CBS-owned Los Angeles television stations KCAL and KCBS are set to change the local news landscape in the fall with a programming reflection that will bring the first-ever morning newscasts to KCAL.
KCAL will broadcast seven hours of news, starting at 4 a.m. and extending through 11 a.m., with KCBS-TV (CBS2) broadcasting local news from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., followed by the West Coast feed of the network’s morning program “CBS Mornings.” From 7-9 a.m.
With the switch, CBS2 will run the live CBS Mornings East Coast version from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., followed by the West Coast version at its regular berth from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. At 6-7am, CBS2 will broadcast KCAL’s local newscast at the same time.
The change makes KCAL a contender in the morning news arena for the first time. The station has largely been a news outlet since its prime-time lineup was transformed into a three-hour news block in March 1990.
The decision came after a new management system installed last year in the now-integrated CBS News and Stations division questioned why a station with a strong news label was not available in the lucrative early morning hours. KCAL currently airs commercials in the early hours of the morning and buys time like “The 700 Club” religious program. KCAL and CBS2 competitors KNBC, KABC, Fox’s KTTV, and Nexstar’s KTLA offer local or national newscasts from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.
“With the launch of Morning News on KCAL 9 and the addition of the second daily broadcast of ‘CBS Mornings’ on CBS 2, our local to global news organization is in an ideal position to showcase its premium content on broadcast and broadcast channels in the Los Angeles Marketplace,” said Wendy McMahon, President and Co-Chairman of Channel One. CBS News and Stations.” As one of Southern California’s most trusted local news providers, the window of opportunity for KCAL 9 News in the morning is wide open. We also think this is an opportunity to increase the audience for “CBS Mornings” by giving early risers and commuters at the Los Angeles Market a chance to watch the live broadcast from 4:00-6:00 a.m. “
KCAL Expansion brings total hours of news on KCAL, KCBS and streaming news channel CBSLA.com to 91.5 per week. Joel Filmenay, president and general manager of CBS outlets in Los Angeles, said KCAL will bring in at least 60 new employees to help manage the news expansion.
There is no specific date yet for the transition after the fall. The move is seen as a long overdue move for KCAL and beneficial for early bullish Angelenos who wants network and local options for news.
“We think it’s a no-brainer,” Velmenay said. diverse. “What makes this possible is the significant investment to expand local news on KCAL” from CBS News and Stations leaders, McMahon and Neeraj Khelani.
“Rearranging our morning news shows would be a much better proposition for our viewers,” Velmenay said.
Known in the market as KHJ-TV, KCAL was acquired by Disney in 1988 and changed its communication messaging to KCAL in December 1989. Four months later, KCAL launched the market’s first three-hour local news block. Disney sold the station to Young Broadcasting in 1996 (after Disney acquired Capital Cities/ABC). CBS bought KCAL from Young Broadcasting in 2002 for $650 million.
As the KCAL newsroom grows, there are also plans to increase the volume of original shows and enterprise reporting done for the broadcast platform CBSLA.com, which launched as a 24/7 news feed in June 2019, Villemenay said.
Investing in more KCAL newscasts signals the recognition that local television news coverage plays a unique role in the lives of viewers even as the world is flooded with media choices.
2020 was the most important year to cover. I think we all understand more about the importance of local news to our viewers.” “COVID was effectively a local story. Social Justice Movements, Extraordinary Climate Events. These are the moments viewers rely on us every day to cover. It is a responsibility we are honored to shoulder.”
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