•KLAQ Morning Show co-host Teresa Provencio is leaving the station to focus on her family, station officials confirmed earlier this week.
Provencio's last day is today.
KLAQ operations manager Kevin Vargas said Provencio is leaving the station on amicable terms. Sources close to the station have told the El Paso Times there are rumors Provencio was forced out, but Vargas stressed it was Provencio who made the decision to leave.
UPDATE (10:33 a.m.): Provencio posted the following onto her Facebook page after this morning's announcement.
"In case you missed the announcement on the show this morning, today is my last day with the KLAQ Morning Show. The show is going in a different direction to appeal to a younger audience so I have been asked to step down. I want to thank the listeners for their support over the past 12 years. I will miss our mornings together!"
•KFOX recently lost two reporters to marketing jobs.
Late last year, reporter Martina Valverde left the station and is now working as the director of communications for Pediamed Night Clinics. And last week, traffic reporter Kandolite Flores announced she was leaving the station to become the volunteer and communications coordinator for the Humane Society of El Paso.
Just this week, two new reporter bios for Geoff Tyler and Bill Melugin were added to KFOX's website. However, no photos have been posted as of yet.
KFOX also made the surprising announcement last month that former KVIA reporter and anchor Shelton Dodson would be joining the station as the co-ancher for the station's morning news program. He joins Stephanie Guadian at the anchor desk and replaces former co-ancher Bill Young.
That's a lie from the company. Being asked to step down is being fired. They have replaced her with some young hot chick. Sounds like age and gender discrimination to me as none of the men were asked to step down though some are about the same age as Teresa.
Posted by: jackie | January 11, 2013 at 10:55 AM
I used to watch KFOX morning news regularly but just could no longer tolerate Kandolite Flores, so I switched to KVIA. I really hope Kandolite will do well in her new job. Martina Valverde did a fine job at KFOX, and I also hope and trust she will do well. As for KLAQ, it has always lacked class, so I'm not surprised that management is lying about the woman wanting to leave.
Posted by: Willard Shmekel | January 11, 2013 at 11:55 AM
You could tell by the statement she read online, the fact that nobody mentioned anything else about it the during the show, not giving her a proper send off and because of the swiftness of her leaving that it wasn't amicable. If that is the reason they gave for letting her go, that is 100% age discrimination. They must be replacing her with that local computer girl that has been hanging around. Buzz and Duke aren't exactly spring chickens either. If they want to appeal to a younger audience, they need to stop playing these 25-30 year old songs!
Posted by: NRB | January 11, 2013 at 12:05 PM
It's sad how it happened. If they wanted to appeal to younger audiences, they should have changed the whole morning show. Clearly, it was age discrimination.
What I don't understand is that they were already the number one station in El Paso. They had a good morning show and we listened to them because they were funny, smart, and insightful, not because they were hot because they are far from being hot.
Now they'll base their credibility on hotness, instead of intelligence.
Good-bye Teresa, you will be missed!
Posted by: Bibuloussot | January 11, 2013 at 02:11 PM
El Paso likes to think itself big time as if our local "stars" could ever by making it here might make it anywhere. KLAQ's morning show and Ms. Valverde are prime examples of this. Neither could succeed anywhere but here. The KLAQ morning show is a pathetic pastiche of lowered bar hackery. Their only bright spot was Ms. Provencio who brought a touch of humanity to a show that featured mean-spirited lowered-bar clowning endless day in and endless day out. Ms. Flores however (like Ms. Provencio) could have been a talent anywhere and will be missed too. Far too often, media management here fails to be bold enough to keep and honor female talent and Ms. Flores should be "Exhibit A". She could have carried a morning show had her managers been bold enough to try. The El Paso market is growing and becoming more sophisticated but until we expect more from our media we will get less from talent-less ownership that chooses profitable mimicry over innovation 23-7. Hacks hide in plain site here and offer viewers drive-through fast food which they devour as if hot, greasy and disposable is all we can aspire to in a market that more often than not is merely "palookaville".
Posted by: Tillzen | January 12, 2013 at 10:34 AM
She has a face for radio, and the personality of toast. Good riddens!
Posted by: Pascal Fortran | January 12, 2013 at 02:18 PM
If anyone should be asked to step down it should be Buzz, he is just annoying. I'm glad they are heading in a different direction, kinda got tired of listening to rock bands that my dad saw in concert when he was young. KLAQ also needs to do away with all their radio skits which for some reason they think are funny, THEY SUCK !!!
Posted by: Nitchy Ipples | January 13, 2013 at 07:15 AM
To appeal to a younger audience?? Do they think only young people listen to the radio? Teresa brought balance to the morning show. She deserved a respectful send off.
Posted by: Gv | January 13, 2013 at 07:55 AM
Teresa made scratches to a chalkboard - tolerable.
She and the morning show will be better off, but I like the way she's playing the age discrimination and physical appeal cards. Posturing for a settlement and unemployment is wise in her predicament.
What I don't get is why she picked this profession, knowing self-image is important, especially for women. She's rude-n-crude, & not a particularly handsome woman. I'm shocked she lasted as long as she did.
She should thank the KLAQ morning show for tolerating her, as she could've only succeeded in this format with her comments and attitude. Just a nasty person!
Posted by: Pascal Fortran | January 13, 2013 at 09:10 AM
I think this is gender and age discrimination. The older men on the air can stay but the oldest female is fired. Those older men make fools of themselves by talking about and posting boobs, porn stars and other sleezy young women who are young enough to be their daughters or granddaughters. They come off as old geezer letches to anyone under 35. KLAQ should be ashamed at firing Teresa because of age. Brad and others have aged out of their own audience demographic.
Posted by: jackie | January 14, 2013 at 09:15 AM