Sinclair axes most of it's news output in Flint plus Eureka, Columbia, and Macon

[DarrenVision]

Morning newscasts will be axed by March 31 replacing with The National Desk, hour 1 on NBC-WEYI then hours 2-3 on Fox-WSMH plus 5pm weeknights will be cancelled too on WEYI in a market once affected by CBS's purchase of WWJ (WGPR) prompted CBS to make deals with WNEM and WTOL in the neighboring Toledo in which ABC snapped up WTVG and WJRT leaving from SLJ/Lilly Broadcasting resulting in NBC affiliating on WEYI and it's now sister station WNWO.

Redding's ABC-KRCR's sister satellite station ABC-KAEF in Eureka, CA along with Fox-KCVU's sister station Fox-KBVU axed their only 6pm and 10pm news specific to Eureka leaving INSP's KIEM as Eureka's only local tv station with a news department.

No word if the newsrooms of Columbia, SC's Fox-WACH and Macon's GA's Fox/ABC-WGXA will be axed while there will be significant layoffs will occur but I feared it will follow the same fate as Fox's Albany, GA station WFXL airing the entirety of The National Desk both morning and evening.

FTVLIve: (Sinclair Continues Layoffs — FTVLive)

Adweek: (Sinclair Responds to Reports of Layoffs at Some of Its Stations)

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

This is a list of newscasts affected as a result of the Sinclair cutbacks...

• The Flint one is documented well. No more weekday morning, weeknight hour-long 5pm, and any weekend news at all at WEYI/WSMH.
  • Only the weeknight half-hour 6, hour-long 10 (WSMH) and half-hour 11pm news remains.
• WGXA Macon has cut its weeknight 5:30pm news and its weeknight hour-long + Sunday half-hour 10pm news.
  • WGXA's news for its ABC subchannel still remains in place, which includes weekday ONLY newscasts for an hour at 6am, and two half-hours at 6 and 11pm.
  • WGXA's half-hour weeknight news at 5pm on the FOX side also remains in place, making it the ONLY local newscast left on the main channel.
• KAEF is actually now down to just one separate half-hour weeknight edition for the North Coast at 6pm.
  • This leaves the weeknight half-hour 10 (KBVU) and 11pm (KAEF) newscasts as now simulcasts of KCVU and KRCR's news during the exact same times.
  • If anything, it has also added a simulcast of KRCR's 5:30pm newscast as well. KRCR and KAEF now simulcast from 5-7am, 5:30-6 and 11-11:35pm with KBVU simulcasting KCVU at 10pm.
• After a 15+ year run, WACH has cut its entire weekday morning newscast, Good Day Columbia, from 5-9am.
  • Its weeknight half-hour 5pm, weeknight hour-long, and weekend half-hour 10pm news do remain.
• WPMI has cut its entire weekday morning news as well that ran from 5-7am as well as its half-hour weekday noon news.
  • All its evening newscasts are still around, including half-hours on weeknights at 6 and 7 (WJTC) and every night at 5 and 10pm.

This is all researched via TitanTV, OnTVTonight, and TVPassport.

 

[DarrenVision]

This is a list of newscasts affected as a result of the Sinclair cutbacks...

• The Flint one is documented well. No more weekday morning, weeknight hour-long 5pm, and any weekend news at all at WEYI/WSMH.
  • Only the weeknight half-hour 6, hour-long 10 (WSMH) and half-hour 11pm news remains.
• WGXA Macon has cut its weeknight 5:30pm news and its weeknight hour-long + Sunday half-hour 10pm news.
  • WGXA's news for its ABC subchannel still remains in place, which includes weekday ONLY newscasts for an hour at 6am, and two half-hours at 6 and 11pm.
  • WGXA's half-hour weeknight news at 5pm on the FOX side also remains in place, making it the ONLY local newscast left on the main channel.
• KAEF is actually now down to just one separate half-hour weeknight edition for the North Coast at 6pm.
  • This leaves the weeknight half-hour 10 (KBVU) and 11pm (KAEF) newscasts as now simulcasts of KCVU and KRCR's news during the exact same times.
  • If anything, it has also added a simulcast of KRCR's 5:30pm newscast as well. KRCR and KAEF now simulcast from 5-7am, 5:30-6 and 11-11:35pm with KBVU simulcasting KCVU at 10pm.
• After a 15+ year run, WACH has cut its entire weekday morning newscast, Good Day Columbia, from 5-9am.
  • Its weeknight half-hour 5pm, weeknight hour-long, and weekend half-hour 10pm news do remain.
• WPMI has cut its entire weekday morning news as well that ran from 5-7am as well as its half-hour weekday noon news.
  • All its evening newscasts are still around, including half-hours on weeknights at 6 and 7 (WJTC) and every night at 5 and 10pm.

This is all researched via TitanTV, OnTVTonight, and TVPassport.

WPMI and WJTC overlaps

This is a list of newscasts affected as a result of the Sinclair cutbacks...

• The Flint one is documented well. No more weekday morning, weeknight hour-long 5pm, and any weekend news at all at WEYI/WSMH.
  • Only the weeknight half-hour 6, hour-long 10 (WSMH) and half-hour 11pm news remains.
• WGXA Macon has cut its weeknight 5:30pm news and its weeknight hour-long + Sunday half-hour 10pm news.
  • WGXA's news for its ABC subchannel still remains in place, which includes weekday ONLY newscasts for an hour at 6am, and two half-hours at 6 and 11pm.
  • WGXA's half-hour weeknight news at 5pm on the FOX side also remains in place, making it the ONLY local newscast left on the main channel.
• KAEF is actually now down to just one separate half-hour weeknight edition for the North Coast at 6pm.
  • This leaves the weeknight half-hour 10 (KBVU) and 11pm (KAEF) newscasts as now simulcasts of KCVU and KRCR's news during the exact same times.
  • If anything, it has also added a simulcast of KRCR's 5:30pm newscast as well. KRCR and KAEF now simulcast from 5-7am, 5:30-6 and 11-11:35pm with KBVU simulcasting KCVU at 10pm.
• After a 15+ year run, WACH has cut its entire weekday morning newscast, Good Day Columbia, from 5-9am.
  • Its weeknight half-hour 5pm, weeknight hour-long, and weekend half-hour 10pm news do remain.
• WPMI has cut its entire weekday morning news as well that ran from 5-7am as well as its half-hour weekday noon news.
  • All its evening newscasts are still around, including half-hours on weeknights at 6 and 7 (WJTC) and every night at 5 and 10pm.

This is all researched via TitanTV, OnTVTonight, and TVPassport.

wow it ain't a late April Fools prank of at least it happened on the final week of March. Keep that mind WPMI & WJTC overlaps with WEAR/WFGX but WPMI, WEYI, and WGXA are among the markets Sinclair and it's predecessors is struggling since the Fox/New World alliance deal, consider their sister stations in St. Louis (KDNL) and Piedmont Triad (WXLV) are the only markets ABC is struggling in the ratings after KTVI and WGHP respectively joined FOX not only in primetime but lacking local resources to feed to the national ABC News operation such as the 2014 Ferguson protests near St. Louis.

Sinclair would've been better to sell both St. Louis and the Triad, or even merge the Pensacola/Mobile operation to WEAR/WFGX. I would we surprising if Gray makes an investment for the purchase for WPGA and take either ABC back or pick up Fox for the Macon-Bibb market long dominated by Tegna's WMAZ and in some extent Morris Multimedia owned WMGT.

 

[DarrenVision]

Also Gulf Coast Today was on 12:30pm weekdays, i forgot to enter into the TV Guide app zip codes. idk if it's cancelled or moved? BTW, WKRG's 9pm cast on WFNA was axed too some months ago.

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

BTW, WKRG's 9pm cast on WFNA was axed too some months ago.

Where are you hearing that from? TV schedules still show it.

 

[DarrenVision]

Where are you hearing that from? TV schedules still show it.

TV Guide app

 

[DarrenVision]

Scratch that nevermind it's still there

 

[crainbebo]

Sinclair axing newscasts and departments in some cases in the mid/small markets? I would NOT be surprised if this starts applying to the eastern WA CBS stations soon. As the audience drops, and the advertising revenue dries, small-market TV news becomes an endangered species...

 

[DarrenVision]

Sinclair axing newscasts and departments in some cases in the mid/small markets? I would NOT be surprised if this starts applying to the eastern WA CBS stations soon. As the audience drops, and the advertising revenue dries, small-market TV news becomes an endangered species...

Depends on the ratings of the newscasts but even in Red dominated cities and states, Metro ones like Flint or Columbia mostly voted Blue than Red

 

[Mikey Radio]

Sinclair axing newscasts and departments in some cases in the mid/small markets? I would NOT be surprised if this starts applying to the eastern WA CBS stations soon. As the audience drops, and the advertising revenue dries, small-market TV news becomes an endangered species...

My parents live in a small market and the last several times I've visited, I've noticed a few things: 1) The news stories on their local stations are incredibly repetitive. At times its almost the same stuff at noon, 6 and 11 with just some items like sports scores or a larger new story inserted here and there. I've even heard the same canned field reports air for a few consecutive days at times. 2) They do have a few local advertisers, but many of the spots are things like full-length safety messages from the highway patrol and the like, which I'm guessing they're billing next to nothing for and 3) Their "anchors" are also out in the field throughout the day filming events, news items and interviews, most likely using a cell or mobile device from the looks of some of them. 4) Their 5 or 5:30 news is a regional newscast where the same company owns a number of stations within several miles of each other, with a few smaller cities and lots of more rural areas. They pull stories from a few of their stations and put together a regional news with bits from all of them and a central anchor.

I've often wondered if it will get to the point where all of their newscasts will become regional, where things like international, national and state news and weather will come from a central news desk and anchor, and they'll just have a skeleton crew at each station to shoot and put together field reports, cover some local sporting events, major accidents and the like.

 

[crainbebo]

You're right...the local news here sometimes airs crime stories 2-3 days after the scanners reported the incident. Lazy reporting.
In addition, there's the 'must runs' from Sinclair, Scott Thuman, Angela Brown, etc. Plus "Motivate Your Monday," health segments sponsored by a medical clinic, etc. that are a waste of news time. Some news stories are worthless statistics..."Yakima County reported four more homicides in 2022 than in 2021, and 18 more robberies last year than the year before". Anything happening in Ellensburg? Sunnyside? Cle Elum? Good news, at least? Many stories are also second-runs from KOMO in Seattle.
They still have reporters, but they all leave for bigger markets within a year to year-and-a-half. They take a camera and hit record. There is no 'operator' with them.
Yes, I hear those safety messages often on the news as well, from the sheriff's department, Health Department, WSP, etc. Especially around the major holidays, regarding DUIs, fireworks bans, etc.
Cowles Broadcasting recently went to 'NonStop Local' branding for their newscasts on all stations...they don't identify with callsigns, or even network affiliation for the most part. The only one that uses a call sign is the mothership KHQ Spokane. The old Q6 branding that was used for 50+ years? It's six feet under in the Spokane TV graveyard now.

Small-town TV IS an endangered species. Too bad. Social media killed the TV news industry in markets below 100.

 

[DarrenVision]

You're right...the local news here sometimes airs crime stories 2-3 days after the scanners reported the incident. Lazy reporting.
In addition, there's the 'must runs' from Sinclair, Scott Thuman, Angela Brown, etc. Plus "Motivate Your Monday," health segments sponsored by a medical clinic, etc. that are a waste of news time.
Cowles Broadcasting recently went to 'NonStop Local' branding for their newscasts on all stations...they don't identify with callsigns, or even network affiliation for the most part. The only one that uses a call sign is the mothership KHQ Spokane. The old Q6 branding that was used for 50+ years? It's six feet under in the Spokane TV graveyard now.

Small-town TV IS an endangered species. Too bad. Social media killed the TV news industry in markets below 100.

So KREM is no.1 and KXLY is no.2

 

[crainbebo]

Last I heard KREM and KHQ were dogfighting for #1 in the ratings with KXLY a distant 3rd. Not sure if anything's changed now that the legendary branding has been taken off the air.

 

[DarrenVision]

Last I heard KREM and KHQ were dogfighting for #1 in the ratings with KXLY a distant 3rd. Not sure if anything's changed now that the legendary branding has been taken off the air.

well KXLY and KHQ changed their logos Nonstop Local and 4 News Now, it didn't make a dent in ratings

 

[DarrenVision]

Sinclair is pulling the plug on the newsrooms of WNWO Toledo, Ohio (outsourced by WSBT South Bend); KTVL Medford, Oregon; KPTM Omaha, Nebraska (outsourced by KMPH/KFRE Fresno, CA); WGFL Gainesville, FL; and KPTH/KMEG Sioux City, Iowa

Sinclair Shutters Five News Markets: “We Just Turned Off The Lights For Many”

Sinclair stations in Ohio, Oregon, Nebraska, Florida and Iowa were given notice last week that their news operations will be shutting down imminently. “Information is power, and we just turned the lights off for many,” said one fired employee.

tvnewscheck.com

Sinclair Pulls Plug on KTVL Medford Operations

Longtime Oregon broadcast company, KTVL-TV, will end most local news coverage by May 15th. An inside source told Medford Alert that Sinclair Broadcast Group (KTVL’s parent company) will shutter nea…

medfordalert.com

Number of local newsrooms being closed by Sinclair grows

Nearly a half-dozen broadcast stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group will lose their local news programming in the coming weeks.

thedesk.net

Local News Ending at Select Sinclair Stations, Newsrooms to Shut Down

Sinclair said it is "changing the way we produce news in Medford to ensure the station’s long-term success."

www.adweek.com

Sinclair Broadcast Cuts Entire Newsrooms at 2 Stations to Ensure Long-Term Success

"They were planning to keep the entire community in the dark," one employee said of Sinclair

www.thewrap.com

Rogue Valley Sinclair Broadcasting station KTVL to lay off all news employees, staffer says

The Southern Oregon and Northern California TV station KTVL plans to lay off its entire news staff in mid-May, according to a current staff member.

www.ijpr.org

Sinclair to lay off entire Southern Oregon newsroom, replace local news with 'The National Desk'

Starting in May, viewers who tune in to KTVL will see a Sinclair-produced national newscast instead of their favorite local journalists.

thedesk.net

Sinclair to close newsroom in Toledo, Ohio; replacing local news with 'The National Desk'

Sinclair Broadcast Group is pulling local news from its Toledo NBC affiliate, a move that was described as a way to "ensure our long-term success."

thedesk.net

 

[DarrenVision]

To be clear it's not part of the Bally Sports bankruptcy even it does involved with Sinclair's Trump support and Trump DOJ's controversial Disney/Fox merger approval with conditions of divesting FSN to Sinclair/Bryon Allen.

 

[crainbebo]

Losing KTVL is a massive blow to southern Oregon. KOBI and KDRV will be happy to take a whole bunch of channel 10's viewers. The others are low-rated in their communities and I'm not surprised.

Who thinks KIMA is next? Or KLEW? Unfortunate to say this, but I've been predicting this for years now.

 

[DarrenVision]

Fox News Critic Media Matters: Sinclair is closing 10 local TV newsrooms. It will broadcast right-wing misinformation instead.

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

It all got started when WLFL cut WTVD's news... remember that. We should've known what was coming when that first came down.

 

[DarrenVision]

among the last newscasts ended but KMEG/KPTH is the among the most worry closures