After nearly six years at KMSB, reporter and weekend anchor Deanna Morgan is quitting at month's end to move back to the Los Angeles area, where she's from.
"It's been amazing on a personal level and on a professional level," Morgan said. "I got more out of the job than I thought I would - and more than management thought I would."
Morgan said there were philosophical differences with management. She felt there was "no more room to grow" and has thought about resuming her career in L.A. since she arrived in Tucson.
Longtime connections should help her out when she goes job-hunting.
"A lot of friends I started out with in the business stayed in California … went to San Diego, then back to L.A.," Morgan said. "I think I always knew I wanted to go back."
Samantha Ptashkin and Marcelino Benito - both recent graduates of Northwestern University (Ptashkin in 2008 and Benito this year)- will split weekend anchor duties, rotating Saturdays and Sundays on a quarterly basis.
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"We are really excited that it worked out that we have two people in place rather than just one weekend anchor," Bob Simone, KMSB president and general manager, said via e-mail.
Previously, Simone continued, he would have to juggle reporters for a nine-day period when anchor Lou Raguse took vacation.
KVOA gm moves on
Cordillera Communications, which owns KVOA, has promoted station manager/news director Kathleen Choal to general manager of KSBY in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Choal, who has been KVOA's news director since 2005, will start her new job April 1.
"The search is on for my replacement," Choal said in an e-mail.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal, who covers local media for the Star, at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
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