The Rundown

Trump’s FCC pick Brendan Carr made his presence felt on late night TV when lawyers at CBS allegedly told host Late Night host Stephen Colbert he couldn’t interview Texas State Rep. James Talarico, the up and coming Texas Democrat who is running against current house member U.S Rep. Jasmine Crockett for a U.S. Senate seat.

Since Colbert wasn’t able to broadcast the interview, he put the video on YouTube, because network folks don’t understand how the internet works…or do they? Who knows anymore?

The FCC opened a probe into ABC’s “The View,” after Talarico appeared on that show.

Talarico is a former public school teacher who serves as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Talarico has been called a “rising star” among Texas Democrats.

Click here to read more from the Austin American-Statesman.

“I think that Donald Trump is worried that we’re about to flip Texas,” Talarico said. “This is the party that ran against cancel culture, and now they’re trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read. And this is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture, the kind that comes from the top.”

Talarico also said Trump is “selling out the First Amendment to curry favor with corrupt politicians.”

So here’s what Brian Stelter said about the perceived threats from the FCC. It’s all designed to silence thee opposition to Trump:

Flashback to what a source at the FCC told CNN last month when the agency made noise about revisiting the "equal time" rule:

"Once again here, the threat is the point."

The point is to "force shows and networks to second-guess their decisions in light of this 'new' guidance." pic.twitter.com/l6YSytvSA0

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 17, 2026

Indianapolis station WISH is officially live on Hulu.

The station said the “Hulu launch is part of our ongoing commitment to meet viewers where they are, on the platforms they already use every day. No matter how you stream, WISH-TV remains your home for trusted local coverage, breaking news and the stories that matter most to our community.”

Hulu subscribers can find WISH-TV listed as CW8 in the main channel guide, search “WISH-TV” by name, or locate the station in Hulu’s Local section.

Mikayla Smith is joining Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO as a meteorologist,

Smith comes from HailTrace, a company that maps storms live, including hail, wind, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

Here’s what she wrote on social:

“Exciting life update! I’m headed back to a tv screen near you! 🌦️📺

This is my final week at HailTrace . I could not have asked for a better company to be a part of these last few months. I got to work along side brilliant meteorologists and so many other incredible people in a sector of the weather industry I didn’t know much about. I learned so much and will forever have a special place in my heart for these last few months.

But my heart belongs to tv. I grew up wanting to be a broadcast meteoroloist and never knew how much I’d miss it until I wasn’t doing it every day!

Now I get to join Oklahoma’s best! KOCO 5 has been a dream job in a dream city I’ve wanted to call home for years! There is no greater honor than being part of the First Alert Storm Team. OKC let’s do this! 💙⚡️😁”

Smith has also worked at FOX23 in Tulsa and at KXII in Sherman, Texas.

Karla Gil has joined Noticiero Telemundo California as weather anchor for weekday newscasts at 5, 6, and 11 p.m. on Telemundo 33 Sacramento / KCSO and Telemundo 51 Fresno / KNSO.

This is move from within Telemundo for Gil, who joins Noticiero Telemundo California after serving as weather anchor for Telemundo Kansas City / KGKC from 2023 to 2025. During that time, she also worked simultaneously as weather anchor for Telemundo St. Louis / WXST, Telemundo Minnesota / KMNW, and Telemundo Portland / KJYY from 2024 to 2025, covering a wide range of severe and impactful weather events.

“Karla’s ability to communicate critical weather information in moments that matter most strengthens our commitment to serving our communities with accurate and trusted coverage,” said Candy Durán, News Director for Noticiero Telemundo California. “We are happy to welcome her to our newsroom, and I’m confident her strong experience in weather reporting and a clear, engaging on-air presence will resonate with our viewers.”

Gil has received multiple regional Emmy Awards for her work in Weather and Environmental Science categories, including coverage of extreme cold conditions and tornado formation. She has also been recognized with a Best Weather Anchor Mid-America Emmy Award.

Gil holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Universidad Arturo Michelena.

Spectrum News today announced an agreement with New England Cable News (NECN) and NBCUniversal for the acquisition of all the assets of NECN, including the network’s existing distribution agreements throughout New England.

“This agreement represents a significant milestone for Spectrum News as we grow our operation in New England and expand our viewership to additional markets across the country,” said Mike Bair, Executive Vice President of Spectrum Networks. “We look forward to building on a storied local news brand and honoring the importance of local news that serves communities throughout New England.” 

In the coming months, Spectrum News networks in Maine and Massachusetts will combine with NECN and rebrand as Spectrum News NECN. The new combined network will continue to be available to existing NECN distributors throughout New England and will also be available to Spectrum customers in Maine and Massachusetts along with Comcast’s Xfinity TV customers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Spectrum News has continued to expand its reach in recent years, launching multiple local linear TV news networks across the country, a streaming news network, Spectrum News+; a Spanish-language news network, Spectrum Noticias; introducing a mobile news app currently with more than 6 million downloads; and creating its local connected TV news app on Xumo Stream Box, Roku and Apple TV, underscoring its commitment to making Spectrum News available and accessible across multiple platforms.

Eric Graves has been named weekend morning anchor for Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC.

“Exciting news! I’m proud to officially be named the KMBC9 FirstNews Weekend anchor!” he announced on social media. “Growing up in Lee’s Summit, I never imagined I’d get a chance to be an anchor in Kansas City. To man the KMBC 9 desk on the weekend mornings is an honor and responsibility I don’t take lightly. Since I joined KMBC last summer, I’ve been surrounded in support by a great team of journalists. It’s thanks to them that I’m heading into this new position with confidence.”

Graves will co-anchor the morning newscast with Brittany Foster. He joined the station in July 2025.

KSAT anchor Myra Arthur will move from 5 and 6 p.m. on San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT to the 10 p.m, newscast.

She’ll co anchor The Nightbeat with Ernie Zuniga. She joined the station in 2012 after working at KCEN in Waco-Temple-Killeen.

The move comes after Stephania Jimenez moved to Houston sister station KPRC in January.

“Sharing the stories of San Antonio is a tremendous responsibility and one I’m proud of,”said Arthur. “It’s an honor to do that with The Nightbeat audience and our incredible 10pm team. I’m excited to write a new chapter at a station that feels like home in a city that is home.”

Kirstyn Clark has been named weekend anchor at Raleigh, N.C. NBC and FOX affiliate WRAL, part of Capitol Broadcasting Company.

Clark will begin anchoring WRAL’s weekend newscasts in late March.

“Kirstyn brings a deep commitment to storytelling that centers the voices and experiences of our community,” said Heather Gray, vice president and general manager of WRAL and FOX50. “Her professionalism, sharp news instincts and genuine connections with viewers make her an excellent fit for the weekend anchor desk. We are excited to see her continue to grow and lead on-air at WRAL.”

Clark joined WRAL in July 2025 after working as a weekend morning fill-in anchor and reporter at WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Maryland.

“As journalists, our role is to serve the community, give a voice to the voiceless, and use storytelling to truly make a difference in people’s lives,” Clark said. “I’m grateful for this opportunity and honored to continue serving North Carolina viewers on the weekend.”  

“Kirstyn is an exceptional journalist who brings energy, credibility and great instincts to every newscast,” said Mike Friedrich, WRAL news director. “She connects naturally with viewers, and her reporting reflects the kind of thoughtful, community-focused journalism WRAL is known for. We’re excited to see her take on this expanded role as weekend anchor.”

Denver anchor Kyle Clark is ringing the bell the national “journalists” won’t. Heck, they won’t even stand up for their own when one is publicly and viciously abused by the man who calls himself our president.

He’s telling his viewers to listen to the pedophile who calls himself our president when he says he’s going to lockdown the elections so only he and his people can win.

I’m posting this because I believe it. I think it’s time we stop relying on old methods like sternly worded letters and hoping for the midterms. That ain’t gonna happen. If we don’t act now. We’re all gonna get f***ed.

Houston morning anchor Melissa Wilson has let viewers know how she’s doing with a health update.

“Hi Everyone, thank you for your incredible kindness, prayers, and concern. My surgery was planned reconstructive work related to injuries from an airbag years ago that eventually led to sleep apnea,” she wrote on social media. “Recovery is underway, my face is well wrapped at the moment, & I am healing well. I’m so very grateful to breathe clearly again, & look forward to being back soon. Texas-sized hugs to all. xoxo”

A spokesperson for the Fox owned station KRIV told Chron that Wilson is expected to be away from the morning newscast for at least a week. In the meantime, FOX 26 consumer reporter Heather Sullivan will be filling in for her on the morning show.