WICD cancels all local newscasts; will now be produced at WICS

[mvcg66b3r]

Well well well… It looks like Sinclair is ready to make a transition to make WICS/WICD look more like one news station, instead of two. And that requires also shutting down one of the stations’ duopoly’s news departments. And WICD, will get that ax.

We are being told, according to VermillionCountyFirst.com and also according to FTVLive, that Sinclair has pink slipped a number of on-air and off-air staffers at WICD 15, the ABC station out of Champaign, IL that is a semi-satellite to WICS 20 in Springfield, IL. And because of that semi-satellite status, WICD will dump 95% of its locally produced newscasts and move them to WICS 20, starting next month in April. In other words, all newscasts seen on WICS 20 will also be seen on WICD 15.

Just letting you know that I said 95% and that I didn’t count the other 5%. Why? Its because WICD 15 will be trading in the 95% for the 5% to start up a brand new one-hour 9:00 p.m. weeknight newscast on WRSP 55’s semi-satellite station WCCU 27. This new one-hour newscast will also start in April and will be produced out of WICD 15. WICS 20 will continue to produce the Springfield version of the news at 9:00 for WRSP 55 as well as the weekend editions at 9:00 on WRSP 55/WCCU 27 in both areas.

According to VermillionCountyFirst.com and FTVLive, some employees have been given 30-day termination notices and will only keep a few employees while the rest could either be retained by WICS 20 in Springfield or could be let go altogether. A news release says that the “reallocation of resources will require fewer staff members in Champaign and more news staffers in Springfield.”

https://changingnewscasts.wordpress...-of-local-produced-news-only-900-pm-be-saved/

 

[mvcg66b3r]

We already seen this in Minneapolis with WCCO/KCCO/KCCW and KSTP/KSAX/KRWF.

Could this happen in other markets with semi-satellites (WDAY Fargo/WDAZ Grand Forks; KLTV Tyler/KTRE Lufkin; KIMA Yakima/KEPR Pasco)?

 

[crainbebo]

Already happening at KIMA. Only 5 and 6PM are local. The rest are Pasco-fed. Morning news is from 75 miles away at KEPR; Terry Chick does about 10 min of Yakima-related news at 11PM - from a studio in Pasco. Then him and Annie Andrews do several minutes of stories from both Pasco and Yakima...Alan Sillence (sports director) does his own sports thing here. Weekends are ALL from KEPR.
KNDO only has a tiny office in Downtown Yakima and only one Yakima reporter. Everyone else is from KNDU, except the weekend weather guy who is taped from 150 mile away KHQ-6 in Spokane.
Only one Yakima reporter for KAPP as well. Everyone else is from KVEW...and even KXLY in Spokane.
In the 90s and early 2000s, everyone in Yakima was local.
I wouldn't be surprised to see KOMO talent do Yakima newscasts soon.

 

[Mr Tony]

We already seen this in Minneapolis with WCCO/KCCO/KCCW and KSTP/KSAX/KRWF.

no "we" haven't. The KCCO & KSAX 'newscasts" were cut ins during the 6:00 & 10:00 news. When the mothership went to 1st break then the "cut ins" started. It was 5 minutes and then the weather.
KCCO hadnt had a 30 minute newscast in 25 years (when WCCO bought them). KCCW was always a satellite station from sign on
KSAX & KRWF I dont think EVER had a 30 minute newscast. They were satellite stations from the start

 

[Markxxx]

I remember during the 70s when I was a kid in Chicago's south suburbs, I could pull in channel 15 WICD and at the time it was a full satellite station of WICS.