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ST. LOUIS TV STATIONS
St. Louis TV viewers now have one less choice for local news. Sinclair Broadcasting's ABC affiliate KDNL shut down its entire local news department on Sept. 28 after years of dismal ratings and increasing costs.
"We closed it because the increasingly competitive landscape in the market made it extremely difficult to operate a competitive news department," said Tom Tipton, vp/general manager of KDNL.
Close to 50 people will lose their jobs when the station ceases local news coverage on Oct. 12. KDNL produces only two half hours of local news a night-5 p.m. and 10 p.m. And yet it has never been able to make a dent in the competition. Gannett's NBC affiliate KSDK has been the news leader in the market...