Come June 1, there will be a new leader for the ABC affiliate serving El Paso, Tex., and neighboring Las Cruces, N. Mex., a station branded as “ABC7” owned by News-Press & Gazette Co.
Taking on the General Manager duties at KVIA-7 is News Director Brenda De Anda-Swann.
That’s because the station’s longtime GM, Kevin Lovell, has announced his retirement at the end of May 2022.
“I am a lucky man,” he said. “Few people retire from a TV station, in my case, a great one. My personal and professional families thank the Bradley family and NPG broadcast presidents, John Kueneke and Mike Meara, for providing the resources and support to get the job done right.”
Lovell has been associated with KVIA since 1980 and has worked for companies that have owned KVIA for 39 of the 44 years of his broadcasting career. A lifelong Texas native, Lovell also served in various news capacities at three other television stations — in Amarillo, San Antonio and El Paso, Tex.
But, Lovell returned to KVIA in 1995 as News Director and in 1999 rose to GM.
Lovell is a past board member of the Texas Association of Broadcasters (TAB) and served four years on the ABC Affiliate Board. The TAB has told Lovell he is currently the longest-serving commercial TV station general manager in Texas.
De Anda-Swann is also a longtime NPG/El Paso veteran. She arrived at KVIA in 1998 and has been the station’s news director for the past 13 years. She is a native of Mexico who graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso. Prior to becoming news director, she served as the station’s promotions director and assistant news director.
“It is an incredible honor –and responsibility– to be entrusted with KVIA and its legacy,” De Anda-Swann said. “It’s a unique station with deep roots in the Borderland, and we are relentless in our commitment to viewers. I carry with me the dedication of those who’ve worked to make ABC-7 so successful over the years and look forward to taking on the challenges ahead.”
