THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 16, 1995 TAG: 9509160311
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
In a stunning development in local television news, CBS affiliate WTKR and United Paramount Network affiliate WGNT announced Friday they will be partners in a 10 p.m. newscast starting Monday on WGNT (Channel 27).
``TV3 News at 10 On UPN 27'' will air Monday through Friday, and be manned by the same WTKR team that delivers the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on Channel 3 - co-anchors Tom Randles and LeAnne Rains, weather reporter Duane Harding and sports reporter Jim Hale.
The 10 p.m. newscast on WGNT and the 11 p.m. newscast on WTKR will be ``as different as time allows,'' said WTKR general manager Elden Hale, who made the announcement Friday in league with WGNT general manager Chris Pike.
It will be a bit of deja vu for Pike. Until a few months ago, he was WTKR's general manager and put together the news team that will now produce a newscast for WGNT. Pike said the viewers in early-to-bed, early-to-rise blue-collar Hampton Roads have been asking for a 10 p.m. newscast, ``and we're happy now to provide it for them.''
WGNT lost little time in promoting the 10 p.m. newscast, telling viewers on Friday that ``the wait is over for the news you need when you want it.''
Hale, who was brought to Norfolk soon after The New York Times Co. bought WTKR last spring, promised a deep commitment to local news.
Hale recently started up a three-hour local newscast on the weekends, shook up the teams delivering the news on Channel 3, including the hiring of former WAVY anchor Rains, and now this - local news at 10 p.m. in partnership with a station that competes with WTKR for viewers in prime time.
Echoing what Pike said about the opportunity to do a local 10 p.m. newscast here in one of the top 40 markets in the U.S., Hale said, ``The market was crying for it.'' Broadcast insiders here expected Fox affiliate WTVZ to be first in this market with a 10 p.m. newscast.
At 10:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, WGNT will strip in the show business magazine ``Extra,'' which has been running on WTKR. Hale said he expects to add to Channel 3's news staff now that there is another nightly newscast to be done.
He presided over a similar local news working agreement in northeastern Pennsylvania involving a Fox affiliate and an ABC affiliate, and, said Hale, ``it worked out quite well.'' by CNB