On Tuesday, FOX 7 Austin sports director Dennis de la Peña announced he’s beginning what he called a “new chapter,” shifting away from his longtime nightly sports duties to host the station’s digital-first Austin Live shows. The program, hosted alongside Alec Nolan, streams weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to noon and again from 4 to 5 p.m., focusing on real-time updates across Central Texas.
The move doesn’t mean a full goodbye to sports. De la Peña said he’ll still co-host special coverage and fill in on the anchor desk when needed.
“I’m grateful for the past 3 decades, for the new family-friendly opportunity and for all the friends I’ve made along the way – including so many kind viewers,” De la Peña wrote on X.
In his announcement, he also shared changes behind the scenes: John Hygh will take over as sports director, while Clif Thornton moves into a weekend sports anchor role. “They’ll crush it,” he added.
“So it’s not ‘goodbye,’ but rather ‘see you later’ – on Fox Local,” he wrote. “And as always, thanks for watching!”
A native Austinite, De la Peña has been a constant on FOX 7 since 1999, anchoring and reporting on everything from Friday night lights to major college matchups. His path into the industry started at the University of Texas, where he worked at KTSB Radio and interned at KXAN-TV before landing his first paid role at KAMR-TV in Amarillo in 1994.
Off-camera, De la Peña’s focus is closer to home. He and his wife, Sally Hernandez—a morning anchor at KXAN—are raising their two children, DJ and Noelle, a big part of what’s driving the shift to daytime.