Two New York stations are reassessing the role of sports in the evening newscast, leaving some to wonder what the future holds for local sports coverage around the country as stations look to cut costs while also differentiating themselves in their markets.
Fox-affiliate WNYW has recently squeezed sports to the very end of its 10 p.m. newscast. Anchors Ernie Anastos and Dari Alexander wrap up their portion of the newscast before throwing it to the sports anchor, who closes the program.
CW-affiliate WPIX, which carries Mets games, has taken an even more aggressive stance on sports: the station is getting rid of its sports department altogether and relying on its news anchors to read scores and narrate a few highlights at the end of the 10 p.m. newscast.
“Our reality is when you really take a sober stock of who we are, we don’t have people tuning into us for sports,” WPIX news director Bill Carey told TVSpy sister site FishbowlNY. Read more at FishbowlNY