It will be all news all morning on WXIX-TV this fall.
The syndicated Rachael Ray show will be replaced Monday, Sept. 12, with Fox News Now at 11 a.m., giving the station 7-1/2 hours of local news from 4:30 a.m. to noon.
Morning co-anchor Andrea Finney, hired last fall to replace Jessica Brown, and Stefano DiPietrantonio will co-anchor at 11 a.m. Meteorologists Catherine Bodak and Ethan Emery, hired in February after Olga Breese departed, also will be regulars on the show.
Fox 19 Now at 11 a.m. will focus on breaking news, weather and "a first look at the big local stories of the day," according to the WXIX-TV announcement.
It's the first local newscast in the 11 a.m. hour since 1984, to my knowledge. WLWT-TV aired a Midday newscast 11:30 a.m. to noon for years leading into the Bob Braun Show at noon. When Braun was canceled in 1984, Channel 5 moved its local news to noon, head-to-head with WCPO-TV and WKRC-TV.
"Consider it a noon newscast, an hour early," said Steve Hyvonen, WXIX-TV news director, in the announcement. "There is a lot happening in the Tri-State at 11 a.m. It’s the perfect time to bring viewers the breaking news and local weather they want when they want it."
For more than three years, Channel 19 has been No. 1 with viewers ages 25 to 54, the demographic prized by most advertisers, from 4:30 to 11 a.m. weekdays, according to the media release.
WXIX-TV has posted job openings for a multimedia journalist, photojournalist/videographer, news producer, broadcast engineer and a part-time digital content news producer.
WXIX-TV has been the most aggressive local TV station in adding newscasts in the past decade. The Fox affiliate will broadcast a total of 74 hours of local news each week starting Sept. 12, more than its competitors.
WXIX-TV added 4 p.m. and 11 p.m.weekday news in fall 2018; a 5 p.m. news hour in January 2020; and a 3 p.m. newscast last September.
