Hearst Television’s WCVB-TV (ABC) Boston has snatched “Live! With Regis & Kelly” away from Sunbeam Television’s WHDH-TV (NBC) as part of a daytime programming shakeup. It’s all due to the departure of Oprah Winfrey next fall.
Oprah’s current 4:00 pm weekday slot will go to “Ellen” in the fall of 2011. Ellen DeGeneres has been a morning success for WCVB, so she is being tapped to fill the major hole in the schedule as Winfrey ends her long run on broadcast TV.
In turn, Regis & Kelly will take over the 9:00 am slot where Ellen now airs.
“As a brand and a franchise, Regis & Kelly could not be a better match for us. People across the country know them by their first names and for their ability to launch every morning with a smile,” said WCVB President and General Manager Bill Fine.
UPDATE: WHDH had not renewed Regis & Kelly in order to add local news at 9:00 am next fall.
