As ‘Ellen DeGeneres’ Departs Stations, Local News Moves In

Many stations opt for local content instead of syndicated programming, but doing local news isn’t easy

The final new episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show aired in May, and many stations that air the syndicated program, now in repeats, are lining up a new newscast to take its place. KNTV San Jose, WJAR Providence and WCCO Minneapolis are among the stations set to introduce an afternoon newscast as their Ellen DeGeneres deals end.

On September 12, KNTV will debut the East Coast feed of NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt at 4 p.m., then NBC Bay Area News at 4:30, with Audrey Asistio the anchor.

“We’ll give people a peek behind the curtain as to how our newscasts come together,” Stacy Owen, KNTV-KSTS president and general manager, said. “We’ll draw back that curtain and bring people in to our [newsgathering] process.”

A wall between the studio and newsroom was torn down, and a presentation area was built in the newsroom, nicknamed The Duopoly Dome, as it serves both KNTV and its Telemundo sibling.

Asistio is from the Bay Area and knows the market intimately. “The selection of Audrey is very reflective of what we want the show to be,” Owen said. “It reinforces the Bay Area ties of our entire team.”

KVVU Las Vegas starts a 2 p.m. news in place of Ellen DeGeneres on September 5, giving the Gray Television station a whopping 15½ hours a day of local content. “When you need local news, we are the station you turn to,” Michael Korr, VP and general manager, told B+C.

Down in Los Angeles, Ellen DeGeneres occupies the 3 p.m.-4 p.m. slot at KNBC. On September 12, the station will have local news at 3 p.m. and NBC Nightly News at 3:30. (KNBC and KNTV, both part of the NBCUniversal group, will also air Nightly News in its traditional 6:30 p.m. slot.)

“When you look at Los Angeles, we thought news was the right choice,” KNBC president and general manager Todd Mokhtari said. “It’s such a big audience. With how things have changed the last few years, news was our Plan A the whole time.”

KNBC’s 3 p.m. news will see the station go in-depth on particular stories, said Mokhtari, instead of aiming to drive up the story count.

Work From Home, Watch From Home

COVID-19 is a factor in stations substituting local news for syndicated shows. The pandemic enhanced the relationship between consumers and vital local news, and many viewers found themselves working from home and increasingly available to watch local news.

“COVID did change the expectations of our audience for their newscasts,” said Mokhtari. “The information they want and need is so important — they want all of it, and don’t want to just scratch the surface.”

New 4 p.m. newscasts debuting in the coming days include one at WCCO Minneapolis, starting September 5, as Ellen departs and Dr. Phil shifts from 4 p.m. to 3. Erin Hassanzadeh and Jeff Wagner anchor the hour-long program. “The desire for local news is as strong as ever,” WCCO VP and general manager Ann Ouellette said in a statement.