February 16, 2018 • Local News
El Paso Times: KVIA News Channel-7 anchor Rick Cabrera announces he's leaving station
News Channel-7 anchor Rick Cabrera is leaving the station at the end of May.
The longtime newscaster announced the news on the "Mike and Tricia" show Friday morning on KISS-FM 93.1.
Cabrera said it is a scary decision because he's been at the station so long and has a connection with co-anchor Estela Casas.
He began anchoring the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. news casts, following the retirement of longtime anchor Gary Warner in May of 2008. He originally started at the station as a weekend sports anchor.
MORE: KVIA's Estela Casas completes chemo, to have double mastectomy
"I'm tired of working nights," he said. "It's hard when the kids want to play and I'm in a suit and checking my phone to see" what inappropriate things the president is saying, he said on the radio.
Kevin Lovell, general manager, said Cabrera's loss is a big one and leaves a rare opportunity.
"It's unfortunate. We hate to lose him and he's been here almost 20 years," he said.
He added, "We've effectively had two main anchors for 40 years at the station. It's not a position we fill very often."
Lovell said the station is looking both inside and outside of the station to find a seasoned journalist who can be a great partner to El Paso news icon Estela Casas.
Cabrera has a wide breadth of experience and knowledge, is dedicated to political coverage and also produced "ABC-7 Listens," a weekly segment where he responds to viewers' comments, Lovell said.
MORE: KVIA news anchor Estela Casas launches fund to help women battling breast cancer
"He's a class-act and a real professional," he said.
Cabrera said he couldn't say yet what he is going to do but he is staying in El Paso and that it would be business related.
"I love El Paso," he said. "It's my home."
Source: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/el-paso/2018/02/16/channel-7-news-anchor-rick-cabrera-announces-leaving-station-kvia/345204002/
Share this Article
