This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Beginning tonight, 9 p.m. becomes more of a battle front in the local TV news wars.
The competition increases with the debut of "2 News at 9" on KJZZ-Ch. 14 — a half-hour newscast that goes into direct competition with the hourlong "Fox News at Nine" on KSTU-Ch. 13 and the half-hour "Utah's CW 30 News at 9."
So there will be as many local newscasts at 9 p.m. as there are at 10 p.m.
"A little competition is good for everyone and I can't wait to start!" said Heidi Hatch, who will be the sole anchor of "2 News at 9" on KJZZ.
In case you missed it, Sinclair Broadcasting purchased KJZZ late last year. Sinclair also owns both KUTV, which is, of course, producing "2 New at 9."
(Just the way KTVX-Ch. 4 produces the 9 p.m. newscast on its sister station, KUCW-Ch. 30.)
According to Hatch, the 9 p.m. newscast won't be just the 10 p.m. newscast an hour earlier.
"We promise a fast-paced newscast that doesn't waste your time as you're wrapping up your day and setting your alarm clock early," said Hatch, a familiar face to local viewers. She's been at Ch. 2 since 2011, hosting "The Refresh" in the afternoon, reporting and filling in as an anchor on various newscasts. Before she spent five years at a station in Orlando, Fla., Hatch anchored KTVX's morning news show.
"I'm personally excited to take on this new role," she said, "where I can help create a new product that keeps up with a changing news landscape where social media and a constant twitter feed drives our conversations."
Given that two of the three local stations that have long produced 10 p.m. newscasts are now producing 9 p.m. newscasts, how long do you think it will be before KSTU-Ch. 13 starts producing a full 10 p.m. newscast (not just the five-minute short it already airs)?