San Antonio

KVDA, the Telemundo station in San Antonio, will launch two evening newscasts on May 21.

The 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts will be anchored by Esmeralda Medellin, who has held reporter and anchor positions at Spanish-language stations in Dallas and Chicago. Other members of the news team include sports anchor Jaime Becerril with sports and Lilian Perez with weather and entertainment.

“It is a privilege to start a new local newscast in this day and age that is both dynamic and dedicated, offering viewers in San Antonio and surrounding areas, extensive coverage of the stories that shape and change their lives,” news director Johnny Cordoba said in a statement. “We are excited to share our vision of what local news should be, and meet the needs of the community that we serve.”

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Dean Radla has been promoted to general manager of KABB and KMYS in San Antonio.  Radla has served as director of sales for the Sinclair duopoly since 1999.

“The past fifteen years at KABB and KMYS have been very rewarding and gratifying, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to expand my leadership responsibilities as general manager,” Radla, who served as KABB’s local sales manager beginning in 1997, said in a statement. “I look forward to building on the stations’ strong operations, quality programming and local news offerings, and continuing to serve our local community.”

Radla succeeds John Seabers, who was recently promoted to Sinclair TV Group Manager. Read more

KENS morning anchor Fred Lozano has announced he will retire from the San Antonio CBS-affiliate this Summer.

Lozano, who joined KENS in 1977, has served as both morning and evening anchor in his 35 years at the station. In a statement announcing the retirement, president and general manager Robert McGann called him “one of the finest journalists I have experienced the pleasure of working with in television.”

“He has been the rock of stability on our morning news since 1997,” he said. “I cannot thank Fred enough for his contributions to the success of KENS.” Read more

Phil Anaya is stepping into the weekend anchor role at KENS, the CBS-affiliate in San Antonio.

Anaya joined KENS in June as a reporter. He will co-anchor the weekend newscasts with Karen Grace beginning April 28.

“We conducted an extensive search and auditioned countless candidates from around the country, but the very best person for the job was already right here in our newsroom,” KENS president and general manager Robert McGann said in a statement.

Anaya replaces Christopher Heath, who joined WKEF in Dayton last year.

KABB has re-hired Cynthia Lee as a reporter and weekend anchor, according to the San Antonio Business Journal.

Lee spent seven years anchoring the evening newscasts for the San Antonio Fox-affiliate. She left in 2009 and has spent the past three years producing segments on Fox Sports Southwest.

“KABB was very good to me the first time around,” Lee said. “I believe in the people and the product. It was a no brainer to go back and I can’t believe I even get my old desk.”

Lee will anchor the weekend evening newscasts with Ted Garcia when she rejoins the station on April 9. She replaces Mileka Lincoln, who joined Austin’s KEYE this week.

“Ooooohhh my goodness!” KSAT meteorologist Steve Browne shouted, as he viewed a live shot of the San Antonio area during the ABC-affiliate’s severe weather coverage Monday night. “Looks like we have a TORNADO ON THE GROUND!”

After a short pause, Browne backed away from his blustery pronouncement.

“That could be an artifact on the camera lens. I think I might’ve misstated it” (video above).

Mileka Lincoln is joining KEYE as morning anchor. She starts at the Austin CBS-affiliate next Monday.

“It’s my dream job — so I can’t wait!” Lincoln told TVSpy via email. “KEYE’s re-launching a new morning show (set to hopefully debut at the beginning of April) so this is a very exciting transition.”

Lincoln is currently a weekend anchor and reporter at KABB, the Fox-affiliate in San Antonio. Her last day at the station is Friday.

KEYE’s morning newscast has been anchored by Fred Cantu since October. The San Antonio Express-News reports Lincoln will “c0-anchor” the morning newscast, although it is not immediately clear who her co-anchor will be. KEYE did not return TVSpy’s request for comment.

In her new movie, “Big Miracle,” actress Kristen Bell plays a local TV reporter and, in a recent interview with New York magazine, she spoke about growing up with a news director dad.

Bell’s father, Tom Bell, worked as a news director at KPHO in Phoenix and currently serves as the ND at WOAI in San Antonio.

“I grew up going to the station with him and being able to play with the teleprompters, knowing the behind the scenes of news directing,” Bell told New York.  “And it’s very similar to acting. He had a lot of hesitancy because he knew the rejection that was possible. He had been the one forced to reject people.”

Texas native Christopher Heath has left San Antonio’s KENS to become a main anchor at WKEF in Dayton, OH.

“It has been my distinct honor and privilege to be a part of this newsroom and moreover this city,” Heath wrote on Facebook, announcing his move to Dayton.  “San Antonio doesn’t just feel like home, it is home.  This is the city where my wife and I celebrated our first anniversary, bought our first home and welcomed our son into this world.  Thank you San Antonio for everything!”

Heath joined KENS in 2008 as an anchor-reporter and his last day with the station was Sunday.  No word yet on when he’ll make his on-air debut with WKEF. Read more

Ursula Pari, an evening anchor on San Antonio ABC-affiliate KSAT, is making the move from anchoring the 10 p.m. newscast to anchoring the 4, 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts in order to spend more time with her kids.

“I’ll be home at 7 p.m,” she told the San Antonio Express-News. “I can have a late dinner with my kids, help with homework, talk about what happened to them in their day without feeling so rushed.”

Pari’s last day on the 10 p.m. newscast will be November 30. She will be replaced by weekend anchor Isis Romero, who frequently reports for the program.

“I really think people are going to like Isis a lot, if they don’t already,” Pari said. “I’m really rooting for her. She’s more than qualified and competent to do a great job.”