WFAA8's Daybreak goes softer with hiring of sports/entertainment/game show host Marc Istook as co-news anchor

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Texas Christian University graduate Marc Istook, who for the past 18 years has hosted a wide variety of entertainment, sports and game shows, will be the new co-anchor of WFAA8’s early morning Daybreak, where he’ll replace Ron Corning and join incumbent Kara Sewell.

Istook, who once interned at WFAA8, disclosed his new position on his Instagram account.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to bring my enthusiasm for news, sports, current events and pop culture back to Texas,” he said. “I’m thrilled for this job and this move and this chance to be around old friends and family. And I’m also heartbroken to say goodbye to a city and state I love filled with people who have influenced me and shaped me beyond belief.”

Istook has been based in Los Angeles since 2001, according to his website. “It was here I learned to fend for myself. It was here I learned the value of never quitting.” he said.

On his website, Istook says his first national network show was Gotta Get It for the Food Network. He also worked at the TV Guide Network, hosting Hollywood 411 besides doing red carpet interviews and reporting on movie premieres. In recent years, Istook has been with the NFL Network, where he primarily hosted the online show NFL Now. He also found time to host Punchline!, a game show tested on Fox-owned stations (including D-FW’s Fox4) during the summer of 2017. It wasn’t picked up.

Istook’s only experience as a traditional newscast anchor came shortly after his 1998 graduation from TCU, when he co-anchored the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts for KTEN-TV, the NBC affiliate station in Denton, TX. He also served as the station’s sports director before heading to L.A. Earlier, according to his website, Istook interviewed Billy Joel as a 14-year-old for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s teen section.

His fairly wild and crazy resume for the past 18 years includes stints with the BBC (as a tech correspondent); ABC.com (as host of online “after parties” for Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor); the Speed Channel (as host of Car Warriors); Yahoo (as host of Comic Connoisseurs); AOL (as host of AOL Travel Guide) and Pilgrim Studios (as host of America’s Luckiest Person).

Istook also has played a reporter on a variety of TV series, including Castle, Revenge and The Young And the Restless. And he hosted a podcast titled Dream Job.

His start date with Daybreak is yet to be determined. Corning left the program in March after eight years with WFAA8. He currently is exploring other career options.

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