Allen Kills Newscasts in Three Markets

Allen Media continues to gut news operations and has decided to pull the plug on weekend news in three markets.

Allen decided to hub the newscasts of KWWL (Waterloo), KIMT (Mason City), and WREX (Rockford). The newscasts are now part of a hub/spoke which dilutes the news product in all three markets.

Now, in yet another cost-cutting move, Allen Media has decided to get rid of the weekend morning and evening newscasts.

Here’s the memo that went out to the staff and was obtained by FTVLive.

Dear Team,

As we continue to focus on delivering the highest-quality news content and adapting to our hub and spoke model, the decision has been made after careful consideration, that effective Sunday, January 19th, 2025, we will be discontinuing our early evening Weekend newscasts at KWWL, KIMT, and WREX. This change is part of an ongoing effort to streamline our programming and adapt. Our final early evening newscast will be this Saturday January 18th, 2025.

We understand that this transition will require adjustments from our staff, and we are committed to providing any necessary support during this period. Please continue to follow your department’s guidelines for managing this change, and feel free to reach out to your newsroom management with any specific questions or concerns regarding schedules or operations.

We appreciate your dedication and understanding as we work through this change. Together, we will continue to ensure that our stations remain strong and relevant to our viewers.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards,
Aaron Scoby
Vice President / General Manager
KWWL, KIMT, WREX