KRIS 6 anchors Bryan and Michelle Hofmann signed off for the final time on Tuesday after their positions were eliminated in E.W. Scripps’ layoffs.
KRIS 6
A Texas TV news station is doing away with a longtime broadcast tradition following recent layoffs.
KRIS 6 in Corpus Christi has eliminated its morning anchor position as the E.W. Scripps-owned station shifts more journalists into reporting roles.
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“KRIS 6 recently made some difficult staffing changes tied to how we produce our newscasts, including eliminating the morning anchor,” general manager Kristen Darden confirmed to Chron. “With these changes, we were able to add reporters to our team and expand our coverage of the community.”
The change follows the departures of married morning anchors Bryan and Michelle Hofmann, who delivered their final Sunrise newscast Tuesday after their positions were cut.
KRIS 6 reporter Stephanie Molina is now appearing on the station’s morning newscast following recent layoffs.
KRIS 6
Reporter Stephanie Molina, who joined KRIS 6 in March 2025, has since appeared behind the Sunrise anchor desk. But despite the new assignment, the station says she isn’t replacing the Hofmanns as an anchor.
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Molina announced on social media that viewers would begin seeing her every morning on KRIS 6 Sunrise, describing it as a new role and opportunity to grow as a journalist. She did not refer to herself as an anchor.
Darden said Molina’s role as a reporter has not changed. She said Molina and other reporters are working different shifts to support “a 24/7 stream of content across broadcast, streaming, social and connected TV.”
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The Hofmanns said Molina will also take over Coastal Bend Weekend, a segment they launched highlighting events around the region.
Layoffs reshape KRIS 6
The changes follow companywide layoffs at Scripps stations that have affected employees both on camera and behind the scenes.
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Scripps did not disclose how many positions were eliminated at KRIS 6 or KXXV in Waco, another Texas station hit by the cuts. Current and former KRIS 6 employees have said producers, photographers, technical directors and other workers were among those affected.
KXXV reporter Bobby Poitevint also revealed this week that his position was eliminated.
Scripps told Chron that KRIS 6, KXXV and about a dozen other markets are moving toward a digital-first model designed to put more journalists in the field and publish reporting throughout the day across broadcast, streaming and social platforms.
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In a company memo earlier this month, Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson said the company is moving away from organizing newsrooms around traditional broadcast dayparts and instead focusing on how audiences consume news now. AI, automation and other technology are also being used to reduce production work.
E.W. Scripps is reshaping its local TV stations around a digital-first model.
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The shift is also playing out at WMAR 2 in Baltimore, another Scripps-owned station, which has begun airing anchorless newscasts following the layoffs. The new format relies on prerecorded reports, graphics and automation instead of traditional anchors.
More roles change at KRIS 6
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The restructuring is already reshaping other jobs at the station. Matthew Roberts, a producer for the past six months, has been promoted to neighborhood reporter.
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Chris May has also been named the station’s new news director after spending 14 years at WFTS in Tampa Bay. He succeeds Jim Bob Breazeale, who abruptly exited in April after more than four years leading KRIS 6.
“These changes we began rolling out over the past few days reflect the broader shift in how audiences consume local news and the economics of producing it,” Darden said. “Our goal is to preserve strong local journalism for the long term while evolving how we deliver it—with more journalists in the field, faster reporting for viewers and broader coverage across the Corpus Christi community.”