KESQ News Channel 3 Expands the Desert’s #1 News Brand
Effective Monday, December 3 rd , KESQ News Channel 3 will begin producing local newscasts for CBS Local 2.
Gulf California Broadcasting (GCB) and parent company News-Press & Gazette Broadcasting announced the following Monday-Friday newscast lineup in a station meeting held November 30 th .
KESQ News Channel 3
CBS Local 2
5am
News Channel 3 in the Morning
6am
12pm
News Channel 3 at Noon
Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
5pm
News Channel 3 Live at Five
5:30pm
ABC World News Tonight
CBS Evening News
6pm
News Channel 3 at 6pm
6:30pm
Inside Edition
News Channel 3 at 6:30pm
6:45pm
Eye on the Desert
11pm
News Channel 3 at 11pm
“With the belief that local news will remain an invaluable commodity, our goal is to continue to have the #1 brand in the Coachella Valley,” said Jerry Upham, GCB General Manager. “We will unite all our resources into strengthening the News Channel 3 brand and making it an even more dominant ‘Desert’s News Leader’ on all platforms.”
As part of this strategy, John White, Karen Devine and Haley Clawson will continue to anchor the desert’s #1 ranked evening newscasts, which will now air simultaneously on KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 at 5pm, 6pm and 11pm. In the morning, new anchor Angela Chen joins Jeff Stahl at 5am and 6am for the News Channel 3 newscast that will also be simulcast on both stations.
With this change, CBS Local 2 will add a half-hour of local news every day, and the familiar faces seen on that station will be an important part of the News Channel 3 team. CBS Local 2 evening news anchor Brooke Beare will join the News Channel 3 Investigative Team (I-Team), while continuing to anchor the 6:30pm News, which will now be branded as a News Channel 3 newscast that airs exclusively on CBS Local 2. Meteorologist and Eye on the Desert host Patrick Evans will continue to host the valley’s longest running arts and entertainment segment at 6:30pm, and will join the market’s #1 rated morning newscast as morning meteorologist. CBS Morning news anchor Tom Tucker will anchor weekends for the News Channel 3 newscasts reporting during the week. Kelley Moody will move to weekend meteorologist and weekday reporter.
“This move positions the Desert’s News Leader to be even stronger tracking severe weather, covering breaking news, and delivering more investigative and enterprise reporting,” says Rebecca Johnson, GCB News Director.
In addition, GCB will strengthen its local news presence on Telemundo affiliate KUNA, developing more live local newscasts for the Spanish language audience at 6pm and 11pm. “The KUNA local news is currently the only fully locally produced news in the market,” says Upham. “This move gives us the ability to provide more current Spanish language news for the entire Coachella Valley”.
“In addition, this move allows our station group to give our community projects and partnerships more exposure,” adds Upham. “Previously each station had their own event sponsorships whereas now they will air across our platforms.”
Gulf California Broadcasting (GCB) and parent company News-Press & Gazette (NPG), are owners of local television stations KESQ (ABC), KPSP (CBS Local 2) , KUNA, KDFX, KCWQ and radio station KUNA-FM (La Poderosa).
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Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
