Media Buzz | News/views about local media

Newsy tidbits

•KFOX reporter/meteorologist Miri Marshall has left the station. Her last day was May 22. So far there's no word on where the Louisiana native is going. Marshall has been at KFOX since October 2007.

•KVIA web producer Leonard Martinez is marking his last week at the ABC affiliate. He starts a new job as a public affairs coordinator for the City of El Paso later this month. Martinez is a former El Paso Times reporter who has also contributed stories to What's Up? Weekly.

•Another former Times reporter has also joined the PR ranks. Stephanie Sanchez has been hired as a writer for UTEP's University Communications Department. Sanchez is a proud graduate of UT Austin and last worked for the NCO Journal at Fort Bliss. She joins former KVIA reporter Veronique Masterson, who began her new job as UTEP's main public information officer last week.

Another TV reporter leaving the airwaves

KVIA reporter and weekend anchor Veronique Masterson is saying goodbye to journalism and hello to public relations.

Masterson has been with KVIA for seven years. She was initially hired at a studio camera operator and part time reporter while continuing her studies at the University of Texas at El Paso. After graduating from UTEP with bachelor's degrees in communication and French, she was promoted to full-time reporter, Good Morning El Paso Weekend anchor, then prime Weekend anchor.

She'll soon be helping to promote her alma mater, UTEP, as a public information officer.

"I've loved the experiences and people I've met and helped as a reporter and later as an anchor. I was fortunate enough to start my career in the community I grew up in," Masterson said. "This has been an amazing experience. I will forever be grateful to those who have been so kind to share their life stories with me and who unknowingly taught me life lessons in return. I'm also very thankful to all those who've helped me grow as a journalist."

Masterson also said she's proud to continue to call El Paso home, as she has for the past 13 years. She was born in Germany and is a graduate of Coronado High School.

"I've traveled plenty in my life as the daughter of an Army soldier. I can honestly say the El Paso community is unique and I'm proud to call this city home," Masterson said.

KFOX's Richardson also says farewell

KFOX reporter Dena Richardson has also announced she's leaving her station after being accepted to law school.

Richardson posted on her "In The Courtroom" Tuesday that her last day at KFOX will be Friday.

" I am leaving the station to embark on a new career path.I have accepted a scholarship to attend St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio in the fall," Richardson posted on the blog.

She went on to say that she had no ambitions of becoming a lawyer until recently. She started at KFOX in April 2009 and dove into covering trials and other goings-on at the county and federal courthouses.

The decision to attend St. Mary's will help Richardson be closer to her family, especially her parents who live in the San Antonio area.

Among the notable court cases she covered while at KFOX include the David Marmolejo murder trials in El Paso and San Antonio.

On a personal note, it was at the first Marmolejo trial where I got to know both Dena and Marissa Monroy, and during the second trial in San Antonio we spent a lot of downtime together. I will miss seeing them around the courthouse and on other news assignments, and I wish them the best of luck in their new endeavours outside of journalism.

To read Dena Richardson's blog, click here.

KVIA's Monroy says goodbye to viewers

KVIA's Marissa Monroy has announced she will be leaving the station soon, but she's staying in the Sun City.

Monroy has accepted a job with the City of El Paso as an economic development coordinator. The native El Pasoan joined KVIA's news team in May 2008.

"I cannot imagine a more incredible and rewarding experience than reporting on the issues affecting the community I call home," Monroy said. "I am so grateful to our viewers for letting me into their homes for the past three years and I look forward to continue working with the people of El Paso as I begin this new adventure in my life."

Among the more memorable stories Monroy has covered was the first and second trials of David Marmolejo, who was convicted by a San Antonio jury in March for murdering his mother. While covering Marmolejo's trial in San Antonio for almost two weeks, Monroy filed reports for six different newscasts daily.

Monroy also covered President Obama's visit to Fort Bliss and last year's historic Sun Bowl matchup pitting her alma mater, Notre Dame, against Miami.

Monroy has been recognized for her reporting with several awards from the Texas Associated Press, most recently garnering a first place award for Best General Assignment Reporting.

Osama Bin Laden: Where did you get your information?

Sunday night was a big news night in newsrooms across the nation, including El Paso.

Many local television stations broke their regular programming to bring viewers the latest information on President Obama's last-minute speech and the announcement of Osama Bin Laden's death. Twitter and Facebook were also abuzz with information posted by local media, including the El Paso Times.

In your opinion, which local media outlet gave you the most updated information?