traditional broadcasting, Kunkel hosted the podcast A Relatable Journey, where he interviewed professional athletes about their life stories, personal struggles, and relationship with God.
Kunkel earned a Master of Science in Journalism and Broadcasting from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from St. Lawrence University.
Here is what Kunkel posted:
TOUGH NEWS:
Wednesday was my last day at FOX 26 Houston.
The station made the decision to cut the sports department—something I never saw coming. It was a shock, to say the least.
Right now, I don't know exactly what's next. But I do know this: my faith in Christ hasn't wavered. He'll place me where I'm meant to be, when the time is right.
If you've got any ideas, connections, or just want to chat—DMs are open.
Ryan Chandler is trying to save lives
Wednesday, June 04, 2025
KENS 5's Sarah Duran talks growing up in a journalism family
The San Antonio-born and raised KENS 5 reporter Sarah Duran has journalism in her blood. As a child, Duran spent time at her grandparents' newspaper, La Prensa, San Antonio’s only bilingual weekly newspaper.
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