Viewers of TV news in Dallas-Fort Worth may have recently noticed some new faces. Here’s a look at some of the arrivals, departures and key milestones altering the local media landscape.
Arrivals
Nelly Carreno joined KTVT (Channel 11) CBS News’ weather team this week, according to a post on her Facebook page. The UT-Austin graduate left her job as chief meteorologist at KUVN (Channel 23) Univision in February after working there since 2016.
Meteorologist Damien Lodes joined KTVT (Channel 11) CBS News in February, according to a post on his Facebook page. The University of Oklahoma graduate had been a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather since July 2024. Before that, the Marine Corps veteran spent more than seven years at KFOR in Oklahoma City.
Ana Mafud started last week as co-anchor of KXTX (Channel 39) Noticiero Telemundo’s weekday programming at 5 and 10 p.m., according to a post on her Instagram page. She previously worked for Telemundo in Arizona.
News Roundups
Departure
Nicole Nielsen left her job at KTVT (Channel 11) CBS News in early March, according to a post she made on Instagram. She had served as a reporter and fill-in anchor and traffic anchor, according to media blogger Mike McGuff’s website. The University of Oklahoma graduate had been at the station since 2020. McGruff reported that she had accepted a position as a multimedia journalist at KPRC 2 in Houston.
Milestones
Steve Pickett is marking 30 years with KTVT (Channel 11) CBS News.
CBS News Texas
Steve Pickett is marking 30 years with KTVT (Channel 11) CBS News, according to a video the station posted on YouTube. The University of Oklahoma graduate joined KTVT in March 1996 and may be best known for his coverage of the Dallas Independent School District.
Deborah Ferguson is celebrating 35 years at NBC affiliate KXAS (Channel 5), according to a video the station posted on YouTube. Ferguson co-anchors NBC 5 Today with Laura Harris on weekday mornings from 5 to 7 a.m. The graduate of Texas Christian University joined the station in 1991 after starting her career as a reporter and anchor at WBAP Radio in Fort Worth.
Heather Hays recently marked her 25th anniversary working alongside Steve Eagar at Fox 4 News, Eagar wrote in an Instagram post.
Nexstar Media Group Inc. closed its $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna Inc. following approval of the deal by the Federal Communications Commission, according to The Associated Press. Irving-based Nexstar now owns 265 TV stations across the country, including the NewsNation cable channel, Dallas’ WFAA (Channel 8) and The CW TV network stations, including the one in North Texas. The FCC granted the company a waiver on its rule limiting the reach of TV ownership groups to 39% of the country, but it said Nexstar agreed to get rid of six stations within two years. According to Deadline, Nexstar will now broadcast to around 80% of the country, far exceeding the cap. The attorneys general of eight states filed lawsuits seeking to block the merger.
Related
Dallas officials feared WFAA-TV would leave downtown over parking dispute, emails show
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Former WFAA morning anchor and KERA reporter teaming up for new show
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