Main Anchor Martinez Leaves KNWA News for Houston

Jonathan Martinez left his position as lead evening news anchor for local NBC affiliate KNWA-TV on July 31.

A Galveston native, Martinez plans to return to his home state of Texas, where he will begin a weekend anchor job at NBC affiliate KPRC-TV in Houston this month.

“I’m pretty excited. It’s really rare to find a job where I can be back home,” Martinez said. “It’s going to be tough to leave NWA. It’s become like a second home.”

Martinez joined KNWA in 2012. Before that, he worked as morning news anchor at KTRV-TV in Boise, Idaho. His resume also includes stints at KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, KABB-TV in San Antonio and KBMT-TV in Beaumont, Texas.

“Jonathan has been a delight to work with these past three years,” KNWA general manager Lisa Kelsey said, in a press release. “He really took to our newsroom and our community with a passion that will be missed. But we are proud of his accomplishments and this next move in his career.”

KNWA had not announced Martinez’s replacement at the time of publication.