Newscast to spur competition in 10 p.m. time slot

By Katie Maurer

Ch. 2 and Dayton’s CW targets young viewers

Competition during the 10 p.m. time slot for local newscasts is going to heat up come August.

After more than a year of negotiations, WDTN-TV Channel 2 and WBTD-TV Channel 26, Dayton’s CW will have a partnership in broadcasting a 10 p.m. newscasts starting Aug. 18.

Fox’s WRGT-TV Channel 45 is the only other station in the Dayton area to broadcast a 10 p.m. newscast, which it does via a partnership with the newsroom at WKEF-TV Channel 22.

WHIO-TV Channel 7 does a cable-only 10 p.m. news, but Harry Delaney, vice president and general manager for WHIO, did not return calls for comment.

Dean Ditmer, general manager of Fox 45, said he definitely knew another 10 p.m. newscast would be launched at some point, but didn’t know when, who and how.

“I’m surprised it’s taken as long as it has,” Ditmer said. “There is data that suggests the 10 p.m. news business is a great one to be in, but it’s also difficult to change viewers habits and to market an older news on a younger station.”

Fox 45 does not plan to make any short term changes to its news programming and won’t unless the new broadcast cuts into its audience, Ditmer said.

Lisa Barhorst, president and general manager of WDTN, said they are hoping for high ratings at the beginning because the CW is a strong station. However, she knows it takes some time to build a good newscast.

Dayton’s CW is the number one CW affiliate in the country for 2007 and is known for its entertainment programming such as “America’s Next Top Model” and “Smallville.”

John Hannon, vice president and general manager of Dayton’s CW, said the newscast will give the station a chance to provide information and deliver a little extra content to its viewers.

“WDTN has for a long time been recognized as award-winning and their style and reporting fits our audience,” he said. “It made sense that we wanted to have them on at 10 p.m.”

The broadcast will feature the same news team from WDTN’s 11 p.m. broadcast, but will have different features and stories and will allow for the opportunity to provide in-depth, on-going coverage on larger news stories, Barhorst said.

She would not disclose financial terms of the agreement, but said the CW will be contacting advertisers.

The news program will air seven days a week from 10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and will be called, “2 News at 10 on Dayton’s CW.”

“It’s an exciting opportunity for us,” Barhorst said.

The CW was formed from the merger of the WB network and UPN in September 2006, and 60 percent of the station’s audience demographic is composed of viewers ages 25-54.

Jarrett Hicks, research director for Cincinnati-based Inside Media said he thinks the viewership of the news on CW will be a combination of the station’s traditional audience as well as news viewers who might normally watch at 11 p.m.

Barhorst said the station is not worried about the possibility that the 10 p.m. newscast could take viewers away from the 11 p.m., but rather said there is a possibility it could bring news viewers to the station at 11 p.m.

“It’s happened in other markets,” she said. “People that are not used to us may catch us at 10, like what they see and tune in at other times.”