Commentators Bring Personality, Experiences to The Texas Daily

Oct. 11, 2012 - PRLog -- ADDISON, TEXAS (Sept. 20, 2012)—The countdown is on for the Oct. 1 launch of The Texas Daily, KTXD-TV’s new morning show that mixes news, opinion and audience interaction weekday mornings from 8-9. The real production coup, however, are the 14 people currently slated to inform and entertain us – 14 of Dallas’ best-loved former anchors and journalists from the past three decades.
“Jeff Brady is hosting this cast of professional journalists,” says Brian Joyce, KTXD-TV station manager. “Don’t expect them to simply read copy from a teleprompter. Jeff will introduce topics that our commentators will offer their personal opinion on. This format goes beyond the traditional noon, 6 and 10 newscasts.”
As host, Brady will anchor the program every day, while the other 13 contributors rotate through, two at a time, per show. Below are the backgrounds that shape the opinions our commentators will offer their Baby Boomer audience:
Jeff Brady, formerly of WFAA: A proud Aggie, Jeff served the country as a USMC Marine Corps Captain and is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Before landing in Dallas at WFAA, he covered politics, crime, military and human interest stories in Yuma, Ariz., Tyler and San Antonio, Texas, and Shreveport, La. Interesting fact: He almost went to seminary.
Gary Cogill, formerly with WFAA: In his 24-year career as a movie critic for WFAA, Gary reviewed more than 10,000 films and interviewed more than 20,000 actors, writers and directors including Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Stephen Spielberg and Clint Eastwood. He is an Emmy award-winning journalist and a three-time Katie award winner. The five films he finds most personally influential: Lawrence of Arabia, To Kill a Mockingbird, Schindler’s List, Waiting for Guffman and A River Runs Through It.
John Criswell, formerly with WFAA and KDFW: When John looks over his long broadcasting career, he talks about interning on Capitol Hill with Walter Cronkite and Roger Mudd, and patrolling the halls of Congress and the White House with Sam Donaldson, Connie Chung, Nancy Dickerson and Harry Reasoner. Raised and educated in the Show Me State, he began his career at age 16 in a Springfield, Mo., radio station. He and his wife have four daughters and seven grandchildren. Interesting fact: John is part of a volunteer marriage counseling ministry.
Debbie Denmon, formerly with WFAA: After eight years in four different markets, Debbie Denmon returned home to Texas to report at WFAA in 2000. Back then, her days began at 3:30 a.m. to get ready for her Good Morning Texas anchor job. Interesting fact: Debbie, at 6’2” in heels, is one of the shorter members of her family! Her “baby” brother is 6’7”!
Jolene DeVito, formerly with WFAA: Texas Longhorn Jolene is a married mom of two and professes, “My family, my friends, my community are my every day everything. That’s me!”. In another life, she says, she would have been a prosecutor or in law enforcement in some way and is addicted to live trial coverage and courtroom minutiae. Interesting fact: She almost went to the police academy in Tyler, Texas.
Troy Dungan, formerly with WFAA: Known for his trademark bowtie, Troy was chief meteorologist at WFAA for 31 years-almost to the day. Long before Dallas and armed with a degree from Baylor, as well as private meteorological training from the National Engineering Science Company. Interesting fact: While in Philadelphia in 1976, he was the first weatherman to use the current 5-day forecast system. Before that weather predictions were never of more than two days.
Midge Hill, formerly with WFAA: Midge grew up along the Ohio River in steel mill and coal mine country with the “bathroom out back.” She got her start in the broadcast industry working for a radio station in Wheeling, W.V. She was hired to make coffee, but the program director thought she had a great voice and put her to work in the newsroom. The next thing she knew she was on TV in Wheeling, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Chicago.
Suzie Humphreys, formerly with WFAA and KVIL: A very vocal breast cancer survivor, Suzie travels the country to present “I can do that.” Her career in the broadcasting industry, which included years at KVIL alongside Ron Chapman, allowed her to hobnob with movie stars and politicians, and she’s interviewed the great and the “near” great. Favorite saying: “Whatever happens is another life lesson.”
Iola Johnson, formerly with WFAA and KTVT: Iola’s double political science and journalism major from the University of Arizona began a career in journalism that started with a Washington Post internship and eventually landed her a job at WFAA on the market’s top-rated news program with co-anchor Tracy Rowlett.
Scott Murray, KXAS: From the Olympics to the US Open, the World Series to the World Cup, presidential inaugurations to 30 straight Super Bowls and has covered them all. For close to a quarter of a century he was the Emmy Award-winning sports director and anchor at KXAS. Scott was based in Washington, D.C. with NBC. In 2002 he was the recipient of the prestigious Silver Circle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Interesting fact: During his three decades of television sports, Scott was named Sportscaster of the Year 17 times.
Robert Riggs, formerly with KTVT: Robert got his start as a congressional aid and political consultant, but you might say that it was the investigative nature of his position on the Joint Congressional Committee on Defense Production that parlayed him into the world of investigative journalism. There he spent more than 21 years unearthing cover ups, corruption and fraud, first in Albany, N.Y., and then in Dallas. Interesting fact: Among his many awards, he’s received the prestigious duPont Columbia University Journalism Award several times.
Tracy Rowlett, formerly with WFAA and KTVT: Armed with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Wichita State University she began his career as a sports reporter in Wichita, Kan. He then joined the Air Force and worked for Armed Forces Radio and Television at the Wheelus Air Base in Tripoli. Back in Dallas, he went on to co-anchor a 10-year, top-rated news program with Iola Johnson. Interesting fact: Tracy was serving in Tripoli when JFK was assassinated and broke the news in the Middle East.
John Sparks, producer and writer, formerly with WFAA, KXAS, KTVT and KDFW: He was in the trumpet section of the Eastern Hills High School Band that played Hail to the Chief for former President John F. Kennedy at the Hotel Texas the morning he was assassinated. His wife Sandy went to high school with former President Bill Clinton in Hot Springs, Ark. He graduated from UT, served in the U.S. Army Reserves during Vietnam. Interesting fact: Once, he kicked Chelsea Clinton out of the studio where he was interviewing Hillary Clinton during her run for U.S. Senate.
Phyllis Watson, formerly with WFAA and KDFW: Phyllis got her auspicious start while working at WGN and WBBM in Chicago and attending Northwestern University.She went to Tulsa, Okla., and Milwaukee before landing in Dallas. Phyllis says if she hadn’t been in broadcast journalism, she would have been a commodities broker and retired early to have some real fun! Interesting fact: She is a Mary Kay consultant.

“As you can see, from war veterans to TV veterans who walked the halls with journalism legends, our team brings a very diverse background to The Texas Daily,” says Phil Hurley, EVP and COO of London Broadcasting, parent company of KTXD-TV. “They are sure to offer relevant, interesting, enlightening-and sometime a little controversial-commentary to the show. We hope to spur all sorts of debate and audience participation.”

About KTXD-TV
Based in Addison, Texas, KTXD-TV, channel 47, is owned by London Broadcasting Company, who also owns 17 television stations in five markets across Texas.

For more information, contact Karen Carrera, 972.207.1935 or karen@trizcom.com.