KSDK NewsChannel 5 to produce original content for KDNL, ABC 30

From KSDK:

KSDK -- KDNL, the Sinclair-owned ABC affiliate in St. Louis announced this morning that KSDK, NewsChannel 5, the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate will begin producing newscasts and local content in a partnership that will begin this coming January.

"We're very pleased to announce our partnership this morning with NewsChannel 5," said Tom Tipton, General Manager of KDNL. "When we started this process to again offer local news to our viewers we didn't want to simply simulcast or repurpose existing newscasts; we wanted something original for ABC 30. We recognize the value in providing local content to our audience and when it comes to news you just cannot find a better partner than KSDK, NewsChannel 5."

KDNL, St. Louis' ABC affiliate, ended their locally produced newscasts in October of 2001. This new agreement will give ABC 30 two original weekday half-hour newscasts that will air at 5:00 p.m. and at 10:00 p.m. Additional content produced by KSDK will also air weekends on KDNL.

"This is a huge win for our entire St. Louis community," said Lynn Beall, President and General Manager of KSDK. "Our plan for the ABC 30 newscasts is to create original content and to bring an entirely different kind of news program to the St. Louis market. We'll be adding additional resources to our organization over the next few weeks in order to make it happen. This new agreement will allow us to serve additional segments of our audience."

The first original newscast produced by KSDK to air on KDNL will debut at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 3, 2011. Another original broadcast will occur later that night following ABC prime time programming at 10:00 p.m.

"For years our station brand has been Where the News Comes First, and I believe this new agreement reinforces that," said Mike Shipley, KSDK News Director. "Our emphasis has been on the fact that we are not just a television station but that we're an information company. It doesn't matter whether you get our content online, on-air, or on a mobile device. This new partnership with ABC 30 provides our audience another outlet for our quality local content. And, of course, it provides us with new resources and exciting opportunities to attract under-served market segments to these new products on KDNL."


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