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WTTA Carrying WFLA 10 P.M. Newscast

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By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 29, 2007

TAMPA - A new 10 p.m. news program will be introduced in the Tampa-St. Petersburg television market beginning Oct. 8.

WFLA, Channel 8, plans to produce a 35-minute newscast that will be aired on WTTA, Channel 38.

'News Channel 8 at 10' will be anchored by Peter Bernard and will run Monday through Friday on WTTA.

Meteorologists Mace Michaels and Leigh Spann also will contribute. Bernard, Katie Coronado, Michaels and Spann also will continue to appear on WFLA.

The newscast will be in competition with the 'Fox 13' news at 10 p.m. on WTVT, Channel 13.

WFLA President and General Manager Mike Pumo said WFLA has long wanted to do a 10 p.m. newscast but cannot because it is an NBC affiliate. The station is obligated to carry NBC's entertainment programming at 10 on weeknights.

'Our partnership with WTTA-TV is the vital connection that allows us to provide this coverage for viewers at a time that's important to them,' he said.

WFLA News Director Don North said the 10 p.m. program would be a comprehensive newscast of local, national and international news.

Some of the same stories that run on WFLA's 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts will be used on the program but that won't detract from the Channel 8 programs, North said.

'We are assuming that they are two different audiences, and the audience that wants to watch a 10 p.m. newscast wants to go to bed and wouldn't be watching our 11 p.m. news,' he said.

Julie Nelson, general manager for WTTA, an affiliate of the MyNetwork TV, said it is exciting to have WFLA as a partner. 'It provides another choice for live, late-breaking news at 10 o'clock, which viewers have requested,' she said.

WTTA, which is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, launched its own local 10 p.m. newscast in 2003 but it went out of production in 2006.

WFLA is owned by Media General, which also owns The Tampa Tribune.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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