Six months after Steven Albritton moved to the morning news, WLWT-TV has hired Houston native Chris Jacobs to anchor the 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. news.
The 2015 University of Houston graduate has anchored the past five years at KGBT-TV/KVEO-TV in the Rio Grande Valley. Starting Monday, May 1, he'll co-anchor the 7 p.m. news with Ashley Kirklen, and do the 10 p.m. on MeTV (Channel 5.2) solo.
"He's reported on both Hurricane Harvey and Hanna, which will be a major asset to WLWT's commitment to severe weather coverage," said Jeff Benscoter, Channel 5 news director, in the station announcement. "Chris has also reported extensively on the border crisis, including Presidential visits, the war on illegal drugs and human trafficking stories,"
Channel 5 has rotated anchors for its 10 p.m. MeTV newscast since October, when Albritton replaced Colin Mayfield on the morning program. Mayfield left after five years to anchor at WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C.
Jacobs "caught the 'news bug' after his first internship" at Houston's KPRC-TV while earning a degree in corporate communications, according to the KGBT-TV. He also interned at Houston's KHOU-TV.
He got his start at a TV station in Victoria, Texas, where he covered Hurricane Harvey; the 2017 mass shooting of 26 people at the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church; and the arson which destroyed the Victoria Islamic Center.
"I'm incredibly excited to join WLWT News 5, a station with immense talent and true journalists," Jacobs said in the media release. "Working with the team and exploring the city are at the top of my priority list. I'm looking forward to calling beautiful Cincinnati and WLWT News 5 home."
According to his Rio Grande Valley employer, "when Chris isn't behind the desk, you’ll find him playing his guitar, at a sports game or on a long-run in town."
