KVOA Tucson Expands Reporting Staff

Cordillera Communications-owned NBC affiliate KVOA Tucson, Ariz. (DMA 70), is expanding and restructuring the reporting team of its morning newscast, Tucson Today, airing weekdays at 5-7 a.m.

Beginning March 26, Samantha Ptashkin will join Tucson Today from her current staff reporting slot at the station.  Ptashkin will cover breaking news from the Tucson metro area and provide on-going coverage of the day’s high-profile news stories.

Ptashkin is a graduate of the Northwestern University-Medill School of Journalism. Before joining KVOA, she was a reporter at WREX Rockford, Ill., and was weekend news anchor at KMSB Tucson.

In addition,  Nichole Szemerei, current Tucson Today field reporter, will become the show’s traffic anchor.  Szemerei replaces current traffic anchor, Larissa Wohl.  Wohl will shift to field reporting duties for the station.  A new Tucson Today field reporter, to replace Szemerei, will be named later.

Szemerei is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Previously she reported for KULR Billings, Mont., and WCIA Rockford, Ill.