WKRC-TV expands its local news programming this month by adding a 3 p.m. weekday newscast and a Sunday politics discussion with veteran reporter James Pilcher.
The CBS affiliate also announced several staffing changes Monday for the fall TV season, in the wake of job eliminations and departures in July.
Returning to local airwaves will be Rebecca Smith, a former WXIX-TV traffic anchor and reporter, as Channel 12’s new health reporter and host of What’s Happening in Health at 6:30 a.m. Sundays. The position has been vacant since Liz Bonis died April 30 from colon cancer. Smith quit Fox 19 in 2021 after four years when her daughter started kindergarten.
Starting Monday, Sept. 21, Local 12 The Breakdown will premiere 3-4 p.m. with co-anchors Marella Porter and Adam Clements. Porter, hired in 2021, moves to the weekday news from anchoring weekend evening newscasts.
Channel 12 promises “a fresh approach to afternoon coverage, combining the day’s most important stories with timely information, conversations and reporting focused on the issues that matter to viewers across Greater Cincinnati,” according to the station announcement.
The Breakdown will replace reruns of NBC’s Dateline. Only WXIX-TV now airs local news at 3 p.m.
On Sunday, Sept. 13 at 8 a.m., a local weekly public affairs show returns to WKRC-TV with Local 12: Beyond the Podium hosted and produced by Pilcher, a former Associated Press and Cincinnati Enquirer reporter. From 1995 to 2017, historian Dan Hurley hosted Newsmakers on Sunday mornings on Channel 12.
“We owe Dan an incredible debt for paving the way for shows like this. It one sense, it will be like his show, in that it will give more time and space to one on one interviews. But it will also include a review of the political/issues news of the previous week ... and through the first few months, I’ll be checking on the veracity of specific political ads, as well as checking in on campaign fundraising in key races,” Pilcher says.
The changes come after a tumultuous summer at Channel 12. On July 10, the station canceled weekend morning newscasts and eliminated seven news jobs. Let go were morning co-anchor Aleah Hordges; Bengals reporter Richard Skinner; veteran executive producer Doug Lillibridge; and morning producer Sean McCormick. Three vacant positions also were lost in the downsizing at the Sinclair Broadcast Group station.
At that time, Channel 12 said Sydney Hawkins would move from weekend mornings to replace Porter on weekend nights, and that a 3 p.m. newscast was coming in September.
Within weeks of the announcement, consumer reporter Cassy Arsenault left the station; reporter Chelsea Sick departed at the end of her contract to spend more time with her daughter; and Hawkins quit on Aug. 11. Channel 12 also lost general assignment reporter Tyler Madden to Cleveland’s WKYC-TV in June.
Here are the Channel 12 fall changes:
- Local 12 News: Beyond the Podium: The Sunday public affairs show grew out of Pilcher’s pitch to host a politically oriented podcast a few years ago, says Pilcher, who also has taught investigative and data journalism at the University of Kentucky. Earlier this year, managers suggested turning his idea into a TV show “given that there’s currently nothing like it on TV here locally. And given the current high interest in local and regional politics — and the upcoming midterms and Ohio statewide elections — it just made sense to launch it this fall,” he says.
Channel 12’s announcement says that Pilcher “will go beyond the day-to-day political headlines to examine the people, policies, decisions and issues shaping the region. The program will feature in-depth reporting, interviews and conversations designed to give viewers greater context and perspective on the political stories influencing their communities.”
After the November election, Pilcher will interview “area leaders on issues that matter to those in the Tri-State, ranging from business and cost issues to major transportation projects such as the Brent Spence Bridge companion bridge effort,” he says.
- Local 12 The Breakdown: Porter and Clements will co-anchor the 3-4 p.m. newscast starting Monday, Sept. 21 The station promises “a fresh approach to afternoon coverage, combining the day’s most important stories with timely information, conversations and reporting focused on the issues that matter to viewers across Greater Cincinnati,” according to the announcement Monday.
- Health news: Smith, now the mother of two daughters, had been working for the Friends of the Boone County Arboretum since last year. “She has a particular interest in chronic disease prevention and management, as well as addressing the growing mental health crisis among teenagers,” says a Channel 12 spokesperson. Smith will anchor What’s Happening in Health (6:30 a.m. Sunday). The Memphis native lives in Northern Kentucky with her husband and daughters.
- Weekend anchor: News Director Becky Gulden is “currently searching for our next weekend anchor” to replace Hawkins, the station spokesperson said.
- Noon news: On Aug. 17, Jen Dalton started anchoring the noon news, which Bonis had done for years. She will continue doing traffic updates for Good Morning Cincinnati and appearing on ARC Cincinnati.
- 5:30 p.m. news: Kyle Inskeep will co-anchor with Meghan Mongillo instead of Clements. Inskeep also will continue co-anchoring with Paula Toti at 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m. Clements still will co-anchor Local 12 News at 4 p.m. with Mongillo.
With the addition of The Breakdown and Beyond the Podium “we’re giving viewers across Greater Cincinnati more ways to stay informed throughout the day and more context around the issues shaping their communities,” said Gulden, who was named Local 12 news director in January, replacing Tim Geraghty.
“The new programming and anchor assignments also give our journalists new opportunities to showcase their strengths and deepen their connection with the viewers and communities we serve,” she says.
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