Duluth, Minn., NBC affiliate KBJR and CBS affiliate KDLH are taking on separate identities after an investment from owner Quincy Broadcasting.
The KDLH newscasts, which were produced by KBJR and alternated every half hour with KBJR’s, will now compete for the same timeslot at 6 and 10 p.m. KDLH is also adding a 5 to 7 a.m. newscast.
“Quincy felt the CBS affiliate is valuable with the programming and the possibility for a newscast with a separate voice as an important thing for the community,” Dave Jensch, KBJR vice president and station manager, told the Duluth News Tribune. “The community will be served by stations that are more independent of each other and might have a different take on stories and content.”
The CBS programming for Duluth moves to KBJR digital subchannel 6.2 from over the air broadcast channel 3.
The stations are building separate news sets, control rooms and adding new anchors and reporters for the increased news coverage.
From the Duluth News Tribune:
Twelve journalists were added, including new anchors, reporters, photographers and producers. Among the new hires: The CBS 3 morning team of Kristen Vake, Colin Oraskovich and Briggs LeSavage.
The CBS 3 evening newscast team will be a mix of new and familiar faces: news anchors Edward Moody and Tara Terregino, meteorologist Dave Anderson and sports anchor Barrett Anderson. Anderson also will do play-by-play for University of Minnesota Duluth football on My9.
Among other hires, Dan Wolfe is a new anchor for KBJR and Brandon Michaels has been hired as a weekend meteorologist.