KMTV is not following the lead of its parent network in hyping a change to its early-evening newscast lineup.Thirty minutes after Katie Couric makes her debut as host of the "CBS Evening News" tonight, KMTV (Cox Channel 5) will broadcast a local newscast at 6 p.m. for the first time in three years.
"We're excited about the launch of Action 3 News Live at 6, because it gives us another opportunity to showcase our aggressive coverage of news, weather and sports," said Steve Wexler, Senior Vice-President of Television & Radio Operations
for the Journal Broadcast Group. "Especially with the debut of Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News, we'll work hard to be first with breaking news and coverage of the most important stories."
KMTV pulled the plug on its 6 p.m. newscast in Sept. 2003 in the wake of low ratings, replacing it with syndicated programming that has not performed much better.
Unlike its competition, KMTV is "soft-launching" the new newscast. KMTV Promotions Writer Kayla Thomas said no press release is being put out to herald the change, nor is anything about the new newscast listed on the station's website, action3news.com.
When KETV (Cox Channel 9) launched its weekend morning newscast earlier this year, its debut was trumpeted by a slew of on-air promos, a website banner and a press release. KXVO (Cox Channel 11) did the same for the launch of its new 10 p.m. newscast late last year.
3 comments:
I have a couple of questions for O-Newsie. You said "...and return Ryan McPike, who is just not "chief meteorlolgist material" to weekends." When was Ryan McPike ever on weekends? If you don't like KMTV so much, why do you watch? Don't you have anything better to do than complain?
I think that KMTV has been behind because people expect it to be. These days tv viewers are so finicky with so many options that another local news station is not interesting. KMTV needs to "blow the viewers out of the water" KETV did this with the newsplex, WOWT keeps viewers, Even KPTM and KXVO are not afraid to make drastic changes. As a viwer I do not care about flashy lights, News promos, new sets ect. In fact I tend to avoid hype and tv programs that are afraid to change. What is important is are the news casters talented and do I feel that I have been informed. Action 3 news is improved and their reports are better but they need to overhall the cast and give me a reason to watch. In 2006 what does KMTV have to do with Omaha. Cant they have more orginal calls, it must be true because they hardly use them. KOMA TV would be fit alot better with an action news format. KOMA Action 3 News- Omaha news...
I really don't think the call letters matter. The station took them off everything and never use the calls on air except the text on legal id's required by the FCC. The problem I've noticed with the launch of the six, reports across the board seem to be going back to the KM3 format. If they are going to do *real* Action News, they need to stick to it. Otherwise, it will turn into one of the many changing faces of KMTV.
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