KBJR-TV - News Operation

News Operation

While operating its own news department, KDLH was the last of the big three stations in Duluth to have a weeknight 5 o'clock broadcast. It aired Judge Judy in the time slot instead. In 2004, it debuted a 5 p.m. show that featured anchor Amy Rutledge and meteorologist Phil Johnson. This was replaced along with its 6 o'clock show with the current one at 5:30 when KDLH merged with KBJR in March 2005. Judge Judy has since reclaimed the 5 o'clock spot on that channel and the CBS Evening News airs at 6. After the KDLH buyout, that station had its news department closed and merged with KBJR. To maintain a separate identity, there were some personalities on this channel that were also seen on KDLH. However, due to KBJR's existing newscasts not all of this station's personnel were seen on that station. More recently, the news teams of both stations have been downsized.

Currently, KDLH's weekday morning show is known as KDLH 3 Morning Plus and is essentially a simulcast of the second hour of KBJR's morning show, KBJR 6 and Range 11 News Today. Originally, KDLH had aired a separate ninety minute broadcast before being dropped in favor of a ninety minute simulcast of KBJR. KDLH's Northland's NewsCenter at 5:30 had been anchored by Pat Kelly who was the only news team member remaining after the KDLH sellout. Its weeknight 10 o'clock newscast, which continues to be a separate production, was known as Northland's NewsCenter Express and consisted of a ten minute news "capsule". The other 25 minutes was a Seinfeld rerun. After thirteen months of mediocre ratings, KDLH changed its 10 o'clock show to the traditional 35 minutes and re-branded it to Northland's NewsCenter Tonight. On Sunday nights at 10, there continues to be a ten minute Northland's NewsCenter Express update followed by a Judge Judy rerun. Otherwise, there are no weekend newscasts on KDLH. Saturday nights at 10, there is a local sports highlight show that airs on that channel known as Sports Zone.

As part of its schedule, KBJR-DT2 "My 9" offers several newscasts. This includes a simulcast of the first hour of the weekday morning show and a re-airing of the second hour at 7. There is a simulcast of KBJR's Noon and weeknight 5 o'clock broadcasts. Weeknights at 9, the channel airs a live newscast (known as Northland's NewsCenter Tonight at 9) that had been simulcasted on KDLH-DT2 "Northland CW 2" but was dropped. This competes with Fox affiliate KQDS. Finally, KBJR-DT2 re-airs the main channel's 10 o'clock show early the next morning.

Until its shut down in late-December 2008, KBJR offered NBC Weather Plus with local inserts on a third digital subchannel and Charter digital channel 391. When the national service ended, KBJR-DT3 became part of NBC Plus which featured a computer-updated loop of regional satellite/radar images, current weather conditions and temperatures, and daily forecasts. A new forth digital subchannel was created featuring news and weather updated and the "L-Bar" that is a remnant of the former NBC Weather Plus service. This was known on-air as "Northand's NewsCenter Now" and can also be seen on KRII's forth digital subchannel. KBJR-DT3 eventually became vacant. KBJR-DT4 and KRII-DT4 has since become part of The Local AccuWeather Channel known as "Weather Now".

KBJR, KRII, and KDLH began broadcasting their local newscasts in 16x9 widescreen on May 4, 2009. They were the first television stations in the market to do so. Although not true high definition, the format matches the ratio of HD television screens. As of November, KDLH began to brand its separate weeknight shows as KDLH 3 News which air from a secondary set. That station continues to use the Northland's NewsCenter branding when simulcasting KBJR's newscasts. On January 11, 2010, KDLH starting airing the area's only weeknight 6:30 newscast.