KSWB Does Mornings
By Allison Romano -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/7/2005
With help from sister station KTLA, Tribune Broadcasting's KSWB San Diego is now a player in the local-morning-news battle. On March 7, KSWB debuted its WB Morning News, a two-hour simulcast of KTLA's popular morning act, broadcast from 7 to 9 a.m. KSWB localizes the program by cutting away four times each hour to update traffic, weather and local headlines. “Morning news is the fastest-growing area for news viewership and revenue,” says KSWB VP/GM Bob Ramsey.
But the TV rush hour in San Diego is already crowded. Five English-language San Diego stations program live a.m. shows. At 7 a.m., the traditional affiliates—KFMB, KNSD and KGTV—repeat their networks' morning shows. Independent KUSI and Fox affiliate XETV stay local. Their household ratings can range from a 1 to 5.
Ramsey says sharing KTLA's morning show was a cost-effective way to break into the time slot, but he declined to break down financials. KSWB, which already programs a 10 p.m. newscast, will use a late-news crew to cover the morning shift.
| Who | Share of Population | Index* |
| White | 65% | 115 |
| Black | 7% | 59 |
| Hispanic origin | 24% | 180 |
| Asian | 5% | 197 |
| *Index is a measurement of consumer likelihood. An index of 100 indicates that the market is on par with the average of the 75 local markets.
SOURCE: Scarborough Release 1 2004 75 Markets Report (February '03-March '04)
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