Sacramento Fox affiliate KTXL will add a 5 p.m. newscast next month, expanding its early evening news from 60 to 90 minutes.
The newscast, which will debut on November 4, will be anchored by Stefanie Cruz (pictured) and Eric Harryman, who currently anchor at 5:30, 6 and 10 p.m. KTXL says it will add resources and staffers related to the new newscast.
“It’s great that we’re able to add news gathering resources to get more content for our viewers as well as cover more stories in Northern California,” vice president and general manager Jerry Del Core said in a statement. “FOX40 News will continue to provide a fresh and innovative approach to news, now in an expanded time slot that makes sense for our viewers.”
More from KTXL after the jump.
Sacramento, CA, – KTXL FOX40 will expand its evening newscasts to begin at 5PM weekdays starting November 4, 2013. This increases the FOX40 early evening news block from 60 to 90 minutes which will now air from 5pm-6:30pm Monday-Friday.
“Stefanie Cruz and Eric Harryman are a great anchor team at 10PM, so it’s exciting to be able to have them now on the air at 5PM,” said Vice President, News Director Ed Chapuis. The added half hour gives viewers more in-depth, complete coverage of the Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto area.
“Our viewers have told us they want to see FOX40 at 5PM. We’re already a strong news choice in the mornings and at 10PM, so this is a natural extension of our local news offerings. It’s really about what our viewers want,” said Chapuis.
The station is adding resources and expanding staffing to accommodate for the additional news coverage. “It’s great that we’re able to add news gathering resources to get more content for our viewers as well as cover more stories in Northern California,” said Vice President, General Manager Jerry Del Core. “FOX40 News will continue to provide a fresh and innovative approach to news, now in an expanded time slot that makes sense for our viewers,” added Del Core.
The FOX40 afternoon program line up is also improved by the change. Viewers can expect to see “Family Guy” at 4PM, followed by “TMZ” at 4:30PM. FOX40 News now begins at 5PM and will continue through 6:30PM. A brand new episode of “TMZ” will air at 6:30PM, followed by two back-to-back episodes of “Two & a Half Men” leading into FOX Prime Time programming.