KXAS meteorologist David Finfrock to retire in 2018; spurs shift in forecaster duties

[T.L. Hughes 890]

David Finfrock, who has been the chief meteorologist at NBC station KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth since 1991 and employed with the station overall since 1975, has signed a new five-year contract with the station. However, he has announced that he will retire at the end of the contract in May 2018.

 

In addition, Finfrock will reduce his duties to the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. This will spur quite a few shifts in the First Alert Weather staff's on-air duties as Rick Mitchell, who ended his 18-year run as chief meteorologist at Hearst Television-owned ABC affiliate KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City Monday evening (August 20), will not serve as weekday morning meteorologist as planned. Instead, Mitchell (who is supposed to make his on-air debut at KXAS as early as the week of August 27) will now serve as meteorologist for the 4 and 10 p.m. newscasts. Both Finfrock and Mitchell will provide team coverage during severe weather events (in a personal opinion, Mitchell has provided excellent coverage during severe weather events while at KOCO, and has often been considered by many Oklahoma residents to have a staid, more "straight-to-the-point" style with his weather coverage compared to the meteorologists on NBC affiliate KFOR, CBS affiliate KWTV and Fox affiliate KOKH, whom many consider to hype up their severe weather coverage).

 

Grant Johnston, himself also formerly worked in Oklahoma City at KFOR-TV, will now take over Mitchell's originally planned shift as weekday morning meteorologist for the 5-7 a.m. NBC 5 Today, as the permanent replacement for Jennifer Lopez (former meteorologist at The Weather Channel, not the singer/actress) who left KXAS a couple of months ago. Samantha Davies (an alumnus of the now-defunct NBC Weather Plus), who had been the fill-in meteorologist for the 5-7 a.m. newscast, will return to doing the half-hour 4:30 a.m. forecast-centric program NBC 5 First Weather full-time. Remeisha Shade will remain as weekend morning meteorologist, being the only member of KXAS' First Alert Weather team to not have their shift changed.