KFVS12 cancels newscast on Heartland's CW

KFVS12's 9 p.m. newscast experiment lasted nearly four years, but in the end the program couldn't stand up to the power of Oprah Winfrey.

Last week the station aired its last episode of "Heartland News at 9" on its station The Heartland's CW -- a program that started as the first 9 p.m. newscast in the market that covers the Cape Girardeau, Paducah, Ky., and Harrisburg, Ill., area. In its place the station will show episodes of the syndicated "Oprah Winfrey Show" on the CW station at 9 p.m., followed by a simulcast of the KFVS12 10 p.m. newscast.

KFVS12 general manager Mike Smythe cited two primary reasons for the cancellation: A 9 p.m. newscast is at a disadvantage going up against prime-time network programming on KFVS12, a CBS affiliate, and market research that showed Winfrey's show would garner better ratings in the slot, primarily from the key female demographic. The Heartland's CW is available on cable and DirecTV in Southeast Missouri and over the airwaves in western Kentucky.

Smythe said he's heard positive reaction from Winfrey fans as well as negative reaction from viewers used to getting their news an hour early.

"It's hard to be all things to all people," Smythe said.

KFVS12 created the newscast using personnel from its own news staff. Now Smythe says those resources will be allocated to increasing the station's coverage of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois news, including more human interest stories out of small towns in Southeast Missouri. Those resources will be used for KFVS12's 10 p.m. newscast, which Smythe calls a ratings powerhouse.

"The argument is that in the big picture the 10 o'clock news is what's more important to us," Smyth said,

In the last year "Heartland News at 9" had shifted its focus to emphasize Southeast Missouri news, instead of a more even mix of news from Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky. The program had also run up against competition in the form of a 9 p.m. newscast on Cape Girardeau-based KBSI, Fox 23. Last fall KBSI teamed with Paducah-based WPSD to create the newscast using WPSD news personnel.

Smythe didn't mention the competition as a reason for dropping the 9 p.m. newscast, but he did say KBSI originally approached KFVS12 about producing its newscast.

"We decided against that for various reasons," Smythe said.

KBSI general manager Tom Tipton said his station's newscast strives to put equal emphasis on news from Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky. Tipton said KBSI's 9 p.m. news gets a 2 rating, which translates into about 18,000 viewers. Smythe said the CW newscast commonly pulled in a 1 rating, or about 9,000 viewers.

Tipton said he hopes viewers of "Heartland News at 9" will now make the switch.

"There will be only one alternative at 9 o'clock for people who like to go to bed early," Tipton said. "It's great news. Any time you can lose a competitor it's a great thing."

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182