We only have two markets to focus on here… Fargo and Charlotte.

KVLY-TV 11 / Fargo – Grand Forks, N.D. – Moorhead, Minn. (“KVLY-TV 11”)
KXJB-LD 30 / Horace – Fargo – Grand Forks, N.D. – Moorhead, Minn. (“KX4”)
WDAY-TV 6 / Fargo, N.D. – Moorhead, Minn. (“WDAY-TV”)
WBTV 3 / Charlotte (“WBTV”)

This post will just focus on two markets and two markets only: Fargo and Charlotte. Here’s what you need to know.

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Catch-up post #14… WMBF, WEWS and KVLY/KXJB.

WMBF-TV 32 / Myrtle Beach – Florence (“WMBF News”)
WEWS-TV 5 / Cleveland – Akron (“News 5”)
KVLY-TV 11 / Fargo – Grand Forks (“KVLY-TV 11”)
KXJB-LD 30 / Horace – Fargo – Grand Forks (“KX 4”)

We’re back! Its time to, once again, catch you up on the latest that you may have missed with the Catch-up posts series. On this post, we’ll stop by Myrtle Beach, Cleveland and Fargo.

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Newscasts debuting this week… Edition #59.

If you love television, this is the week where the new TV season begins. If you love local television news, this is the week in which local newscasts from coast-to-coast debut their local newscasts. This is THE week. Here is the gigantic list and remember… done by day, time order in Eastern Time Zone and if tie, market size.

Monday September 12th, 2016

  • 9:00-10:00 AM: Local 10 Morning News at 9:00 a.m.

WPLG in Miami. They’ve done it before and they’re about to do it again. A local morning newscast at 9:00am for WPLG 10 for the first time in 5 years since 2011 when it was cancelled for LIVE with Regis and Kelly (which was called at the time) since it was moved from WSVN 7 (FOX). And yes, it will compete against WSVN 7 (FOX) in this timeslot in the market.

  • 12:00-1:00 PM: NewsChannel 5 at Noon

KSDK in St. Louis. This is not new, but rather an expansion to a full hour (AGAIN). The third time I remember KSDK’s noon newscast being a full hour. It competes against KMOV 4 (CBS)’s half-hour noon newscast and will compete in full with KPLR 11 (CW)’s hour-long noon newscast.

  • 12:00-12:30 PM: Channel 4 News at Noon

WSMV in Nashville. News and weather segments during this time were under News and More at Midday but now those are converted into its own separate half-hour traditional noon newscast, the ONLY one on at that timeslot in the market.

  • 12:00-12:30 PM: WMC Action News 5 at Noon

WMC in Memphis. It expanded to an hour just weeks ago, but will be shortened again and this time, it will air Right This Minute at 12:30pm, again fully competing against WREG 3 (CBS)’s half-hour noon newscast.

  • 9:00-10:00 AM: KTVA 11 News Daybreak at 9:00 a.m.

KTVA in Anchorage. This station becomes the FIRST in Alaska to offer a local morning newscast at 9:00am.

  • 11:00 AM-12:00 PM: ABC 30 Action News – LIVE at Midday

KFSN in Fresno. This station was the first to announce any kind of debut or expansion or addition for this day, September 12th. It will fully compete against KSEE 24 (NBC)’s hour-long 11:00am news and against KMPH 26 (FOX)’s half-hour 11:30am news.

  • 4:00-5:00 PM: WBRC FOX 6 News at 4:00

WBRC in Birmingham. The long-time news leader in the market adds yet another local news broadcast and will compete fully against WVTM 13 (NBC) and WBMA 58 (ABC)’s hour-long 4:00pm newscasts.

  • 6:00-7:00 PM: FOX 2 News at 6:00

WJBK in Detroit. While it competes against WDIV 4 (NBC) and WXYZ 7 (ABC) at 6:00pm, it will go all alone at 6:30pm, marking it the ONLY local newscast in that timeslot in the market.

  • 4:00-4:30 PM: KREM 2 News – First at 4:00

KREM in Spokane. The market’s first-ever 4:00pm newscast, albeit a half-hour one. It will also be the ONLY ones on in the market.

  • 4:00-5:00 PM: KEZI 9 News at 4:00

KEZI in Eugene. The market’s first-ever (and ONLY) 4:00pm newscast and will provide KEZI 9 with two and a half-hours of local early evening news (4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 6:00 and 6:30pm).

  • 4:00-5:00 PM: NewsWatch 12 at 4:00

KDRV in Medford. Same reasons as KEZI 9 from above since they’re both sister stations and are owned by Heartland Media. It’s also the market’s first-ever (and ONLY) 4:00pm newscast.

  • 6:30-7:00 PM: 41 Action News at 6:30

KSHB in Kansas City. This will compete against KCTV 5 (CBS)’s half-hour 6:30pm newscast for its sister station KSMO 62 (MyTV) in the market. It does provide the area’s first continuous hour-long 6:00pm weeknight newscast.

  • 6:30-7:00 PM: CBS Austin News at 6:30

KEYE in Austin. It will be the ONLY local newscast on at 6:30pm in the market and could help the struggling station’s news department, big time.

  • 6:30-7:00 PM: News 3 at 6:30

WSIL in Paducah. The market, I believe, has never had local news at 6:30pm before. I’m not sure about that but I do know that WSIL 3 will have the ONLY local newscast on at that timeslot in the market.

  • 6:30-7:00 PM: KGNS Evening News at 6:30 on CBS 13 Laredo

KYLX-LD in Laredo. The first local newscast on at KYLX-LD 13 since the former intellectual unit at KVTV 13 in 2005 when it just had a 10:00pm newscast on at the time before being cancelled on the day after New Year’s 2006.

  • 6:30-7:00 PM: 8 News NOW at 6:30

KLAS in Las Vegas. This newscast will compete against KSNV 3 (NBC) and KTNV 13 (ABC) for local news at that timeslot in the market.

  • 9:00-9:30 PM: Valley News LIVE at 9:00 on Fargo CW

KXJB-LD 30.2 in Fargo. Yep… another 9:00pm newscast for the Fargo market and this will be on one of the newest TV stations to hit the airwaves in Fargo and its from the same people who deliver the news on KVLY 11.1 (NBC) and 11.2 (CBS). Remember that KXJB-LD 30.1 carries CBS (which makes it a direct simulcast from KVLY 11.2) and KXJB-LD 30.2 carries The CW. It will compete against WDAY 6 (ABC)’s 9:00pm weeknight half-hour newscast that was recently launched on their DT3 subchannels, just a few weeks ago.

  • 7:00-7:30 PM: NewsChannel 21 at 7:00

KTVZ in Bend. It will be the ONLY local newscast on at that timeslot in the market and giving the Bend market, its first-ever 90-minute continuous local news block and that’ll be from 6:00-7:30pm.

  • 11:00-11:30 PM: Channel 2 News at 11:00

KWGN in Denver. This is for the “East Coast” / “West Coast” transplants who move to Denver and want to experience local news in a very uncommon and much later timeslot than the traditional 9:00 and 10:00pm newscasts in the Central and Mountain time zones. It will be the ONLY local newscast on at that timeslot in the market.

I told you this would be a big list for this week. If there’s any more changes from any of these market, the blog will certainly let you know on social media. And stay tuned for a special announcement coming in the next week or two about us and here’s a hint: mobile/phone. Stay tuned on that and have a great week!

KVLY expands its “Valley Today” to 4:30 a.m. on both its NBC and CBS channels.

KVLY-TV 11 / Fargo – Moorhead – Grand Forks (“KVLY-TV 11”)
KVLY-DT 11.2 / Fargo – Moorhead – Grand Forks (“KX 4”)

FIRST ON THE BLOG: Speaking of the Red River Valley in North Dakota… there’s more morning news in one station in the area.

KVLY 11 has expanded its weekday morning newscast, The Valley Today, to 4:30 a.m. The newscast is now the ONLY ones on in the area and in North Dakota, to expand to 4:30 a.m. and it was expanded on both the NBC (KVLY 11.1 – KVLY-TV 11) and CBS (KVLY 11.2 – KX 4) subchannels.

This took place after the announcement of the retirement of long-time Valley News LIVE Morning Meteorologist and Farm Director, Mick Kjar, who left KVLY 11 last week after 27 years working for Valley News LIVE, which before 2007, was known as KVLY News 11 and before hand in 1995, KTHI News 11 (the old call sign before it was changed to KVLY in 1995).

He led The Valley Show – Ag Show, a half-hour farm/Ag-related newscast, devoted to the latest news on the agriculture in the Red River Valley and it was on at 4:30 a.m., before The Valley Today. It was only after Mick left that KVLY 11 decided to expand their weekday morning newscast to 4:30 a.m. and now, their weekday morning newscast is on from 4:30-7:00 a.m., the longest time-airing morning newscast in Fargo and in North Dakota.

So there you go, Red River Valley. Valley News LIVE is up earlier than anybody else and bringing you news when it matters to you, when you wake up in the morning. Enjoy, R.R.V!