It’s been a trying year for the resilient staff of TEGNA‘s CBS affiliate in Houston, KHOU-11. On the final Sunday of August 2017, severe devastation was seen as floodwaters tied to Hurricane Harvey swept through the station’s studios and offices, leaving a path of destruction as those in the building raced to safety.
The broadcast TV station was paralyzed: Its studios were effectively gone. KHOU’s broadcast signal then went down after relying on reporters in the field to keep the station from going dark. Coverage was handed off to TEGNA’s ABC-affiliated WFAA-8 in Dallas by 1:30pm CT, as Emmy award-winning reporter Grace White continued to update her Twitter feed with the latest details while offering Facebook Live reports after sundown from the Galleria. By Sunday evening, KHOU’s TV broadcasts were back up via KUHT-DT 8.2, the multicast signal tied to Houston Public Media‘s PBS member station KUHT.
Today, KHOU-11 has started the process of moving to new offices and studios at 5718 Westheimer, with the move expected to be complete in early 2019. KHOU VP/GM Susan McEldoon won’t be spending much time in KHOU’s new home.
McEldoon will remain at KHOU through January to ensure a smooth transition to 5718 Westheimer.
More notably, she is also staying on to make sure that her successor is eased in to his new role.
McEldoon is retiring, and succeeding her as VP/Station Manager of KHOU-11 is Bobby Springer.
Springer will assume the role on August 1 and will relocate from TEGNA’s KUSA-9 in Denver, where he presently serves as Director of Advertising and Promotion. Springer has also been a part of the TEGNA Marketing Leadership Team, working with stations in markets No. 17-39. Further, Springer was instrumental in the launch of TEGNA’s signature daytime news and entertainment show Daily Blast LIVE, syndicated to stations across the U.S.
“Bobby’s talents in marketing, branding, sales, digital and leading teams across TEGNA through transformation initiatives make him the best choice to lead KHOU into a new era,” said TEGNA EVP/COO of Media Operations Lynn Beall. “His cross-departmental career has exposed him to all aspects of our business. His track record of results and understanding of our innovative culture make him uniquely suited to meet the ever-changing needs of our audiences and customers.”
Prior to his current role, Springer held roles in business development, sales design and production at KUSA-9. Springer joined KUSA from KARE-11 in Minneapolis, where he worked in the newsroom, art department and as a promotions writer and producer.
