TheBuzz Erika Engle

More weeknight television news, more of the time

Starting Jan. 7, "K5 News at 6:30" will debut right after the 6 p.m. news ends on sister station KHNL. It will air each weeknight.

Just last month, the stations announced plans to add an 11 a.m. weekday newscast on KHNL that also will be streamed online.

Why add a 6:30 show? Because not everybody is home plunked down on the couch in time to watch the six o'clock news, said John Fink, vice president and general manager.

"We just think that with the number of people in the afternoons not getting home (because they're) picking up kids at practice or getting dinner ready, this provides them an alternative," he said.

Also, not everybody has a DVR or TiVO. Others have yet to learn how to program the blasted, noon-blinking VCR.

Fink noted that stories ongoing at 6 can be updated in the extra half-hour, to be anchored by Stephanie Lum, Chief Meteorologist Sharie Shima and Sports Director Jason Tang.

No sign of Lum's other male co-anchors, Howard "Dash" Dashefsky on KHNL or Walter Makaula, an anchor for both stations.

Since the 6:30 time slot on KFVE will feature local news instead of a second half-hour of the syndicated "King of Queens," one wonders if ad rates will go up.

"We find there's more interest for local news than there is for syndicated product," Fink said.

Fink was not specific about whether it is cheaper to run a local newscast than to buy a syndicated show, but said, "We are going to continue to localize ourselves. We are 'K5 the Home Team,' so running weaker-performing syndicated fare doesn't make a lot of sense going forward."

KFVE is an affiliate of the upstart My Network TV, which began life last September airing English-language telenovelas and professional wrestling and has yet to find a strong foothold.

On K5's NBC-affiliate sister station, "KHNL News 8 Now" at 11 a.m. will start Monday, Dec. 3, once the Nielsen ratings are pau. It will take up half the time slot currently occupied by the 700 Club and will be anchored by Kristine Uyeno, who also anchors KHNL News8 Sunrise at 5 a.m. and KHNL News8 Today from 5:30 to 7 a.m.

With two new shows each day, does that mean a nice bump in salary for the talent and the producers?

"No comment," Fink chuckled.

Yeah, just like radio personalities get extra money for pre-recording extra shows to air on other stations in their clusters. Yeah, that's the ticket.