WFMJ To Launch Weekend Morning Shows

Vindicator Printing-owned NBC affiliate WFMJ Youngstown, Ohio (DMA 113), today announced the premiere of the market’s first weekend morning newscast WFMJ Weekend Today.  Set to launch Saturday, Oct. 26, the new broadcast will air as both a lead-in and lead-out to the Saturday and Sunday NBC Weekend Today programs.  The newscasts will air on Saturdays from 6 to 7 a.m. and 9 to 10 a.m. and on Sundays from 7 to 8 and 9 to 10:30.

WFMJ Weekend Today will be anchored by Jennifer Brindisi and Derek Steyer, along with Jasmine Monroe handling the live “Out & About” segments from each weekends’ key events.

The program will provide breaking news coverage, news of the day; weather (with an emphasis on planning one’s weekend); sports (including high school recaps and previews for Saturday and Sunday professional match-ups); market-exclusive consumer news (including “Consumer Reports,” “Angie’s List” and “Consumer Alerts”); and a host of local “weekend-friendly” segments including a “Weekend Project” segment, “Movie Reviews,” “Valley Arts” and historical segments.  Another feature will be an extended Sunday interview segment designed to feature local newsmakers.

WFMJ General Manager Jack Grdic said:  “WFMJ Weekend Today represents a 4.5 hour per week local news expansion in what we see is a void for local news airing on weekend mornings. We have dynamic talent and the valley’s best TV news operations team committed to making the show a mainstay in weekend morning programming as well as an advertiser’s outlet to reach a captive audience composed of consumers available that day.”    

“The genesis of the show and planning have been a year-long process and positioning the local newscasts between NBC’s top-rated Weekend Today and Meet the Press programs will make for solid news blocks,” Grdic added.

News Director Mona Alexander said: “The whole news staff is excited about the addition of the weekend broadcasts.  It’s a chance to report on stories that sometimes don’t get told, dig in on the local political landscape and feature more of the things that make the Valley a great place to live. We hope viewers will give us their feedback on the broadcasts and share their story ideas.”