KDLH - 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 channel 3 and the CBS Evening News airs at 6.

After the buyout, the station had its news department closed and merged with KBJR. To maintain a separate identity, there were some channel 6 personalities that were also seen on KDLH. However, due to KBJR's existing newscasts not all of that station's personnel were seen on channel 3. More recently the news teams of both stations have been downsized. KDLH's weekday morning show is known as Northland's NewsCenter Morning Plus and is essentially a simulcast of the second hour of KBJR's morning show, Northland's NewsCenter Today. Originally, it had been 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 channel 3 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 the 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 Judge Judy. Otherwise, there are no weekend newscasts on KDLH. Saturday nights at 10, there is a local sports highlight show that airs known as Sports Zone.

KBJR produces a weeknight prime time newscast (known as Northland's NewsCenter at 9) on its second digital subchannel that has MyNetworkTV affiliation. This had been simulcasted on KDLH-DT2 "Northland CW 2" but was dropped. That station continues to airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekdays from 5 to 8. KDLH and KBJR 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 televisions. As of November, this station has now began to brand its separate weeknight shows as KDLH 3 News. These broadcasts air from a secondary set. It continues to use the Northland's NewsCenter branding when simulcasting KBJR's newscasts. On January 11, 2010, KDLH will begin airing the area's only weeknight 6:30 o'clock newscast.