“We are pleased to add another hour of 3News First Edition for our viewers who want more local information during that important hour,” VP-GM Dan Robbins said in a statement. “The format will provide more time for special issues and a variety of topics for our viewers.”

The additional hour will be helmed by morning anchors John Thomas and Jane Monreal and meteorologist Kristin Diaz. “Good Morning America” will continue to be seen at 7 a.m. on KIII’s main channel.

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Hollis Grizzard

Grizzard, a senior strategist for Audience Research and Development, LLC in Fort Worth, TX, appointed Rob Dean as his successor.  Dean will keep the interim title until a permanent news director can be found.

The station has been without a permanent news director since Sandra Richards was let go by Cordillera Communications in November. continued…

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Greg McAlister

McAlister will lead NBC affiliate KRIS, Telemundo affiliate KAJA and independent station KDF. He will also oversee KZTV, Sagamore Hill Broadcasting’s CBS affiliate that Cordillera operates under a shared services agreement.

McAlister worked at KAMC in Lubbock, Texas, for 20 years, including as president and general manager from 1991-99. He most recently was VP-GM of KAMC-KLBK and managed a regional hub for Nexstar Broadcasting.

McAlister begins March 11. He replaces Tim Noble, who left the stations in December.

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Walter Furley

Furley had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the AP. He joined KZTV, the CBS affiliate in Corpus Christi, in 1957, serving as a reporter, anchor and eventually news director. He retired in 2002.

Corpus Christi ABC affiliate KIII interviewed Furley’s family about the longtime anchor. Video is after the jump. continued…

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Tipsters tell TVSpy Richards was let go after a visit by Cordillera Communications executives who blamed poor ratings for her dismissal.

TVSpy has also been told Hollis Grizzard will be the interim news director for the station.  Grizzard is currently a senior strategist for Audience Research and Development, LLC in Fort Worth, TX, which bills itself as,”The Premier Local Media Company.”

Multiple attempts by TVSpy to reach general manager Tim Noble for comment have been unsuccessful.

[newsblues.com]

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Jane Monreal

Monreal was most recently a reporter and fill-in anchor at KCNC, the CBS O&O in Denver. Prior to that, she spent five years as a reporter at KABC, the ABC O&O in Los Angeles. Monreal will share the anchor desk with John Thomas, who currently anchors solo.

“I’m excited about being part of a station and news team that has such a strong tradition of excellence and commitment to the community,” Monreal said in a statement. “Everything I’ve learned about the station and South Texas indicatesa  bright future ahead. I believe it’s a good time to be here.”

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The deal is expected to be approved by the FCC in the second half of 2012. After it completion, National will “enter into sales, programming and other shared services agreements with London Broadcasting Company,” according to a statement. London Broadcasting is the owner of KIII, the ABC-affiliate in Corpus Christi.

KUQI does not currently have a news department, but the station simulcasts the 9 p.m. newscasts from Houston’s KRIV.

“We are excited to be entering the Corpus Christi market and look forward to building upon the platform that currently exists,” National Communications president Lester Langley said in a statement. continued…

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“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. continued…

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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.” continued…

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KIII reporter Kim Passoth got much more than she was expecting when she and a videographer went to a South Texas trailer park, following up on a family whose house was burned down a month ago.

While speaking with the owner of the property, Passoth discovered an animal hoarding situation on an adjacent property, and was caught in the middle of a heated argument between the owner and her uncle (video inside). continued…

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TWC subscribers in Corpus Christi are now unable to watch NBC-affiliate KRIS, Telemundo-affiliate KAJA, and independent station KDF, as well as the local CW-affiliate, which airs on KRIS’s digital subchannel.

“Time Warner has chosen to drop these stations, even though we continue to work towards a new agreement,” reads a statement on KRIS’s website, posted just before the old retrans agreement expired at midnight, last night.

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