ABC Affiliates

KIII is expanding its weekday morning newscast.  Beginning this week, the Corpus Christi ABC-affiliate is adding an extra thirty minutes to its morning show, moving its start time to 5:00 a.m.

“We are proud to be able to provide an additional half-hour of morning news to the viewers of South Texas,” KIII news director Richard Longoria said, announcing the programming change. “We’ll continue to make sure our viewers have all the information they need to get their day going.”

The change to the morning newscast, which will continue to be anchored by John Thomas and Caitlin Espinosa, comes two weeks after the station introduced veteran Texas broadcast executive Dan Robbins as its vice president and general manager. Read more

Create a clear, strategic approach to the way you use Facebook to market your business in our new Facebook Marketing Boot Camp. The online conference and workshop starts April 24. Learn more.

KGUN chief meteorologist Erin Christiansen is back on the air after an extended bout of Valley Fever forced her to take a leave of absence from the station.

Christiansen was welcomed back on Monday evening’s newscasts by co-anchors Jennifer Waddell and Guy Atchley, who introduced Christiansen as someone who has “had a rough time of her own” lately.

“Rough is kind of an understatement!” Christiansen laughed. “I tell you what, it feels so good to be back.”

Christiansen will work on a partial schedule for now, but is expected to make a full recovery, according to KGUN.

WMUR, the ABC-affiliate in Manchester, will launch a 10 p.m. newscast next month.

The newscast, which will debut on March 5, will be anchored by Tom Griffith and Tiffany Eddy. Chief meteorologist Mike Haddad and sports director Jamie Staton will also contribute.

Griffith and Eddy currently helm “New Hampshire Chronicle,” WMUR’s daily newsmagazine. As they transition to the 10 p.m. newscast, Erin Fehlau and Sean McDonald will take over as “Chronicle” hosts.

“Tom and Tiffany launched ‘Chronicle’ 10 years ago and have done a fabulous job!” WMUR said in a statement. “We want to thank them for all their wonderful shows.”

Anchor Chad Oliver has been reassigned at WBBH-WZVN in Fort Myers.

Oliver, the morning anchor for ABC-affiliated WZVN, is now the political correspondent for WBBH. He wrote on Facebook he was “asked by our company managers to leave the ABC7 anchor desk.”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be the purveyor of all things political for WBBH NBC2,” Oliver wrote. “Thank you for all your tremendous support on this social media platform and on the air by welcoming me in your homes every morning. Life is short. Detours are inevitable.”

The Fort Myers News-Press reports the move is one of several recent personnel changes at the station, including the departure of the station’s assistant news director Greg Turchetta, who is leaving for WOFL in Orlando.

WCVB‘s Kelley Tuthill is now cancer-free, following a five year battle with breast cancer that she has documented in a series of reports for the ABC-affiliate.  And as WCVB prepares to air the final chapter of Tuthill’s cancer story tonight, one local viewer is underscoring the importance of her reporting.

“She saved my life,” Shirley Sokol, who found a lump on her breast after doing a self-exam inspired by one of Tuthill’s reports, told the Boston Herald recently.  “She made me realize that a self-exam was very important.”

Sokol had a partial mastectomy and was able to overcome the disease. Read more

Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland stopped by the WFAA studios on Friday night and took over for chief meteorologist Pete Delkus (video above).  Sports anchor Dale Hansen also got in on the fun as Holland, wearing a green t-shirt, disappeared into the map of Texas.

Holland later sat down for an interview with Hansen.

After 21 years at New Orleans ABC-affiliate WGNO, outdoors reporter Don Dubuc is joining rival WWL, the market’s CBS-affiliate, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Dubuc, who worked without a contract at WGNO, told the Times-Picayune the move is “a natural fit for several reasons.”

“I want to concentrate on the culture of fishing and hunting here,” he said. “It’s very much a part of our ingrained heritage and culture down here.”

Dubuc will make his WWL debut tomorrow. He will be joined for his first report on the 6 p.m. newscast by the reporter he is replacing: Frank Davis, who retired from WWL last year.

Veteran Texas broadcast executive Dan Robbins has been named vice president and general manager of KIII in Corpus Christi.  Robbins has been serving as the station’s interim GM for the past several weeks.

Robbins came to KIII from KBMT in Beaumont-Port Arthur, where he served as the vice president and general manager of the London Broadcasting-owned station for a little over two years.

During his over three decade-long career, Robbins has managed stations in Abilene, Tyler, El Paso, Midland, Waco, and Brownsville, as well as Corpus Christi.

“I’m very excited to be back in Corpus,” Robbins.  “Both my wife and I love it here.” Read more

Carolyn Mungo has been named executive news director at WFAA, the ABC-affiliate in Dallas. She will begin later this month.

Mungo joins WFAA from KRIV, the Fox O&O in Houston, where she was the assistant news director.

“The demands of a major market newsroom take a special set of skills,” Mungo said in a statement. “I am well aware of the challenges because I have lived them.”

Mungo replaces Michael Valentine, who left his post at WFAA earlier this month to become vice president of content for the station’s parent company, Belo.

WSB announced today that Monica Pearson will retire in July after 37 years with the station.

Pearson, who joined the Atlanta ABC-affiliate in 1975, was Atlanta’s first woman and first minority to anchor the 6 p.m. newscast, according to WSB. She said her hire took a “great deal of courage” from WSB station management.

“With that one hire they broke the color and gender barrier in local news in a major Southern city,” Pearson said in a statement. “I worked hard to repay that support every day and night over these 37 years.”

“In this metropolitan area, when you say ‘Monica’ people know exactly who you are talking about,” WSB vice president and general manager Tim McVay said. “She lights up the camera and warms up the room.” Read more