The station which started the first weekday 7 p.m. local newscast here in 1979 returns to the time period with “9 On Your Side at 7PM” Sept. 14.
WCPO-TV anchor Julie Dolan and chief meteorologist Steve Raleigh will provide “fast-paced news of the day and Cincinnati’s 9 First Warning Forecast,” the station announced. The half-hour program also “will feature in-depth news stories integrating digital journalism from WCPO.com.”
It will be the only local newscast at 7 p.m. But not the first.
The late Jon Esther anchored Cincinnati’s first 7 p.m. news on Channel 9 in 1979. WKRC-TV (Channel 12) launched a 7 p.m. newscast in 1986 with Randy Little, after Nick Clooney returned to the station from KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. When Little left Channel 12 for Channel 9 in 1987, Rob Braun anchored the 7 p.m. report.
“9 On Your Side at 7PM” targets viewers who don’t arrive home from work to watch local news 4-7 p.m. on Channels 5, 9, 12 or 19.
"We saw the need to provide a newscast for people getting home late from work – it fits perfectly with our ‘on your side’ brand,” said Channel 9 news director Alex Bongiorno in the release. “Now, viewers will have breaking news, their 9 First Warning Forecast and the top stories of the day at a time convenient for their lifestyle."
On Sept. 14, “The List” will be bumped to 7:30 p.m. “Right This Minute” moves from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 a.m., replacing the canceled “Let’s Ask America.” Two “Right This Minute” shows will air back-to-back 10-11 a.m..
