One of the top-rated news stations in deep South Texas is without its leader.

Jim Bob Breazeale, who served as the news director for KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi since 2021, has left the E.W. Scripps Company-owned television station, according to a recent post on LinkedIn.

“After 15+ years in the newsroom — the last decade in a leadership role — I’m ready for what’s next. And I’m excited to see what shape that takes,” Breazeale wrote on LinkedIn on Monday, April 20.

“I’m exploring roles where strategic storytelling, editorial leadership, and mission-driven team-building are valued. That could mean staying in news or taking those skills somewhere new,” the post further reads.

Breazeale joined the E.W. Scripps Company’s network of brands in the Coastal Bend in September 2021. Scripps operates KRIS 6, Corpus Christi’s NBC affiliate, as well as Telemundo affiliate KAJA TV on digital channel 6.2. Before coming to Corpus Christi, Breazeale spent just over three years as an assistant news director with Nexstar Media Group’s CBS and NBC affiliates in the Rio Grande Valley, known as ValleyCentral. Breazeale also served several stints as a producer or executive producer at television stations in San Antonio and Austin and as a sports radio host with Clear Channel Radio in San Antonio.

It was during his time as a radio host that Breazeale dealt with a cancer scare. In 2019, MySA reported that Breazeale discovered he had a cancerous mass on one of his kidneys after suffering a bout of “excruciating pain” that prompted a late-night trip to an emergency room. There, doctors diagnosed him with diverticulitis, which is an infection or inflammation in the large intestine. Doctors discovered the mass while examining Breazeale for the abdominal pain. The malignant mass was later successfully removed.

MySA reached out to both Breazeale and KRIS 6 for comment on his departure, but had not heard back by the time of publication. But on LinkedIn, Breazeale indicated he hopes to remain in local news.

“I still believe in the power and importance of local news and would relish a role that helps shape the future of this industry. I’d prefer to stay in Texas, but I’m open to going anywhere for a role that brings joy and purpose,” Breazeale said in his LinkedIn post.