WEEK Peoria Expands Local Newscasts

Gray Television’s NBC affiliate WEEK Peoria, Ill., is expanding its local newscasts. It will offer an additional three-and-a-half hours of local news in new time periods each weekday, and two hours each weekend morning.  These newscasts include 25News Good Morning (9 a.m.), 25News Midday (11 a.m.), 25News at 4 p.m., 25News at 6:30 p.m., and 25News at 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. With the addition of these newscasts, WEEK says it will offer more than 50 hours of original local newscasts weekly.

As part of its local news expansion, the station will combine resources with Sinclair Broadcast Group’s WHOI Peoria (Heart of Illinois ABC), “making 25News the largest newsroom in Central Illinois. Heart of Illinois ABC will no longer produce or air its own local newscasts. The current HOI ABC news team will be integrated into 25News and will help create a continuous three-hour local news block from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. 25News will also provide original streaming news and weather content on 25NewsNow.com as well as on the station’s smart TV streaming apps,” WEEK said.

Peter Russell, WEEK VP-GM, said: “We are very excited about the changes we are making at WEEK-TV and in local news in Central Illinois. The excitement in the building for these changes is incredible. We are adding new positions, expanding the news set, and investing in new technology to make sure that we do this the best way for our staff and viewers.”

“As a news director, when you can bring the best journalists in central Illinois together into one team, it’s a win-win for everyone. Between the news expansion in the mornings, evenings, and digital streaming, 25News will be everywhere”, said Leon Hendricks, WEEK news director.

Don Vesely, Gray multi-market VP, said: “For nearly 70 years, 25News has been the trusted voice for communities throughout Central Illinois. I am so proud of the leadership at WEEK and 25News for making a commitment to their viewers by adding additional newscasts in typically underserved time periods. The added resources to the newsroom and the additional newscasts will truly cement 25News as the market leader for years to come.”