NECN, New England’s regional cable network, has launched the Boston market’s only 9 p.m. newscast.

The program, which is anchored by Latoyia Edwards (pictured) and John Daly, targets viewers who are early to bed and early to rise.

“The opportunity to provide the region’s only 9 p.m. newscast fits perfectly with our strategy as we were the first to launch a 4:30 a.m. newscast,” Bill Bridgen, the network’s executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement. “We believe that the viewer who watches early morning news is the viewer who wants and needs an early primetime newscast.”

Boston’s WSBK used to have a 9 p.m. newscast, but the station shifted it to 10 p.m. this fall when it became a MyNetworkTV affiliate.

Veteran reporter Eileen Curran, whose contract was not renewed by WBZ last November after nearly a decade with the Boston CBS-affiliate, has resurfaced at 24-hour cable news channel NECN.

Curran appeared today on NECN covering a story about a group of sick dogs that were brought into New England illegally. Anchor Mike Nikitas introduced her as “our Eileen Curran.”

Boston TV news blog btvn, which first reported the move, points out that Curran is a veteran of the New England area, having worked as a weekend anchor for WFXT before joining WBZ.

Curran is just the latest local talent to land at the Comcast-owned channel, which has been aggressively remaking its news lineup to compete with network affiliates in the area.  NECN’s new morning and evening newscasts, for instance, are anchored by alumni of Providence’s WPRI– Steve Aveson co-hosts NECN’s new 7 a.m. morning show and John Daly recently joined the channel’s evening newscast.

Video of Curran’s first NECN report inside… Read more

NECN continues to remake its news lineup.  The Comcast-owned New England station announced this week that Latoyia Edwards and John Daly (left) will be its new evening anchor team.

The move comes in the wake of NECN’s aggressive reinvention of its morning news programming.  The station launched a new 7 a.m. morning show on Monday that offers local news during a time slot when most stations are running network morning shows.

Edwards has been working as a reporter-anchor for NECN since 2005.  Daly is a 30-year veteran of TV news.  He’s made stops at Providence’s WPRI and Hartford’s WFSB, among other stations.

“Latoyia is a familiar face to NECN viewers, and we are excited to pair her with John, who has 30 years of experience as a reporter and anchor,” said Bill Bridgen, NECN’s general manager and executive vice president.

Edwards and Daly are succeeding the team of Beth Shelburne and R.D. Sahl.  Shelburne left NECN last year to join Birmingham’s WBRC.  Sahl, who has been an evening anchor for NECN since 1997, officially signed off last Thursday. He will continue on with the station as a contributor. Read more