ATN EXCLUSIVE: Sneak Peak at KYPX 10PM 'Newscast'

As reported in May KYPX will soon debut a 10pm newscast hosted by Doug Krile who currently hosts a talk-back news program on KWBF-TV, Channel 42 at 5:30pm weekdays. ATN asked Krile a few questions about what viewers can expect when the newscast begins July 1.

• Is the date for the debut of the 10pm newscast still July 1? Krile: Start date is still July 1, although we're airing our 30 minute special on the USS Razorback Submarine on July 4th.

• Besides yourself who else will be involved with the newscast on air? Krile: Eric Britt (our stock analyst from The WB 42 5:30 Report) will help with an expanded business segment. We'll sometimes bring in someone to comment on a story. And look for Sheryl Lackey to be a contributor.

• How will this newscast be different than the other newscasts on the air at 10pm in the Little Rock market? Krile: It's not going to be a traditional newscast. We're getting positive feedback on the approach we're taking with The 5:30 Report, so I'll apply somewhat the same philosophy to the KYPX program. It's titled"It's A Wrap". The basic concept is that we'll focus on (and talkabout) the most important information of the day. Once again, we're not chasing the local stories in an attempt to compete with the other stations at that level. And we'll continue what we do on the 5:30 -focus on longer-form issues that are generating debate at a national level and we'll continue to utilize the blog concept and treat the blogosphere as a source of comments. We'll also have a tech segment.Those who have followed my career know that I've always been interested in that aspect. At KARK, we were the first to utilize email in the market (back in the days of the Prodigy service) and were among the first TV stations to get a custom Prodigy ID. And we were one of the first TV stations to put live video on the net.

• Some folks would say KYPX should put the newscast at 9pm to counter KLRT's. What's your response to that? Krile: Been there. Done that. At 9 pm. Also, we have very solid 7-10 pm programming lined up when the PAX programming goes away.

• Is KYPX committed to this project for the longhaul? Krile: As with the 5:30 Report, we'll have a contract with CNN to provide some of the content. So, yes, it should have a pretty solid lifespan.Obviously, we are producing these programs because we believe in local programming and a local presence. I simply don't believe that it has to be your traditional "newscast". As you'll note, we don't use that term to describe these programs. They are information and content based.