Morning anchor Kris Gutierrez leaving CBS 2

Kris Gutierrez

Kris Gutierrez

For the third time in three years, WBBM-Channel 2 is in the market for a morning news anchor.

The CBS-owned station confirmed Wednesday that Kris Gutierrez will be leaving in February and that a search is on for his replacement alongside Erin Kennedy from 4:30 to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday. “We wish him well,” a spokeswoman said.

Gutierrez is moving back to Texas, where he was a Dallas-based correspondent for Fox News before joining CBS 2 in March 2012. Gutierrez did not respond to a request for comment.

His hiring here culminated an eight-month search to replace Steve Bartelstein, who left as morning news anchor in July 2011. It took the station a full year to hire Kennedy as successor to Susan Carlson, who exited in May 2013.

Although ratings were up from one year ago, CBS 2’s morning newscast still finished a distant fourth in November, averaging only 24,738 households in the 5 a.m. hour and 35,340 households in the 6 a.m. hour.

Gutierrez’s wife, Krystle Gutierrez, has been working as a per diem general-assignment reporter for Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9 and fill-in news anchor for CLTV.