MILWAUKEE: WITI-TV, the Local TV-owned Fox affiliate in Milwaukee, is dropping its weekend newscasts, at least temporarily. The station is “suspending” its weekend local news on Saturday and Sunday mornings and evenings, according to The Business Journal of Milwaukee. Station General Manager Chuck Steinmetz blamed the economy.
“We want to focus as much of our resources on our core business as possible,” he said.
A local how-to show, “Ask Gus,” will be plugged into the Saturday 8:30 a.m. slot. The weekday newscasts will continue, and weather and breaking news will still be covered on the weekends. Stienmetz said he hoped to reinstate the weekend newscasts in the future.
Other Milwaukee stations are feeling the burn as well, reports Tim Cuprisin, who covers TV and radio for the Journal Sentinel. WTMJ-TV, the NBC affiliate owned by Journal Broadcasting, is running infomercials at 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and has done so in prime time, he said.
“That was unthinkable just a short time ago,” Cuprisin writes. – Deborah D. McAdams
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