In a new partnership, Knoxville NBC-affiliate WBIR will begin producing newscasts for Fox-affiliate WTNZ.

Under the agreement, WBIR will expand its 10 p.m. weekday newscast to a full hour while also debuting a new morning newscast from 7-9:00 a.m. The new morning show will be the only local newscast airing in Knoxville during that time period.

“The new agreement with WBIR gives us more options,” said John Hayes, WTNZ’s vice president and general manager. “Partnering with the largest news producer in the market creates a win-win for everyone.”

WBIR expects to begin producing WTNZ’s 10 p.m. newscast this month with the full-hour expansion and the new morning show launching later in the spring. Corresponding with the agreement, WBIR announced that it will begin producing all of its newscasts, as well as WTNZ’s, in HD.