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Lexington’s WKYT Launches 4 p.m. Newscast

Merrill Knox — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:14:04 +0000

Lexington CBS affiliate WKYT is launching an hour-long 4 p.m. newscast, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader giving the market two newscasts at 4pm.

The newscast takes the place of Anderson Cooper‘s syndicated daytime talk show, which will end its 2-year run in a few months. When the newscast launches, Cooper will be moved to WKYT’s subchannel through the summer.

“There’s no greater lead-in to local news than local news,” WKYT news director Robert Thomas told the Herald-Leader. “That’s why it was a smart decision for us.”

DeAnn Stephens, (above) is returning to the station to report for the newscast. Two additional employees will also be hired.

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Morning, Midday Anchors Swap Schedules at WKYT

Merrill Knox — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:27:17 +0000

Lexington CBS-affiliate WKYT is swapping the schedules of its morning and midday anchors, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

Barbara Bailey (pictured left) who currently anchors WKYT’s 10 a.m., noon and 12:30 p.m. newscasts, will begin next week as the anchor of the 5 and 6 a.m. newscasts. The current 5 and 6 a.m. anchor, Stacy Ellison (pictured right) will take over for Bailey at 10 a.m., noon and 12:30 p.m. The changes go into effect next Wednesday, which coincides with the first day of school in Fayette County.

“A change like this makes sense to make on the first day of school when people get back into morning routines,” news director Robert Thomas told the Herald-Leader.

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WKYT Shuffles Sports Team After Brandon Fisher’s Departure

Merrill Knox — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:51:10 +0000

Following the departure of sports anchor Brandon Fisher, Lexington CBS-affiliate WKYT is changing up the responsibilities of the sports team.

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Fisher has left the station after three years to accept a job in pharmaceutical sales. Longtime WKYT sports anchor Rob Bromley (pictured), who was seen on the 11 p.m. newscast before Fisher joined the station, will return to the evenings. He will be the sports anchor on the 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m newscasts.

“I wanted to streamline the anchor teams,” WKYT news director Robert Thomas told the Herald-Leader. “We have an anchor team at 5, 5:30 and 6 that does really well, and I wanted the exact same team doing the 11.” continued…

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WKYT Plans to Add Half-Hour Newscast at 10 a.m.

Merrill Knox — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:23:32 +0000

WKYT will become the first station in the Lexington, KY market to have a 10 a.m. newscast beginning September 12.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that station management at WKYT, which is the market’s CBS affiliate, has been planning the additional newscast for two years, since Oprah Winfrey announced she would depart from daytime television. Several stations have chosen to fill the Oprah timeslot with news, but WKYT — which will replace the daytime queen with Anderson Cooper‘s syndicated show this fall — wanted another timeslot for an additional newscast.

“We do very well at noon, and we’ve constantly improved in show growth in the mornings, so we’re wanting to bridge those time periods,” news director Robert Thomas told the Herald-Leder.

The new show will be staffed by the midday news team: anchors Bill Bryant and Barbara Bailey and meteorologist Todd Borek. The station will slide “Regis & Kelly” from the 10 a.m. hour to the 9 a.m. hour to accommodate the half-hour newscast.

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