San Antonio Express News by Jeanne Jakle
Bye, bye, funny guy. One of local TV news' most distinctive personalities is shutting the window on San Antonio.
Specifically, "Walton's Window."
Johnathan Walton of KABB's 9 p.m. news revealed Wednesday that he is headed for what he calls a bigger opportunity at Houston's CBS affiliate. On KHOU, he'll be what he dubs "the morning show funny guy." Three days a week he'll present an off-the-wall feature about a Houston event, trend or activity that will be similar in style to the one he did every night on S.A.'s Fox affiliate. (It could be called "Walton's World" or "Waking Up With Walton," he mused.)
On the days he doesn't do this, he'll be on-set anchoring a segment, similar to "what Jon Stewart does on Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show,'" he said. Walton will comment irreverently on news happenings; among his subjects, of course, will be the easily spoofed news out of Hollywood. After all, he said, his official title in Houston will be entertainment anchor/reporter.
Though the hours may be tough to get used to - 5 a.m.-1 p.m. vs. his current 1-10 p.m. gig at KABB - he said the move represents quite a few steps up in market size and salary. Houston is No. 11 in U.S. market size vs. San Antonio at 37. And he says: "I'll be making more money than I've ever made in my life."
His last day is March 29, and he hopes to do "a blowout-extravaganza-retrospective-wrap-up" for his last piece. ("Walton's Window" appears right before the half-hour mark of the hourlong 9 p.m. news.)
Though he'll miss San Antonio and the following he earned here with his offbeat feature on everything from weird piercings to haunted railroad tracks to hot air balloon rides, Walton believes his move to Houston will bring him closer to his ultimate goal: to have his own national show ... maybe even on a network.
"Fox's 10 p.m. spot is still open," he said.
Uh-huh, OK. Modesty, obviously, is not one of Mr. Walton's strong points.
