WNCF - News Operation

News Operation

Compared with the area's other television stations (WSFA, WCOV, and WAKA) WNCF has never had much success operating a news department of its own. The first attempt at a newscast began in 1981 while full-length newscasts or short briefs continued to at least 1985. At this point, it maintained a small news presence and produced broadcasts under the NewsWatch 32 branding. Entire news operations would eventually be dropped in February 1999 (and again in 2003 after a second attempt) since WNCF was unable to gain consistent viewership and ratings due to tough competition from the area's other television outlets.

In August 2005, WNCF partnered with the Independent News Network (INN) to produce weekday local news and weather updates. Included in the outsourcing agreement were five minute cut-ins (at :25 and :55 past the hour) during Good Morning America from 7 until 9 in the morning. There was also a ten minute abbreviated broadcast seen on weeknights (known as ABC 32 News 10 at Ten) featuring brief news headlines, a weather forecast, and sports scores. The news anchors, meteorologist, and sports anchor were provided by the centralized news operation and other personnel filled-in as needed. WNCF maintained two locally-based reporters at its studios who contributed to the updates. All of the aforementioned programming was taped in advance from INN's facility on Tremont Avenue in Davenport, Iowa and then fed to the station through satellite relay.

In January 2007, WBMM entered into a news share agreement with WAKA allowing the big three affiliate to produce the market's first prime time newscast on the former station. Known as CW News at Nine, the weeknight-only broadcast could be seen for thirty minutes and originated live from WAKA's studios featuring most of the CBS affiliate's on-air personnel. WBMM would begin to have competition to its outsourced broadcast on January 7, 2008 after Fox affiliate WCOV-TV entered into a news share arrangement with NBC outlet WSFA. That agreement resulted in Montgomery's second prime time newscast at 9 initially seen only on weeknights for 35 minutes. A weekend half-hour edition began in Summer 2008.

On April 16, 2010, WNCF expanded its partnership with the Independent News Network and launched full half-hour newscasts weeknights at 9 (on WBMM) and 10 on this outlet airing in high definition but still recorded in advance. As a result, WBMM terminated its outsourcing arrangement with WAKA. After WCOV's contract with WSFA expired at the end of 2010, that station entered into another news outsourcing agreement with WAKA to produce a nightly prime time broadcast. On January 1, 2011, WSFA transitioned its prime-time show to its second digital subchannel (then affiliated with the Retro Television Network) resulting in three options for newscasts at 9.

A content sharing arrangement would eventually be set up between WNCF and then sister station WLTZ in Columbus, Georgia to share resources when covering East-Central Alabama since Montgomery and Columbus have coverage areas bordering each other. As a result, additional reporters locally employed by WLTZ were seen during CW News at Nine and ABC 32 News at Ten in HD. After the change in operational ownership to Bahakel, personnel from the NBC station in Columbus were dropped. At some point in Summer 2012, WNCF and WBMM terminated their newscast outsourcing agreement with Independent News Network in preparation for local news production duties to be assumed by WAKA.

WNCF and WAKA officially debuted their combined local news operation on February 2, 2013. Based out of what was formerly WNCF's studios on Harrison Road, a newly expanded high definition-ready facility features state-of-the-art production capabilities which has allowed WAKA to finally offer local news in high definition. The broadcasts on WNCF and WAKA are known on-air as Alabama News Network and shows are simulcasted between the ABC and CBS affiliates on weekday mornings, weeknights at 10, and weekends. The latter two time slots can feature a delay or pre-emption on one network if national programming runs into them.

WAKA airs its own weekday noon broadcast as well as separate newscasts weeknights at 5 and 6. In addition, WNCF has its own local show weeknights at 5:30 while WAKA offers the CBS Evening News. As a result, the ABC outlet airs World News Tonight weeknights at 6 from a second feed offered by the netwotk (live if significant changes have occurred since the 5:30 feed; otherwise on a delay). Despite merging with WNCF, WAKA continues to produce a nightly, half-hour prime time newscast at 9 on Fox affiliate WCOV through a pre-existing news share arrangement. Like all CW Plus outlets, sister station WBMM airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekdays from 6 until 8.