Nexstar Broadcasting has named Eric Thomas vice president and general manager of Lubbock, TX, CBS affiliate KLBK.

“I began my broadcasting career in Lubbock and am deeply committed to the great state of Texas where I grew up and where my wife, two children and extended family and many close business contacts and personal friends currently reside,” said Thomas. “I look forward to working with the exceptional team of broadcasters, the station’s advertisers and the local community to drive continued viewership growth while delivering superior marketing solutions to local and national advertisers.”

Thomas, who will also oversee the company’s joint operating agreement with Mission Broadcasting’s KAMC and serve as head of e-media operations for both station’s digital properties, previously worked as vice president and general manager of KTAB in Abilene/Sweetwater, TX. Read more

Deanna Dewberry will join Dallas NBC O&O KXAS next month, a station spokesperson confirms to TVSpy.

Dewberry will be a consumer and investigative reporter for KXAS. She comes to the station from WISH in Indianapolis, where she co-anchors the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts. News of Dewberry’s KXAS hire was first reported by NewsBlues.

It is a return to Dallas for the Texas native, who used to be an anchor and reporter at WFAA in Dallas. She has also worked at KLBK and KCBD in Lubbock, Tex., and KTHV in Little Rock.

Nexstar has renewed affiliation agreements with CBS for eight of its stations, the company announced today.

The long-term extensions are at KLBK in Lubbock, TX, KLST in San Angelo, TX, KTAB in Abilene, TX, WCIA in Decatur, IL, WFRV in Green Bay, WJMN in Marquette, WMBD in Peoria and WROC in Rochester. Mission Broadcasting has also renewed an affiliation agreement with CBS for KOLR in Springfield, MO, which Nexstar operates under a local marketing agreement.

“Our affiliation with CBS combined with our stations’ market-leading local news and unique community-focused programming allows us to deliver great entertainment and information to viewers as well as superior marketing solutions for advertisers,” Nexstar president and CEO Perry Sook said in a statement.

WMTV, the NBC-affiliate in Madison, has hired Carlos Tucker (pictured) and Hobie Artigue.

Tucker, a meteorologist, began at the station last week. He joins WMTV from Weather Central, where he has worked for two years. Prior to that, he worked at WBNS in Columbus and KLBK in Lubbock, TX.

Artigue joins the station in mid-July as weekend sports anchor. He is currently the weekend sports anchor at KTVE, the NBC-affiliate in Monroe, LA.

WFTS weekend morning anchor Ellen McNamara has left the Tampa ABC-affiliate for a Monday-Friday anchor-reporter job at KSTP in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

McNamara began her broadcasting career with CBS-affiliate KLBK in Lubbock, TX.  After a stint with KXAN in Austin, she joined WFTS in April 2009.

McNamara is the daughter of longtime CBS News correspondent Bob McNamara and her family has strong ties to the Twin Cities. Her parents met in Minnesota and her dad worked at local CBS-affiliate WCCO before joining CBS News.

“Although I’ve never lived there, my family has strong ties to the area,” McNamara said, mentioning that her sister currently lives in Minnesota. “I’m very excited.” Read more

Conan O’Brien poked fun at content-sharing in local news this week, showing a clip on his show of several anchors repeating the same phrase — “push the envelope” — while reporting on the late night host’s plans to officiate a same-sex wedding on his show.

The original source of the copy was CBS Newspath, according to staffers at two stations featured in the clip. Although “Conan” only showed 18 stations, a search of TVEyes.com reveals that 27 stations reported the story using identical wording (a full list, including markets and affiliations, is after the jump.)

The script was tease copy for Monday’s “Eye on Entertainment” package, filed by CBS Newspath correspondent Sandra Hughes. The full version reads: “Conan O’Brien may be about to push the envelope on late night television. And British songstress Adele seems to have pushed her voice too far. CBS’ Sandra Hughes has those stories and more, in your Monday morning ‘Eye on Entertainment.’”

South Bend’s WSBT, which was featured in the Conan clip, addressed the situation on the 6 a.m. newscast this morning, calling it the “dark secret” of the news business. Read more

Matt Laubhan has been named chief meteorologist at WTVA in Tupelo, MS. The NBC-affiliate announced the move this week, saying that Laubhan would become the first and only certified meteorologist in northern Mississippi.

“Dozens of meteorologists applied for this opportunity, but in the end we kept coming back to Matt,” said WTVA news director Jeff Houston. “His passion and knowledge for weather is obvious to anyone who talks to him.”

Laubhan, who is currently the chief meteorologist at KLBK in Lubbock, TX, will succeed WTVA’s longtime weather chief Dick Rice. The station announced in December that Rice, who has been with WTVA for 31 years, would be scaling back his duties, becoming chief meteorologist emeritus.

Laubhan is perhaps best know, at least nationally, for proposing to his girlfriend, KAMC anchor Emily Leonard, during a newscast. Read more