“You know, folks, this is the last Tuesday that you’ll wake up with the Hofmanns,” KRIS 6 Sunrise co-anchor Bryan Hofmann said with an upbeat sunniness to his voice at the start of the show’s last half hour on Tuesday, August 18. At his side, his wife and co-anchor, Michelle Hofmann, smiled before Bryan tossed to weather.
The Hofmanns are among more than a dozen KRIS 6 employees who have been laid off as the Coastal Bend TV station’s parent company, the E.W. Scripps Company, shifts toward an automated newsroom model that relies heavily on artificial intelligence and multimedia journalists to carry the weight of a 24-hour streaming news cycle. MySA broke the news of the layoffs at the NBC affiliate on August 4. Others laid off include behind-the-scenes crew, like photographers, producers, technical directors, even a receptionist.
The Hofmanns’ cheery disposition even as the clock ticked down on their time on-air illustrated one of the many things that have made them a beloved fixture of Corpus Christi’s airwaves. The affability, friendliness and warmth that so many Coastal Bend residents have said made their mornings brighter. That community connection is something the pair spoke of as part of a video montage recapping their favorite moments over the last four years — both on and off camera.
“The highlight was getting to stand beside each other every morning to help you start your day,” Michelle said.
Michelle spoke of her work covering veterans issues, while Bryan highlighted his investigative reporting that kept public officials accountable. Both fondly recalled the weekend lifestyle stories that “became one of our favorite parts of the week.”
“We also have memories that have nothing to do with the newsroom because the Coastal Bend is where so much of our life happened. We bought our first house here, got married in the Lone Star State, and became co-anchors,” they said, trading off turns speaking.
On social media, hundreds of people have chimed in to say how much they will miss the couple, how much their reporting has meant to the community, and even how some will be changing the channel now that the Hofmanns are gone.
“You two are the epitome of class in this situation. There are likely few that could have handled this with the grace that you two have demonstrated,” Jay Kring commented on a Facebook post Michelle made Monday afternoon.
“My mom said no more KRIS she’s mad they let you guys go,” Juanita Garcia said.
“So sorry to see you two leave. You are the best. I won’t be watching channel 6 anymore. It just won’t be the same,” Grace Mosqueda replied to a post on the KRIS 6 Facebook page.