Karla Castillo

Karla Castillo is an award-winning news anchor who joined KBTX in May 2009.

She currently anchors Brazos Valley This Morning weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. and serves as the morning executive producer.

Karla helped launch First News at Four in 2011. She and her producer at the time created "Free Music Friday," which still airs regularly on the program.

Before moving to mornings, Karla anchored Live at Five, News 3 at Six and News 3 at Ten since 2015. She made the schedule change in April 2022 to spend more time with her family.

Karla is a California native. She graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Political Science. She spent a summer interning with the sports department at KSAT in San Antonio. While there, she helped cover great sporting events like the Dallas Cowboys training camp under coach Bill Parcells, and the San Antonio Spurs' 2003 NBA Championship.

While Karla originally wanted to be a sports reporter, she has found her passion in news. She has covered some memorable assignments in her time at KBTX News, including the 2009 fire at the El Dorado Chemical Company that prompted a large city evacuation. Karla was honored to represent the Brazos Valley in Washington, D.C. when she traveled there in 2018 to cover the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush. Within hours, she was back in College Station to continue her coverage from the Bush Library, where he was laid to rest.

Most recently, Karla has traveled to the nation's capital with the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce to cover their annual federal legislative affairs trip. During the week-long trip in May, a local delegation meets with elected officials from Texas in Washington to discuss priorities for Brazos County.

When you don't see Karla on the television, chances are you'll see her out in the community. She takes pride in her involvement with local nonprofits. Karla serves on the Board of Directors for the Sexual Assault Resource Center, Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity, and the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. For years, she's also served on the committee that helps organize the Great American Steak Out, a major annual fundraiser for Scotty's House.

Karla enjoys emceeing dozens of community events each year like the Hispanic Forum's annual Scholarship Gala and the Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center's Power of the Purse.

She also loves learning and has enjoyed participating in programs like the Bryan Police Department's Citizen Police Academy, the Brazos County District Attorney's Citizen's Prosecutor Academy, and the Chamber's Leadership Brazos.

Karla is the proud daughter of immigrants. She is fluent in Spanish and began using that skill in her work more during the COVID-19 pandemic when she began regular, Spanish-language updates on community trends and resources. She currently hosts a weekly Spanish segment on Facebook with information about community events and relevant news updates.

In 2023, Karla was honored by the Texas Association of Broadcasters as Best News Anchor. She was also named Best News Anchor in 2017 by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters. Karla has also received Emmy nominations for her anchoring.

Karla is fortunate to have a family that provides tremendous support. She's very grateful for her husband Mike and their son.