WTVQ Replacing 5pm News with Judy.

[CircleSeven 1955]

From this article, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports that WTVQ will ditch their 5pm Newscast next month in favor of Judge Judy. They're also considering to changing their Action News 36 brand, as well.

[kjohnson 17]

To quote Cfif: Cheap.

 

Zell Miller starts spending money to expand TV news operations at Tribune, and some other company thinks it time to contract, to create a null-sum difference.

 

I agree with the news directs of WLEX and WKYT. This is a purely cheapo move.

[sctvhound 27]

You don't mean Zell Miller, but it is actually Sam Zell who is expanding operations in TV news.

 

However, he is severely cutting jobs at his newspapers, cutting some newspaper's staffs by up to 25%, like the Los Angeles Times, which cut 17% of its newsroom.

 

That is cheap in a larger market like Lexington, which is growing (especially Fayette County), and with a third-place news station, WTVQ is just shooting itself in the foot.

 

They have always been handicapped in the market because they were the last station from the Big Three to sign on, in 1968, and was way up on Channel 62 when it came on, not switching to 36 until 1980.

 

It frequently preempted programs, even "Monday Night Football" and a game between No. 1 USC and No. 2 Notre Dame in the late 1980s for Kentucky basketball, and almost lost ABC to tiny (at the time) WDKY.

 

Hopefully, they will add a 4 or 7pm news, and get back into the thick of things there.

[kjohnson 17]

Good eye. I meant Sam Zell, but typed Zell Miller instead.

 

I'm fiercely opposed to Zell's cuts at the newspapers. Newspaper's, now more than ever, need to be supported, and slashing newsroom budgets isn't addressing the situation.