IRVING, Texas—Nexstar Media Group, Inc. today announced that it will launch primetime newscasts Monday through Sunday in Dallas and Phoenix in mid-August, bringing local news content to millions of new viewers in two of the nation’s top-12 markets.
In Dallas, where Nexstar owns KDAF-TV (CW33), the new newscasts will air at 9 p.m. local time, following programming on The CW Network. In Phoenix, where Nexstar provides services to KAZT-TV (CW7 Arizona) under a Time Brokerage Agreement, the new newscasts also will air at 9 p.m. local time after CW programming.
“We’re excited to launch daily primetime newscasts in two of the country’s top-12 markets and provide viewers with a new outlet for news and information that didn’t exist previously,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. “Nexstar is committed to serving our communities with high-quality, fact-based local journalism, which is particularly important now, as the mid-term elections approach and voters look for reliable, credible information about the issues and the candidates running for office.”
The launches come at a time when Nexstar faces legal challenges to its merger with Tegna. In anti-trust suits, opponents of the merger have alleged, among other things, that the combined company would reduce quality and diversity of local news content.
