News Operation
The station has used the Eyewitness News format since February 26, 1968 (having altered its title from "Evening News"), and according to local AC Nielsen ratings, has had the leading newscast in New Orleans for nearly 30 years. The November 2007 sweeps period—the first major ratings period in New Orleans reported to Nielsen since Hurricane Katrina—affirmed that WWL continued to lead its nearest competitors, WDSU and WVUE, by a wide margin.
In March 2006, WWL began "I-News", a 30-minute newscast featuring more in-depth reporting on topics important to viewers. The newscast also features live interviews with local, state and national officials. The newscast aired weekday evenings on the station's website after the 6 p.m. newscast and was rebroadcast on Channel 4; the webcast has since been canceled.
On June 4, 2007, WWL-TV began airing a 30-minute weeknight newscast called "Eyewitness News at 9" on WUPL-TV. It was anchored by "Eyewitness News Nightwatch" anchors Lucy Bustamante and Mike Hoss until Bustamante departed WWL-TV for Belo sister station WVEC-TV in Hampton, Virginia on October 1, 2010. Bustamante was replaced by the woman she replaced, Karen Swensen, on February 24, 2011 as anchor of the 10 p.m. and the WUPL 9 p.m. newscast; in the interim, Mike Hoss anchored the newscast on WUPL with rotating co-anchors.
Since the anchor changes, WWL-TV has lost significant ratings, according to Nielsen Media reports, but is still the top-rated station for news in New Orleans. Where it once doubled the ratings of each of its competitors in every time period, WWL-TV's lead declined to as little as one household rating point (at 6 p.m.) in the July 2011 Nielsen sweeps period, where WDSU placed second. At 5 p.m., WWL-TV led WDSU by 2 household ratings points; at 10 p.m., WWL-TV led WVUE by 1.9 household ratings points.
In April 2010, the station became the second in the market to install a new HD-based weather system.
Former WDSU morning anchor Melanie Hebert joined the station in January 2012 and didn't make any on-air appearances until July of that year.
In October 2012, WWL-TV introduced a new news set for the first time in over 20 years after upgrading the prior set a few times in that time period. This new set was designed by FX Group and gives meterologists a full size area for the first time in the station's history.
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