Oklahoma City stations have been live around the clock in the aftermath of Monday’s devastating tornado. The stations have been praised for their “thoughtful, professional, experienced” reporting during and after the twister.

All four stations were live during the storm, with meteorologists and anchors issuing repeated warnings for people in the storm’s path to take shelter.

“You folks in Moore, grab whatever it is you need to grab and you need to go underground. Bottom line: grab your kids, grab your loved ones, grab your friends,” KFOR chief meteorologist Mike Morgan said shortly before the tornado hit. “And just get out of the way.”

In her press conference Monday night, Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin thanked the local media for early warnings of the tornado threat.

“The media’s done a superb job over the last few days of keeping people informed about the conditions, especially our weathermen and those that have been on the ground, driving, following and tracking the storm itself,” Fallin said.

The local stations’ coverage was available online via live stream. Stations were praised by the Columbia Journalism Review, which noted stations provided “life-saving information before the tornado, essential reporting afterward.” Read more

A massive, mile-wide tornado ripped through Oklahoma City shortly after 3pmCT Monday, leaving a path of destruction in the southern part of the city. Local stations in Oklahoma City began following the threat closely during the 2 p.m. hour.

All four stations gave regular updates throughout normal morning programming. CBS affiliate KWTV was the first station to go to wall-to-wall with the tornado threat at 2:01 p.m., with meteorologist Michael Armstrong leading coverage.

• Related, TVNewser: ‘Catastrophic’ Tornado in Oklahoma City Spurs Special Coverage

NBC affiliate KFOR and ABC affiliate KOCO both broke in with continuing coverage at 2:12 p.m. Chief meteorologist Mike Morgan was on the air for KFOR and chief meteorologist Damon Lane led coverage for KOCO. “We’re going to stay on the air here for awhile because storms are developing quite rapidly,” Morgan said.

KOKH chief meteorologist Jeff George took over wall-to-wall coverage on the Fox affiliate at 2:30 p.m.

The Oklahoma City metro area is under a tornado warning until 10 p.m. tonight.

Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO has announced Erielle Reshef and Morgan Chesky as the new weekend evening anchors.

“Erielle and Morgan are terrific journalists and together they make a great team,” KOCO president and general manager Brent Hensley said in a statement. “Viewers can expect great things from them as they continue to grow with us in their new roles.”

Both Reshef and Chesky are recent additions to the station. Reshef joined KOCO in November from IBA News, Israel’s only English-language national newscast. Chesky joined KOCO in January after almost two years at KVUE in Austin.

Carla Wade is joining WFAA in Dallas as a reporter and Sunday night anchor, according to Dallas media blogger Ed Bark.

Wade comes from Oklahoma City, where she spent three years at KOCO. She has also worked at WTVQ in Lexington, Ky. and KSWO in Lawton, Texas.

Beginning next month, Wade will anchor on Sunday nights alongside Jason Wheeler. She will also report four days a week.

Morgan Chesky, a reporter and fill-in anchor at KVUE, is leaving Austin for Oklahoma City, Austin Culture Map reports.

Cheskey will join ABC affiliate KOCO as the weekend anchor. He will anchor five shows a weekend — three on Saturday and two on Sunday — and report for the evening newscast during the week.

“It’s a very competitive market and a lot more people watch news there than in Austin,” Chesky said. “I feel confident my time at KVUE has given me the tools to do well and earn their trust in Oklahoma City.”

Culture Map reports Chesky will be replaced by Shannon Murray.

Damon Lane has been promoted to chief meteorologist at KOCO, the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City.

“Working as Chief Meteorologist in an area where accurate forecasts can save lives is more than a calling — it’s my life’s dream,” Lane said in a statement. “It takes passion, energy and a commitment to staying at the forefront of the latest lifesaving weather technology.”

Lane has worked at KOCO as the station’s morning meteorologist since 2009. Prior to that, he was the chief meteorologist at KTXS in Abilene, Tex.

Lane’s wife, Melissa Newton, recently left her job at KTVT in Dallas to move to Oklahoma City.

Katy Blakey has been promoted to weekend morning anchor at KOCO, the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Blakey has been a general assignment reporter for the station since June 2011. She will join co-anchor Dan Thomas and meteorologist Danielle Dozier on the newscast beginning Saturday.

“Katy has proven herself a terrific journalist and a great servant for our community. We expect great things from her in this new role with Eyewitness News 5,” KOCO news director Stephanie Croswait said in a statement. Read more

Melissa Newton, reporter for KTVT, will be leaving the Dallas CBS O&O to join her husband in Oklahoma City.

“I will miss my colleagues from whom I have learned so much, and all of the amazing viewers who have made this experience a great one,” Newton told TVSpy.  “I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life.”

Newton posted the news and the reason for the move on her twitter account yesterday.  You can see a screen grab of the twitter post after the jump.

Read more

KXAS is making changes to its weather team heading into the Fall.

The Dallas NBC O&O has hired Rick Mitchell, who has been chief meteorologist at KOCO in Oklahoma City since 1994. In the coming weeks, Mitchell will join the 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, taking over for Grant Johnston in the afternoon and David Finfrock (pictured) in the evening.

Finfrock, the station’s chief meteorologist, has signed a new long-term contract that will keep him at KXAS through 2018, at which point he intends to retire after more than 40 years at the station. He will continue to forecast on the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts.

“I’m not ready to leave yet, but I’ve been thinking about retirement for several years, and I’m pleased this agreement offers me the opportunity to finish my career right where it began – with the first television station in Texas,” Finfrock said in a statement. Read more

After 18 years as chief meteorologist at KOCO in Oklahoma City, Rick Mitchell is moving to Dallas to join KXAS.

Mitchell replaces Jennifer Lopez, who left the NBC O&O earlier this year. In a statement announcing his hire, KXAS said Mitchell’s on-air responsibilities and start date will be announced in the coming weeks.

Prior to joining KOCO in 1993, Mitchell worked as a meteorologist at WOI in Des Moines and at AccuWeather in State College, PA.