Statement: Telemundo Hires Miryam Villarreal, ESPN Re-Signs Gary Striewski To Multi-Year Deal
Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews - Michael Loccisano
Broadcast: Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews has resigned from her position as CBS News president after holding the position for less than a year. She plans on shifting into an advisor role as the presidential election rolls through in November. Ciprian-Matthews has spent three decades with CBS News; throughout the years, she’s served various roles such as senior VP of news administration, VP of news, foreign editor, senior broadcast producer, and senior producer of CBS News’ foreign coverage. Ciprian-Matthews's promotion as president came in August 2023, previously carrying the role of executive vice president of newsgathering. CBS has not yet announced its presidential successor.
KTVT Dallas-Fort Worth’s new morning show debuted July 8th. Madison Sawyer and Carmen Blackwell anchor CBS News Texas Mornings from 5 to 7 A.M. with chief meteorologist Scott Padgett. Carmen Blackwell joined CBS stations recently after coming from WKYC Cleveland. Ashley Moss, assignment editor on the team, will share breaking news stories during her segment titled The Desk as the information enters the newsroom. CBS Texas conducted an ‘industry community survey,’ where viewers came into the newsroom and provided voices of insight on what they were interested in seeing during a morning newscast. The results were centered on positive news, investigative stories, and education/school-based reports. Some of the viewers who participated in the survey attended the show premiere as part of CBS Texas’ premiere feature of a one-day live audience.
“As part of CBS Texas’ commitment to evolving with our community’s needs, we combined a formalized research study with a fun viewer survey to gather insights for our upcoming reimagined morning newscast. We loved the idea of including them in our process,” said Raquel Amparo, president and general manager of KTVT-KTXA (CBS Texas). “We genuinely and authentically want to serve our audience with information they find useful. To do that, we needed to actively listen. Launching this community survey and involving the community accomplished that mission.”
Janice Hui was named ITVS’s chief operating officer, a new role at the company. Her new responsibilities include supervising finance, information technology, business affairs, and operations units for the company. As the media world shifts to streaming, Janice Hui will also be immersed in advancing content and audience strategies for ITVS. In the past, Hui was the managing director for the PBS series Frontline and the managing director of the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, a professional nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute.
“The integrity and trust of public media stays high because of incredibly hard work by Janice and so many other talented journalists,” ITVS board chair Garry Denny said. "Her experience will continue to lift ITVS for years to come."
Fox Weather’s simulcast strategy continues to expand. On July 15th, Fox Weather, Fox News Media’s free ad-supported streaming network, began simulcasting weekday mornings from 5 to 6 A.M on Fox Business Network. Britta Merwin and Craig Herrera co-anchor Fox Weather First during that hour.
CBS News Chicago launched a major rebranding update ‘For the Love of Chicago.’ The station worked with a third party and its internal resources, conducting productive research and in-depth conversations with internal teams. The new brand shows its pride in the local market which motivates the station and its local news operation. WBBM added the red stars from the Chicago city flag to its graphics package, based on a design created for CBS-owned stations. CBS allowed local stations to keep key parts of their designs alongside the rebranding of CBS News. WBBM also launched a new image campaign to showcase diligence and commitment to the city. The image campaign relies on city footage to use recognizable elements such as ‘L’ trains, local landmarks, and natural resources.
Maria Estrada, KASA Albuquerque news producer, has been promoted to managing editor of Noticiero Telemundo Nuevo México. Estrada will assume responsibility for KASA’s day-to-day editorial content. KASA is branded Telemundo Nuevo México and is part of NBCUniversal Local’s Telemundo Station Group. With over 20 years of experience in broadcast journalism, Estrada began her career at KXTQ Lubbock as an assistant news producer and was later promoted to executive news producer and assistant news director at Ramar Communications.
“Maria’s experience and passion for journalism, along with her passion for serving our communities, will make her a strategic and effective newsroom leader,” Osvaldo Martínez, executive VP of multiplatform news, original programming and standards, Telemundo Station Group, said. “We are thrilled to have her assume this important role and lead KASA’s talented news team.”
Nexstar Media Group promoted Olivia Pennington to vice president, succeeding retired Stan Pylant. Pennington will run Nexstar’s stations in Huntsville, Alabama: WHNT (CBS affiliate) and WHDF (CW affiliate). She will also oversee whnt.com and its related social media channels, reporting to Mike Vaughn, senior vice president and regional manager for Nexstar’s broadcasting division. Before the promotion, Olivia Pennington was the director of sales for WHNT and WHDF since 2022. She’s held positions at WRBL in Columbus, Georgia.
Telemundo Las Vegas (KBLR) has promoted Katia Gutierrez to news anchor and multimedia journalist. KBLR is part of NBCUniversal Local’s Telemundo Station Group. She began her new role on July 17th for KBLR’s 5 P.M. and 5:30 P.M. newscasts. Gutierrez joined in February 2023, leading KBLR’s assignment desk, and coordinating major sports events coverage such as the Super Bowl and the inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. She has also covered cultural events, including Pope Francis’ first visit to Mexico, elections, and natural disasters.
“Katia's dedication and passion for delivering impactful stories to our community make her a perfect fit for this role,” KBLR news director Johali Carmona said. “We look forward to her continued growth and contributions to our news team.”
KHBS-KHOG Fort Smith-Fayetteville, Arkansas (40/29 News) premiered an hourlong 4 P.M. newscast on August 5th. 40/29 News is anchored by Lakyra Banks, Allison Wise, and Brandon Evans, with chief meteorologist Darby Bybee. With the new hourlong newscast, The Kelly Clarkson Show was moved to 3 P.M. and The Jennifer Hudson Show to noon on The Arkansas CW, a KHBS-KHOG subchannel.
“We’re committed to giving viewers comprehensive news at 4 p.m.,” KHBS-KHOG president and general manager Bruce Barkley said. “Every day, we’ll deliver a substantial, fast-paced one-hour newscast filled with local stories and accurate forecasts delivered by our award-winning team of journalists.”
Telemundo San Francisco hired Miryam Villarreal as an anchor and multimedia journalist. Villarreal made her debut on July 22nd on KSTS’s Noticiero Telemundo 48. She was an anchor and reporter for Noticiero Telemundo California broadcast on Northern California stations, KCSO, Sacramento, and KNSO, Fresno. Throughout her career, Villarreal has also served as a radio announcer and traffic reporter. She has covered major stories and interviewed high-profile personalities such as civil rights activist Dolores Huerta and Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez. Villarreal earned recognition by the Hispanic Heritage en SWFL as an outstanding Latina in Southwest Florida. The Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists recognized her as a finalist for best writer following her report “Raices Hispanas,” which highlighted how culture is sustained and preserved through food. Miryam Villarreal is an active member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
“Miryam is a remarkable journalist whose storytelling skills and commitment to integrity are exceptional,” said Sandra Perez, news director for Telemundo 48. “Her deep understanding of the Hispanic community, combined with her passion for telling their stories, will greatly enhance our newsroom. Her addition to our team highlights our dedication to delivering high-quality news that resonates with and serves our diverse audience.”
ABC News Live is expanding its live-anchored weekend news programming. Janai Norman, Gio Benitez, and DeMarco Morgan began sharing weekend anchor duties on the streamer ABC News Live as of July 20th. Janai Norman and Gio Benitez co-anchor Good Morning America with Whit Johnson and will continue to make appearances. DeMarco Morgan anchors GMA3: What You Need to Know and plans to keep this weekday position. The newscast has been branded ‘ABC News Live Weekend.’ ABC News Live particularly relied on taped programming each weekend, broadcasting reruns of What Would You Do?, Nightline, and 20/20 through the afternoons and evenings; despite the expansion of live-anchored weekend news programming, the reruns of these series will continue.
Through March 2026, UK broadcaster BBC is cutting its payroll by around 500 people following an arid report on its financial future. BBC’s headcount this year was 17,611. Over the past five years, 2,000 roles were cut, or roughly 10% of its workforce. £50 million was spent on severance payments this past year. The report did not specify where the cuts will come from as BBC runs a variety of departmental positions including news, sports, radio, production, and digital operations. Roles across the organization will be eliminated, with a limited number of new positions being created in other departments. The report also stated it would soon implement a voluntary redundancy scheme, though it’d take around two years to finalize. BBC has taken a hit from The UK’s annual TV license fee, its primary funding source. Lawmakers were hesitant to raise the fee; its latest boost was below inflation rates. The license fee revenue was down 2% at £3.66 billion which represents roughly 500,000 people, a significant difference from over 2 million in 2018. According to the report, some of the figures were affected by people who refused to pay the fee. BBC could experience an increased fee with the recent government changes, though the increased fee wouldn’t be effective until 2027 at the earliest. BBC Studios, a commercial venture branch of BBC, was hit by increased costs and softening advertising revenue after setting a record profit in its previous year.
The report, which was released in July, “shows a year of creative excellence and transformation against financial pressures and a challenging media market,” according to the broadcaster.
Gary Striewski - Amy Sussman
Cable: CNN is launching several digital products before the end of the year. CNN will present a new subscription product and two free ad-supported digital products. One of the ad-supported products will be based on CNN’s original series and productions while the other focuses on the news outlet’s Spanish-language service. It will not be offered as a streaming service, though it will be featured on CNN’s website. The prepared launches will come amid a rework of CNN’s newsroom which will eliminate 100 positions. CNN’s primetime lineup has fallen to some of the lowest viewership levels in the network’s history.
ESPN re-signed Gary Striewski to a new, multi-year deal. Striewski will continue his hosting position on SportsCenter and associated podcasts and digital shows such as The Elle Duncan Show, Hoop Streams, and The Kickoff. He’ll also resume appearances in additional ESPN programs. Striewski and his co-host Randy Scott will continue to host the 7 A.M. weekday SportsCenter broadcast. Striewski joined ESPN in 2018 as a host for SportsCenter on Snapchat; it was the first daily sports show featured on the social media platform. Previously, he worked for NESN as the Boston Red Sox sideline reporter. He’s worked at KPRC in Houston, serving as a sports reporter and anchor, and at CBS Northern Colorado 5 as a sports anchor. Striewski was also a sports director for KGWN in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
“My last six years at ESPN have been a dream realized ever since I was in sixth grade. It’s written in my yearbook. It’s been an amazing experience being part of the group helping lead the next generation of sports fans,” Striewski stated. “From Snapchat to Sportscenter and every platform in between, I’m looking forward to staying the course for many more years to come.” “Everybody wanted to know what would happen if I didn’t get a contract renewal. I guess we’ll never know,” said Striewski.
Brian Fung, CNN Business tech reporter, was included in recent layoffs. Fung spent five years at CNN covering technology, business, and policy. Previously, he worked at The Washington Post covering business and technology. He worked at the National Journal as a technology correspondent and at The Atlantic as an associate editor. Brian Fung is a Middlebury College graduate. He is also a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Dave Sebastian was hired as a reporter in Hong Kong by Bloomberg News. In his new position, he will be covering Asia's equity markets. Formerly, he covered Asia equity markets with The Wall Street Journal after he joined in 2019. Before his time at The Wall Street Journal, he was a Dow Jones New Fund business reporting intern on the spot news desk, and following his internship, he worked as a spot news reporter. He studied journalism, economics, and business at Boston University and interned at several places including Bloomberg Law, Voice of America, and WBUR.
Bloomberg News hired Saim Saeed. His role focuses on coverage of the European Union tax beat. Saeed has been the agriculture editor for Politico since 2017. Throughout his years at Politico, he served as a breaking news reporter and he worked for Politico’s Pro Mobility covering aviation. Saim Saeed also worked in his hometown Karachi, Pakistan at The Express Tribune mainly covering topics like South Asian politics, security, and terrorism.
Bloomberg News had hired Andy Lin to cover data reporting in Asia. His new position is focused on covering economics, politics, and anything in between Asia. Lin worked at the Financial Times before the hire, reporting on news stories in Asia using data analysis, graphics, and statistics with the visual and data journalism team. Lin has more background in data journalism roles in Taiwan and Singapore. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the National Taiwan University and his master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
On July 8th, Bloomberg Television launched the new daily morning program Bloomberg: Open Interest. From 9 A.M. to 11 A.M., Sonali Basak, Matt Miller, and Katie Greifeld will host from Bloomberg’s global New York headquarters. The new program features strategists who provide insights and analysis on stories that power the movements of the market.
“Bloomberg: Open Interest expands on our commitment to bringing viewers the vital market news and analysis they need to set them up for success,” said Rachel Wehrspann, U.S. head of Bloomberg Television, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have Matt Miller, Katie Greifeld, and Sonali Basak together to showcase what we do best in our coverage of global markets and business news.”
Hasan Minhaj - Youtube
Streaming: Hasan Minhaj launched an online talk series titled Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know following a lost opportunity to be the new host of The Daily Show. Its first episode premiered July 8th and kicked the series off with an interview featuring Senator Elizabeth Warren as they covered the topic ‘The Age of the President.’ Episodes will be filmed and released as months progress to the upcoming election. Scott Vrooman worked with Minhaj on the Netflix series Patriot Act as a writer on the production team and now serves as showrunner for Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know.
Fat Joe will be the focus of Starz’s new interview series Fat Joe Talks. Each 30-minute episode will surround Fat Joe as he travels through the US and immerses cultural icons in compelling conversations.
“Fat Joe Talks is an exciting foray into talk, and who better than Joe—a legend in and of himself—to drive provocative conversations that tap into the zeitgeist and matter to our audience,” said Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming for Starz. “We are thrilled to be working with Joe and our partners at SpringHill and Embassy Row to launch this incredible show, offering authentic, backstage, rare access to these cultural icons.”
Entertainment Tonight (ET) is eliminating a vast majority (around 30 staff members) of its editorial team and its newsdesk. As ET shifts gears to deliver news videos and original interviews regularly, the layoffs aren’t expected until September 7th. 10% of its staff, about 29 people, was cut a year prior, including members of the graphics and post-production team, producers, digital writers, and photo staffers. Employees let go by this year’s layoffs will be eligible to apply for new roles that are anticipated to be added for next season. Content from ETonline.com will not face removal, even though its parent company Paramount Global removed active posting and archives on its MTV and Comedy Central websites.
One let-go staffer expressed their frustrations: “Individuals were called one at a time this morning to speak with the executive producer in charge of production at ‘Entertainment Tonight.’ They were told due to the budgeting for the upcoming season 44 that layoffs would be happening all day today. The laid-off employees will still be paid out and given benefits until September 7, 2024, up until the start of season 44, which is on Monday, September 9, 2024. We were also told 18% of the company would be let go.”
