WPTV, WFLX Create 4 P.M. Newscast

In West Palm Beach, Fla. (DMA 38), Scripps-owned NBC affiliate WPTV and Raycom’s Fox affil WFLX have created an additional afternoon newscast that will debut this fall.

Fox 29 News First at 4:00 will be produced by WPTV and air on WFLX every weekday from 4 to 4:30. When the new program launches, it will be the market’s only 4 o’clock newscast, according to the stations. In addition to traditional news and weather updates, it also will include viewer-generated content via social media Web sites. “Fox 29 News First at 4:00” is the first newscast WFLX has ever offered outside of the morning and late-evening timeslots.

This new broadcast is the latest development in the relationship between WFLX and WPTV. The two organizations announced last fall that WPTV would produce newscasts for WFLX starting January 2011. Until today’s announcement, that meant WPTV has produced newscasts from 7 to 9 a.m. weekdays, and 10 to 11 p.m. seven nights a week.

In June, the relationship evolved with WPTV providing all technical, promotional and online services and certain local programming for WFLX under Raycom’s direction as licensee. Raycom continues to program the station and conduct all advertising sales.

“This has been a year of dramatic change for WFLX viewers,” said John Heislman, the station’s VP-GM. “Eight months ago we began offering our viewers the experience and expertise of the region’s top-rated news team, and now we get to expand our dedication to high-quality local news by giving our audience the market’s initial roundup of the day’s events.”