KXAS Dallas Beefs Up A.M. News Coverage

NBC-owned KXAS Dallas (DMA 5) is launching a new investigative reporting team led by its Scott Friedman, and adding “significant resources” to its NBC 5 News Today, which airs from 4:30 to 7 a.m. each weekday.

Friedman will lead an investigative team that will include a producer, researcher and photographer devoted to uncovering stories important to the community. The team will begin work once fully staffed in the coming weeks.

“This is an investigative reporter’s dream, having the support and the resources to track down and report stories that can really make a difference for all of us who live here,” said Friedman.

“We are committed to investing in quality investigative reporting,” said Susan Tully, KXAS vice president of news. “Scott brings a wealth of experience to the job and we’re excited he will lead this important team.”

Friedman’s reporting expertise in covering American Airlines led to KXAS breaking the news of the company’s bankruptcy filing last year, as well as stories about layoffs and job cuts affecting thousands of airline employees.

Prior to his six years of reporting and anchoring experience at KXAS, Friedman led an investigative unit at WTMJ Milwaukee. While there, he blew the whistle on Illinois sex offenders moving into Wisconsin without the knowledge of state officials and uncovered an illegal after-hours bar for police officers, a story that led to a major police misconduct investigation.

“I could not pass up the opportunity to be part of this new team, that will showcase NBC 5’s commitment to investigative reporting,” said Friedman, who will remain an anchor on NBC 5 News Today until his successor is selected.

NBC 5 is adding key resources over the coming months to other areas of its news operation. Deborah Ferguson, the North Texas native and NBC 5 News Today anchor, has signed a new contract with the station.  Ferguson recently celebrated her 20-year anniversary with the station.

Reporter Amanda Guerra will report daily from the NBC 5 Breaking News Center while pushing out news updates on Facebook and Twitter. She will also keep users of NBCDFW.com up to date.

Meteorologist Jennifer Lopez has decided to leave the morning team after four years at the station.  Meteorologist Samantha Davies will temporarily assume primary forecasting responsibilities for NBC 5 News Today after joining the team as weather anchor for NBC First Alert Weather at 4:30 a.m. last year.

Keaton Fox, a multimedia journalist working out of an NBC 5 mobile unit traveling the roads of North Texas, will cover live, breaking news each morning. Fox was hired in January 2012 from KRIS in Corpus Christi.

KXAS’s Ben Russell will also continue to report live from throughout North Texas each morning.  Russell, an award-winning journalist, joined the station five months ago from WHP Harrisburg, PA.

New to the morning team is Kendra Lyn, who will work as an NBC 5 News Today field reporter, and is joining the station from WESH Orlando, Fla., this month.

Leading the KXAS morning team behind the scenes is executive producer, Tim Livingston, who joined the station in January. Livingston brings an extensive news management background working most recently as assistant news director in Dayton, Ohio, and as a news director in Toledo, Ohio.