KOKH anchor Jaime Cerreta is leaving the Oklahoma City FOX affiliate for Phoenix independent station KTVK.

She announced the news on facebook, “Hi friends! I always said the only reason I’d leave OKC is to go home… I have accepted a weekend anchor job at KTVK 3TV in my hometown of Phoenix.”

Cerreta told TVSpy, “After almost seven incredible years in OKC, I’m excited to return to my family in Phoenix as weekend evening anchor at KTVK.”

Cerreta came to KOKH from KBMT in Beaumont, TX, she’s also worked in Joplin and Springfield, MO. Cerreta’s last day will be August 2.

Antwan Lewis has been named weekend evening co-anchor at New York City Fox O&O WNYW. Beginning May 18, Lewis will co-anchor the 6 and 10 p.m. weekend newscasts alongside Christina Park.

Lewis joined WNYW in 2010 as a general assignment reporter. Since January, he has anchored the station’s early morning newscast alongside Juliet Huddy. Lewis has also worked at WGN in Chicago and KTVK in Phoenix.

WNYW will rotate reporters and anchors to fill in on the early morning newscast until a new co-anchor is named.

A verdict has been reached in the trial of Jodi Arias, who is accused of murdering her boyfriend Travis Alexander in Arizona.

In Phoenix, ABC affiliate KNXV was the first to report the news at 11:32 a.m. with Connie Colla and Dan Spindle anchoring. “This is one of those cases where we’ve been waiting, monitoring Twitter, we’ve got reporters and crews that have been down there staking out their spot at the courthouse,” Spindle said. “And we do know right now they announced and went through this chain of events to let everybody know.”

Fox O&O KSAZ was next at 11:34 a.m. with Ron Hoon and Rick D’Amico at the anchor desk. CBS affiliate KPHO and independent station KTVK both reported the news at 11:36 a.m. Nicole Crites and Pat McReynolds anchored on KPHO and Kaley O’Kelly and Javier Soto anchored on KTVK.

NBC affiliate KPNX reported the news at 11:38 a.m. with Scott Light and Tram Mai anchoring.

The verdict will be read at 4:30pmET/1:30pmMT.

>Update: The jury has found Arias guilty of first-degree murder.

Tom Bell has been named news director at KOVR, the CBS O&O in Sacramento.

Bell moves to California from Texas, where he has been news director at WOAI in San Antonio since 2009. He is a former news director at KTVX in Salt Lake City and KPHO in Phoenix.

“Tom Bell is a veteran of more than 20 years in the local news industry and has an outstanding reputation as a leader who does an outstanding job of inspiring his colleagues to produce quality newscasts,” KOVR-KMAX VP-GM Kevin Walsh said in a statement. “I am very pleased to welcome him to Northern California and confident that he will do a terrific job of leading our news team to exciting new heights.”

Bell replaces Cameryn Beck, who recently left KOVR for KTVK in Phoenix.

KTVK photojournalist Arnold Espinoza took a tumble during a live shot on the Phoenix independent station’s morning newscast Wednesday.

Espinoza was shooting Stella Inger’s walk-and-talk from backstage at a local musical when he tripped and fell, despite Inger’s attempt to catch him (video above). After the fall, Espinoza flashed a thumbs-up — and went on with the report.

Cameryn Beck is leaving KOVR-KMAX to join KTVK in Phoenix as news director, Rick Gevers & Associates reports.

Beck has been news director at the CBS duopoly in Sacramento since she was promoted from executive producer in 2008. She has previously worked for KCRA, the NBC affiliate in Sacramento.

At KTVK, Belo’s independent station in Phoenix, Beck replaces Brad Remington, who announced last fall he is moving to Denver to be closer to his wife.

Lisa Haffner, former reporter and current host of KTVK‘s lifestyle show, “Your Life A to Z,” had her purse snatched by a man in a moving vehicle.

“It’s an intensive violation that you don’t think it’s going to happen to you,” Haffner told Mike Watkiss, reporter for the Phoenix independent station.

Haffner said she was pushing a shopping cart out of a Safeway grocery store when a man drove up behind her, reached out of his vehicle and grabbed her purse. Read more

Meteorologist Brittney Shipp will join WCAU, the NBC O&O in Philadelphia, early next year.

Shipp moves to Philadelphia from Phoenix, where she has been a weekend meteorologist and special assignment reporter at KTVK for five years. She began her career at KYMA, the NBC affiliate in Yuma, Ariz.

“Providing our viewers with the best possible weather information is always one of our main goals. Brittney’s exceptional skills, along with her warmth and enthusiasm, will be a great addition to our team,” WCAU vice president of news Anzio Williams said in a statement.

When KTVK political editor Dennis Welch asked Arizona Governor Jan Brewer about climate change last week he probably didn’t expect the internet storm that followed in its wake.

In response to the growing speculation that the Arizona Governor punched (Tucson Citizen, The Atlantic Wire), slugged (Huffington Post, Jim Romenesko), took a swing (Yahoo! News) or tapped the reporter for the Phoenix independent station, KTVK posted the raw video of the interview for all to see.

In the raw video, Welch asked the Governor whether she believed humans are responsible for global warming or not.  Then after stumbling through an answer, the Governor began walking away.  She then turned back with a bemused look on her face, tapped the KTVK reporter and asked, “Where in the hell did that come from?”  You can form your own opinion of whether it was a punch, tap or slug by viewing the raw video after the jump.

Read more

Yetta Gibson, who has worked as a reporter and morning field anchor for KTVK since 2010, has been promoted to evening anchor at the Phoenix independent station.

Beginning Monday, Gibson will anchor KTVK’s 6 p.m. newscast alongside Fields Moseley, and solo anchor the station’s 10 p.m. news.

“Can’t wait 2 work w/u!” Gibson tweeted to Moseley on Wednesday.

As part of KTVK’s evening shuffle, Moseley and Carey Pena will move from 10 p.m. to co-anchor the station’s hour-long 9 p.m. newscast.  Pena will also host “Politics Unplugged,” KTVK’s weekly public affairs show. Read more