Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Altafiber's Fioptics adds NewsNation channel

Chris Cuomo did his first interview since leaving CNN last December on NewsNation's "Dan Abrams Live" July 26.
Courtesy NewsNation
Chris Cuomo did his first interview since leaving CNN last December on NewsNation's "Dan Abrams Live" July 26.

The primetime news channel will add Chris Cuomo's nightly show this fall.

NexStar's NewsNation channel — a rebranding of cable's former WGN America "superstation" — has been added to the Fioptics TV lineup operated by Altafiber, formerly Cincinnati Bell.

The move comes a week after NewsNation announced that Chris Cuomo, who was fired by CNN last December, would join the channel this fall. His show is expected to premiere after the TV season starts Sept. 19, or in early October.

WGN America launched the three-hour NewsNation primetime newscast in September 2020. Since then NexStar, which acquired WGN and the Tribune stations, rebranded the channel as NewsNation in March last year.

The current primetime lineup offers NewsNation: Rush Hour (5-7 p.m.), On Balance with Leland Vittert (7 p.m.), NewsNation Prime with Marni Hughes (8 p.m.), Dan Abrams Live (9 p.m.), Ashleigh Banfield's Banfield (10 p.m.) and NewsNation Tonight (11 p.m.).

Cuomo, CNN's 9 p.m. host for many years, appeared last week on Abrams' show, his first TV interviewsince he was terminated by CNN for being involved with helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, defend himself from sexual harassment allegations.

Cuomo told Abrams that on his new show "I’m going to go where the news is, and I’m going to try very hard to be fair."He said that "my schtick is having no schtick. I love confrontation. I love friction. And I think that I can be helpful in those moments because I’m not here to hurt anybody. I’m not here to take anybody down.”

NewsNation also is available in Greater Cincinnation Spectrum, the NewsNation app, YouTube TV, Dish, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, Hulu, FuboTV and Vidgo.

"I'm happy we are finally on in Cincinnati, it was frustrating not having full coverage in that market," says Sean Compton, president of networks for Nexstar. Compton, son of the late Dale "Truckin' Bozo" Sommers, started his broadcasting career at WLW-AM, and later worked for Clear Channel's Premiere Radio Networks and the Tribune Company. He oversees NewsNation, Antenna TV, Rewind TV, Chicago's WGN-AM radio station and Nexstar programming acquisitions.

NewsNation's daytime lineup includes morning news (6-10 a.m.) and Blue Bloods reruns (10 a.m.-5 p.m.). Repeats of Tim Allen's Last Man Standing sitcom airs weekends mornings and afternoons.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.