It’s that time of the year when we must say goodbye to local television news anchors that viewers allowed into their homes morning, day and night.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “OMG Why does everyone ALWAYS leave El Paso?!”

I know you’re thinking that because when I worked in news it was the number one question viewers asked after one of my colleagues announced their departure and the answer to your question is pretty simple: Opportunity and growth.

The broadcasting world is a competitive one and when other job opportunities are presented to young journalists it’s exciting because it’s an opportunity for them to venture out into the world. It allows them to gain more experience and ultimately helps them grow stronger as a journalist and as a person. I mean, if you got offered a better job opportunity wouldn’t you take it? *insert mom stare here*

Ok, now that we’re over that debate, I want to take some time to talk about the latest departures from our local ABC affiliate station, KVIA. A few good men who I had the honor to work alongside and am lucky enough to also call friends.

Mauricio Casillas, Good Morning El Paso Anchor/Executive Producer:

Or as I like to call him, Mar Mar!

Mauricio announced earlier this week that he would be leaving his hometown of El Paso to join NBC Washington as a reporter.

“It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime to tell stories in my hometown, at the station I grew up watching,” wrote Mauricio.

I first met Mauricio when he joined the KVIA team as the station’s first-ever traffic anchor. He was fresh out of college but he had the work ethic of a seasoned journalist. Mauricio would quickly make the move from traffic anchor to weekend morning anchor to executive producer and co-anchor for Good Morning El Paso.

The person you saw on your TV every weekday morning was the same person you’d get in real life. Mauricio is a true gentleman, hard worker, compassionate and genuinely cares about the stories and the people he reports on and that’s something he’ll miss the most about working in his hometown.

“I’ll miss the incredible people in El Paso. Throughout my six years, I had to cover some very difficult stories. I’ve always been in awe of the strength of our community. El Paso Strong isn’t just a saying. It’s the truth. El Paso is resilient. I love the Borderland and will miss it tremendously. I’ll also miss the food so much!”

 

On a personal level, I’ve never met a person who could truly understand and match my extremely sarcastic personality and sense of humor, that is until I met Mauricio.

Washington is lucky to have Mauricio and El Paso was lucky to have been the stepping stone for what I’m sure will be an AMAZING career in journalism for Mauricio!

Who’s Stepping In Now:

If you’re worried that you’ll have to get used to a new face on the anchor desk again, worry no more because a familiar face will be joining Hillary Floren on the Good Morning El Paso anchor desk.

Riverside Alum and seasoned journalist Saul Saenz will be joining the Good Morning El Paso team starting Monday, June 6th.

Nate Ryan, ABC-7 Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter:

Or as I like to call him, Zac Efron’s long-lost step-brother.

Nate Ryan recently announced last week that he would be leaving El Paso but is staying in Texas. He’ll be heading to San Antonio to continue his passion for sports as a prime-time weekday sports anchor!

Nate is the kind of guy you can sit with at a bar and enjoy an hours-long conversation about sports, Hollywood gossip, or anything, really. He’s an interesting human being that loves to talk but most importantly loves to listen!

Although Nate was born and raised in Chicago he quickly made his mark in El Paso with his ability to relate to viewers on all levels.

Whether it was hanging out with the athletes or young kids at local sports games, or hanging out with the animals at the El Paso Zoo, Nate always put in 100 percent, or as he likes to say “100 P” in all the work he did during his three years at KVIA.

Fun Fact: During high school football season a “Nate Ryan Fan Page” was created on Instagram for Nate and honestly, has anyone checked in on the creators of that page? Are they doing okay after this announcement?

I asked Nate what he would miss the most about El Paso and other than the triple digit dry heat (he was serious btw) he’s going to miss the people and culture the most.

“For me, it’s a long list because there’s so much I love about El Paso but what I loved most was how El Pasoans welcomed and accepted me so quickly. I was only there for three years but I always tell people that it felt like I was there for 10 years with how many amazing people I met. I’m going to miss the people of El Paso and also the beauty of El Paso. I could spend my nights out at Rim Road and see two countries. That’s definitely something I’m going to miss the most.”

Who’s Stepping In Now:

Everyone’s favorite Aussie, Rachel Phillips, will be jumping in to be the ONLY female sports anchor in the borderland.

She’ll continue her role as a weekday general assignment reporter and jump into her role as a sports anchor during ABC-7’s weekend prime-time evening shows.

It’s not goodbye. It’s I’ll see you later:

The worst part of working in this business is the number of goodbyes you have to say to co-workers you grow to love and appreciate. However, I’m the kind of person who likes to look at the silver lining of every sad situation so, it’s not really a goodbye, It’s more of an “I’ll call you all up when I’m in town so you can let me stay at your apartments free of charge!”

Good luck to my Mijos, Mar Mar and Nate. Keep making El Paso proud!

KVIA Anchors Say Goodbye