Houston Anchor Says No to Viewer Who Tells Her to Stop Saying Goodbye in Spanish

ABC 13 (KTRK) evening anchor Mayra Moreno is clapping back over criticism she speaks Spanish during her newscasts.

The veteran journalist who joined the Houston ABC owned station in 2015, recently responded on to a viewer who didn’t like her nightly sign-off of “Buenas Noches.” 

In an email, the viewer wrote: “I would like to make a suggestion. When you present the news in English you seem to feel we need to know your ethnicity by signing off ‘Buenas Noches’. I’m sure you know we have Spanish stations if you need to drop something in Spanish. If you speak in English throughout the show, why do you sign-off in Spanish? With all that’s going on with the Latinos, your sign-off sounds like you’re teasing the Hispanics. There’s no need for this kind of activity to go on.” 

CHRON

“I say it with pride at the end of my newscast. It’s small, but it’s meaningful to me. A simple way to share a piece of myself with the people I serve every night,” she responded on Instagram. “I’m proud of who I am. Proud to be a reflection of my parents who are hardworking, bilingual, and full of corazón.”

Moreno said that growing up she faced lots of racism and was made fun of because she had an accent, adding it took me a long time for her not to feel ashamed of her roots.

“So no, I’m not going to stop saying it,” wrote. “And I’m definitely not going to apologize for being bilingual, bicultural, and unapologetically me. Buenas Noches, Houston.”

The Houston Chronicle said that in late 2024, she received widespread support from viewers and fellow journalists alike after defending her accurate pronunciation of Spanish names during newscasts. 

According to her station bio, Moreno is a proud alum of the University of Houston, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double major in Journalism and Spanish.