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ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston Names Texas Native Rita Garcia As New Weekday Morning Anchor

Rita Garcia Joins Station From KTTV-TV Los Angeles

ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston President and General Manager Wendy Granato named Rita Garcia to co-anchor its weekday morning newscast and appear on-air on Monday, July 26.

Garcia joins the morning Eyewitness Team from 4:30-7:00 a.m. with co-anchor Samica Knight and meteorologist Elita Loresca. She replaces Tom Koch who retired from broadcasting after 39 years.

“We are so excited to have Rita return home to Texas!” exclaimed Granato. “Rita is an experienced journalist who understands our Houston area communities, our commitment to serving them, and how to provide fast-paced, accurate and timely information to help our viewers start their day. She is also a lot of fun and will be a great addition to ABC13’s quick-witted, high-energy morning team.”

Joining from Fox 11 in Los Angeles, Garcia was an anchor on “Good Day LA” where her most memorable coverage includes the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris, the 2009 and 2011 NBA Finals, the death of Los Angeles Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant, the Woolsey Fire in California, the Oscars® and Emmy® red carpet events, NFL Super Bowl LI, Hurricane Harvey, the 2017 and 2018 MLB World Series, and the death of Michael Jackson.

Garcia returns to familiar roots as a Texas native where she previously served as a weekday morning anchor in the Houston market. She began her television career in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas at ABC (KRG – CH. 5) as bureau chief in Cameron County. While at the station, she reported on a number of international border stories.

“I’m thrilled to return to Houston and join the ABC-owned family,” said Garcia. “It’s truly a privilege to be invited into viewers’ homes every morning, and I can’t wait for us to begin our day together, sharing the stories that matter the most to them.”

Garcia graduated cum laude from Texas State University in San Marcos with a degree in electronic media.

About ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston
For over 50 years, ABC13 has been Houston’s news leader from sign-on to sign-off. Broadcasting 49 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, ABC13 is the top-rated and most-watched news station among the Houston-area viewers. ABC13 also leads the market in its digital media efforts, with top rankings for its website, abc13.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ABC13 delivers live and streaming content on Roku, Fire TV, Amazon and AppleTV in the ABC13 Houston App. ABC13 is deeply invested in the Houston community, spotlighting Houston’s diversity with community affairs programs covering issues that affect different segments of the population – from local town halls to ABC13+. The station also hosts several community projects throughout the year including Share Your Holidays, an annual food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank; and our E-cycle Drive, a collection/recycling effort for outdated electronic equipment in conjunction with Earth Day. ABC13 is also known for broadcasting the city’s major events including the annual July 4th Freedom Over Texas celebration, The Chevron Marathon, Houston Pride and The Houston Rodeo Parade.

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Houston’s Longtime Broadcast Anchor Tom Koch Leaves Lasting Legacy at ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston

Tom Koch, who joined ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston in 1982 as a reporter before becoming the co-anchor of Houston’s No. 1 morning newscast, will celebrate his last day on air Friday, May 28, 2021, announced Wendy Granato, president and general manager, KTRK. As co-anchor of the morning newscast, Houstonians have started their day with Koch for 33 years. He also co-anchored ABC13’s top-rated 4:00 p.m. news for eight years.

“Tom embodies everything you’d want in a journalist and local news anchor,” said Granato. “He’s compassionate and curious with an amazing ability to elevate everyone around him. I’ve had the privilege of working side by side with Tom on many projects throughout the years and he is truly one of the ABC13 greats!”

From the beginning, Koch immersed himself in serving Greater Houston, covering some of the most compelling stories that shaped the city. He co-anchored many of the station’s live special events and parades including the July 4th Freedom Over Texas, Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston Symphony Concerts, Mayor’s Holiday Lighting, the Dedication of the Bush Library, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Parade and many more.

“For nearly 40 years, I’ve been honored and humbled that so many people welcomed me into their homes every day,” said Koch. “It’s been a dream come true for a small-town Wisconsin kid to be part of this incredible station and truly great city of Houston. But I’ve decided it’s time to step aside, turn off that early morning alarm and wake up to a new adventure.” 

A respected and award-winning journalist, Koch has extensive experience telling thousands of stories – from trailing hurricanes across the Gulf Coast to covering Houston City Hall to NASA to the State Legislature and political conventions. His international reports include the election of new popes at the Vatican, the ‘90s oil boom in the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan, earthquakes in Central America, and American astronauts launching into space from Kazakhstan.

“Tom’s incredible broadcasting career spanning nearly 40 years is beyond measure,” said Rehan Aslam, vice president of News, KTRK. “He has led our coverage through some of Houston’s best times and hardest times. He did it all with leadership, professionalism and an authentic devotion to this city. He has traveled across the country and around the world to bring us memorable stories from a Houstonian’s perspective. A great colleague, friend and committed member of our communities, Tom is ABC13 and he will be missed.”

The week of May 24, ABC13 plans to host an on-air celebration featuring Koch and his many achievements, with a final send-off on Friday, May 28, 2021.

Koch adds:“A giant thank you to our viewers for supporting me, staying with me, being part of this incredible journey and making this dream come true. I hope in some small way I’ve touched your life by keeping you informed, prepared for the day ahead and sending you off with a smile. To my colleagues and management at ABC13, thank you for believing in me, always having my back and making me shine. To my wife and two daughters, words can’t describe your love, support and inspiration or your forgiveness for sometimes long hours away from home and grouchiness because of 2:30 a.m. wake-up calls. I love the phrase ’make your own adventure.’ I have done just that with all of Houston behind me. Wish me well on my new journey.”

Editor’s Note:
Photos courtesy of ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston*
*Top Row 3rd Photo: Tom Koch and Samica Knight co-anchor desk/Photo credit: Al Torres Photography

About ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston
For over 50 years, ABC13 has been Houston’s news leader from sign-on to sign-off. Broadcasting 49 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, ABC13 is the top-rated and most-watched news station among the Houston-area viewers. ABC13 also leads the market in its digital media efforts, with top rankings for its website, abc13.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ABC13 delivers live and streaming content on Roku, Fire TV, Amazon and AppleTV in the ABC13 Houston App. ABC13 is deeply invested in the Houston community, spotlighting Houston’s diversity with community affairs programs covering issues that affect different segments of the population – from local town halls to ABC13+. The station also hosts several community projects throughout the year including Share Your Holidays, an annual food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank; and our E-cycle Drive, a collection/recycling effort for outdated electronic equipment in conjunction with Earth Day. ABC13 is also known for broadcasting the city’s major events including the annual July 4th Freedom Over Texas celebration, The Chevron Marathon, Houston Pride and The Houston Rodeo Parade. 

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ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston Addresses Vaccine Concerns in Black and Latino Communities in a Two-Day Virtual Town Hall Series

‘COVID-19 Vaccine and Our Communities of Color’ Streams LIVE on Jan. 27 and 28 (7:00-8:00 p.m. CST) atABC13.com, ABC13 news app and ABC13’s connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku

ABC13, Houston’s news leader, continues its vaccine town hall series with “COVID-19 Vaccine and Our Communities of Color,” a two-day virtual town hall that will stream live on WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, JAN. 27 and 28 (7:00-8:00 p.m. CDT). ABC13 Eyewitness News anchor Mayra Moreno will host Wednesday’s town hall, addressing the Latino community’s vaccine concerns. Chauncy Glover will host Thursday’s town hall, in partnership with the Xi Kappa Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. of Missouri City, and address vaccine concerns in the Black community.

With COVID-19 infections on the rise across southeast Texas, ABC13 continues to find answers and expert advice to address viewers’ numerous questions around the vaccine.

This month, ABC13 held a town hall with Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston leaders and experts to address growing concerns over the vaccine distribution. In the upcoming “COVID-19 Vaccine and Our Communities of Color” town hall, Moreno and Glover will join local Latino and Black leaders in their respective town halls. The panel will provide vaccine safety and efficacy information, have a candid conversation about how the virus has disproportionately impacted communities of color, the community’s fears, misconceptions, and why they plan to get vaccinated.

In the Jan. 27 town hall hosted by Mayra Moreno, panelists include the following:

• Armando Walle, state representative of Texas
• Laura Murillo, Ph.D., president, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Dr. Joseph Varon, chief medical officer, United Memorial Medical Center
• Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Harris County

In the Jan. 28 town hall hosted by Chauncy Glover, panelists include the following:

• Ron Reynolds, state representative of Texas
• Addie Heyliger, Fort Bend ISD Board president
• Grady Prestage, Fort Bend County commissioner
• Dr. Jacqueline Johnson-Minter, Fort Bend County Director of Health & Human Services
• Pastor Timothy Sloan, The Luke Church
• Casondra Burkley, licensed social worker

Viewers can submit their questions for the panel on ABC13.com and the ABC13 news app for possible inclusion in the town halls.

About ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston  
For over 50 years, ABC13 has been Houston’s news leader from sign-on to sign-off. Broadcasting 49 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, ABC13 is the top-rated and most-watched news station among the Houston-area viewers. ABC13 also leads the market in its digital media efforts, with top rankings for its website, abc13.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ABC13 delivers live and streaming content on Roku, Fire TV, Amazon and AppleTV in the ABC13 Houston App. ABC13 is deeply invested in the Houston community, spotlighting Houston’s diversity with community affairs programs covering issues that affect different segments of the population – from local town halls to ABC13+. The station also hosts several community projects throughout the year including Share Your Holidays, an annual food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank; and our E-cycle Drive, a collection/recycling effort for outdated electronic equipment in conjunction with Earth Day. ABC13 is also known for broadcasting the city’s major events including the annual July 4th Freedom Over Texas celebration, The Chevron Marathon, Houston Pride and The Houston Rodeo Parade. 

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Friday Night Lights Just Got Better As ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston Teams Up With Texan Live to Stream High School Sports With a Football Kickoff

ABC13 Will Stream Two High School Games Each Week

Viewers Can Stream Live Two Games Each Week on ABC13.com, ABC13’s app and ABC13’s Connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku 

ABC13,Houston’s news leader, is proud to partner with Texan Live, the authority on live and on-demand high school sports in Texas, to livestream two high school games throughout greater Houston each week on ABC13’s streaming apps. Kicking off the partnership with high school football, viewers can stream the highly anticipated annual “Battle Line on 59” football game between New Caney and Porter High School on Friday, Oct. 10 (7:00 p.m. CDT), followed by a Saturday noon matchup between Bridgeland and Langham Creek High School. Viewers can livestream the games on ABC13.com, ABC13’s app and ABC13’s Connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. 

As high school sports resume with social distancing guidelines that include limited capacity and mandated face masks, many fans will not attend their favorite games. The partnership between ABC13 and Texan Live gives Houstonians added options to watch their favorite high school games.

 “Adding high school sports as a livestreaming option on ABC13’s streaming apps is another way for the communities we serve to enjoy high school sports during these unprecedented times,” said ABC13 President and General Manager Wendy Granato. “It is a win-win to combine ABC13’s reach with Texan Live’s expertise.”

“We strive to deliver high school sports to watch at home on your TV, computer or mobile device,” said Texan Live founder Bert Brocker. “I’m very pleased to partner with ABC13 and add another layer for viewers to enjoy high school sports.”

ABC13’s streaming apps elevate the local news experience with the ability to watch live newscasts, breaking news coverage and weather reports seamlessly in a streaming environment.

Viewers can download ABC13’s free streaming app to their Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV or Android TV. ABC13 will play the game live at abc13.com and on the ABC13 iPhone and Android apps.

About ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston  
For over 50 years, ABC13 has been Houston’s news leader from sign-on to sign-off. Broadcasting 49 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, ABC13 is the top-rated and most-watched news station among the Houston-area viewers. ABC13 also leads the market in its digital media efforts, with top rankings for its website, abc13.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ABC13 delivers live and streaming content on Roku, Fire TV, Amazon and AppleTV in the ABC13 Houston App. ABC13 is deeply invested in the Houston community, spotlighting Houston’s diversity with community affairs programs covering issues that affect different segments of the population – from local town halls to ABC13+. The station also hosts several community projects throughout the year including Share Your Holidays, an annual food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank; and our E-cycle Drive, a collection/recycling effort for outdated electronic equipment in conjunction with Earth Day. ABC13 is also known for broadcasting the city’s major events including the annual July 4th Freedom Over Texas celebration, The Chevron Marathon, Houston Pride and The Houston Rodeo Parade. 

Twitter:	https://twitter.com/abc13houston
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Facebook:	https://www.facebook.com/abc13Houston/

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ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston to Host Town Hall Empowering Texans to Vote Early in the 2020 Elections

‘YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE: Countdown to Early Voting’ Will Stream Live
Thursday, Sept. 3 (7:00 – 8:00 p.m. CDT)

Exclusive Stream Live at ABC13.com, ABC13’s Facebook Live and YouTube and ABC13’s Connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku

ABC13, Houston’s news leader, is bringing together election officials and community organizations in a “YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE: Countdown to Early Voting” town hall, THURSDAY, SEPT. 3 (7:00-8:00 p.m. CDT). The town hall will be hosted by ABC13’s Eyewitness News reporter Miya Shay and will inform Houstonians what they need to know to exercise their right to vote amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shay and the panel of experts will take your questions about voting in the 2020 presidential election, dispel myths about mail-in ballots in Texas, and share how activists are working to register voters, and fight voter suppression in underserved communities.

Panelists for the town hall include the following:

• Chris Hollins, Harris County clerk
• John Oldham, Fort Bend County Election administrator
• Annie Benifield, League of Women Voters-Houston
• Debbie Chen, OCA-Greater Houston
• Irfan Ali, Honorary Secretary of the Ismaili Council for the Southwestern U.S.
• Stephanie Gómez, Texas Civil Rights Project

As voters prepare to cast their ballots in this pivotal election, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the normal course of action for election administrators and civic organizations alike. While Texas grapples with the virus, activists told Eyewitness News they have pivoted to drive-thru and virtual voter registration events out of an abundance of caution and safety.

NRG Park announced this week, it has been designated as the headquarters of the Harris County Clerk’s Office for the 2020 presidential election and will offer early-voting and drive-thru voting.

In Harris and Fort Bend counties, election officials are working to innovate the ways to vote, seeking to expand early voting dates, hours and locations, encouraging at-risk voters to submit absentee ballots, and substituting older election workers susceptible to coronavirus infections with students ready to assist precincts across the region.

For voters in Texas, time is of the essence. The deadline to register to vote in the 2020 presidential election is Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. Qualified voters must request absentee (mail-in) ballots no later than Friday, Oct. 23, 2020.

The virtual town hall will air THURSDAY, SEPT. 3 at 7:00 p.m. CDT, on ABC13.com, streaming on ABC13’s Facebook Live, YouTube, ABC13’s app and ABC13’s connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku.

About ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston 
For over 50 years, ABC13 has been Houston’s news leader from sign-on to sign-off. Broadcasting 49 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, ABC13 is the top-rated and most-watched news station among the Houston-area viewers. ABC13 also leads the market in its digital media efforts, with top rankings for its website, abc13.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ABC13 delivers live and streaming content on Roku, Fire TV, Amazon and AppleTV in the ABC13 Houston App. ABC13 is deeply invested in the Houston community, spotlighting Houston’s diversity with community affairs programs covering issues that affect different segments of the population – from local town halls to ABC13+. The station also hosts several community projects throughout the year including Share Your Holidays, an annual food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank; and our E-cycle Drive, a collection/recycling effort for outdated electronic equipment in conjunction with Earth Day. ABC13 is also known for broadcasting the city’s major events including the annual July 4th Freedom Over Texas celebration, The Chevron Marathon, Houston Pride and The Houston Rodeo Parade.

Twitter:	https://twitter.com/abc13houston
Instagram:	https://www.instagram.com/abc13houston/
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ABC13/KTRK Contact:
Brandon De Hoyos, Director of Community Engagement
(713) 663-8712