WKRC Adds News, WPIX Subtracts

WKRC Cincinnati is adding an hour of news, at 4:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., while WPIX New York is scrapping its 6:30 p.m. newscast.

Business Courier of Cincinnati (by the way, is there a more difficult city to spell than Cincinnati? I swear I have it wrong every time I type it) reports that WKRC’s news additions start in September. The 4:30 p news takes the place of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. The 4:30 a.m. is yet another example of stations starting the day earlier and earlier to meet the news needs of their always up/always on viewers.

“We are very happy to expand our commitment to news at Local 12,” said News Director Elbert Tucker in the statement. “This expansion is exciting, and we’re looking forward to the growth.”

WKRC is a Newport TV-owned CBS affil.

WPIX, meanwhile, has been trying all sorts of things to move the needle in Gotham. The Tribune outlet featured a cash-grab promotion in the May sweeps, changed some anchor lineups, and dismissed popular general manager Betty Ellen Berlamino last week.

And less than a year after debuting a 6:30 news, the CW affiliate is pulling the plug on it later this month, reports the NY Daily News.

WPIX will air a double dose of Friends from 6-7 p.

“We have decided to move our resources to late news and morning news, and we’re confident this will speed growth in both,” station news director Bill Carey said Tuesday. “At the same time, this strengthens our already popular sitcom lineup.”

As we all know, news is difficult and expensive to produce–especially good, leading news. Nexstar’s Perry Sook told me this about the costs of producing local news: “If you’re not #1 or #2 in the vast majority of our markets, your local news is probably not a profit center.”