Hubbard Broadcasting Independent station “45TV” (KSTC/5.2 Minneapolis) will soon add an hour of news at noon.
KSTC is operated alongside ABC affiliate KSTP-TV/5, which already carries “5 Eyewitness News Midday” from 11 to Noon. The 12:00 broadcast on KSTC, which launches Sept. 16, is titled “Eyewitness News at Noon on 45TV.”
An announcement on KSTP’s website says the new hour will be anchored by Matt Belanger and Leah McLean.
KSTC also carries news from 7 to 9 a.m. and 9 to 10 p.m. Both of those newscasts recently rebranded from “45 Local News” to “Eyewitness News,” extending the brand long used on KSTP.
The new 12:00 newscast competes with CBS affiliate WCCO-TV/4’s longtime half-hour show. FOX 9 (KMSP) airs an hour of news at 11 a.m., while NBC affiliate KARE 11 airs a half-hour at 11 a.m. KSTP/KSTC will be the only news department covering both hours.
The addition of the noon hour brings KSTP/KSTC to 11 hours of live local programming each weekday. KMSP/WFTC has 12 hours per weekday, while WCCO and KARE each has 5.5 hours.