WDRB Expands Midday News To Full Hour

Beginning Monday, Sept. 21, Block Communications-owned Fox affiliate WDRB Louisville, Ky. (DMA 49), will add a second half-hour of midday news to its Monday through Friday schedule with the debut of WDRB News at Noon. This will mark the first expansion of WDRB’s midday news product since the premiere of WDRB News at 11:30 in 1998.

“In recent years, WDRB has concentrated on the expansion of our early evening news coverage with the introduction of WDRB News at 6 and WDRB Local Evening News at 6:30,” said WDRB VP-director of news, Barry Fulmer. “But we feel that now is the right time to concentrate on better serving our already-large midday news audience with more complete and comprehensive coverage. Important things happen on a 24-hour cycle here in the Louisville area, and we believe that a full-hour at midday will offer a much more informative bridge between our morning and evening programs.”

According to the station, in recent months, ratings for WDRB News at 11:30 have jumped, and the station showed the largest number of midday news viewers aged 25 to 54 in the most recent Nielsen May sweeps period.

“With this move, WDRB adds to its market lead in terms of daily hours of local news,” said WDRB VP-GM Bill Lamb, “but quality will always be more important to us than quantity. Fortunately, the addition of so many talented news professionals to our staff over the past few years has increased our ability to take on new challenges without compromising our standards, and this new noon newscast is simply the latest example of that.”