Media Buzz | News/views about local media

KTSM's new morning anchor

As expected, those of us who watch local news broadcasts are seeing a slew of new anchors and reporters these days following the exodus of TV folk we've grown accustomed to watching over the years.

One of the newest faces is Amber Downing, KTSM's new morning anchor and reporter. The Allen, Texas, native comes to El Paso from KFDM News in Beaumont, Texas. She earned her degree in broadcast journalism from the University of North Texas.

KTSM's former morning anchor Kai Porter is now anchoring the weekend news broadcasts for the station.

KFOX's new faces

Viewers of Channel 14-KFOX may have recently noticed three new faces reporting the area's news and weather.

Natalie Tripp is a Utah native who majored in broadcast at Brigham Young University, where she won this year's Williams Randolph Hearst National Championship for her reporting work, and a Gracie Allen award for anchoring. You can follow her on Twitter @NatalieKFOX14.

Brooklyn native Samantha Manning has been assigned to KFOX's Las Cruces bureau, replacing Phil Anaya, who recently moved to San Antonio. Manning is an alum of Hofstra University, majoring in broadcast journalism. You can follow her on Twitter @SamanthaKFOX14.

Pittsburgh native Joshua Zuber has also recently joined KFOX as a weather forecaster and general assignment reporter. Zuber came to El Paso from Casper, Wyo., where he was a morning co-anchor and producer for KCWY News 13. He graduated from Arizona State with a degree in broadcast journalism and mass communication. Twitter followers can read Zuber's tweets @ZuberKFOX14.

Dane Cook tweets about El Paso teen killed in crash

Stand-up comedian and actor Dane Cook via Twitter offered his condolences in the death of an El Paso teenager killed in traffic crash.

Jonathan “Jon” Cervoni of Eastwood High School and Aaron Carrillo of Montwood High School were killed Friday night by a suspected drunk driver. The 16-year-old boys were on the side of the road helping a friend whose car had stalled when they were hit by a pickup driving on the shoulder of Loop 375.

On Saturday, a friend of Cervoni via Twitter messaged Cook telling him that Cervoni was a fan and asked Cook to speak out against drunk driving.

“I'm truly sorry to hear about @joncervoni passing away bc of a drunk driver. It's an unfortunate/unnecessary tragedy,” Cook responded Saturday on the micro-blogging site.

http://twitter.com/#!/danecook

 

- Daniel Borunda