In an effort to reach new audiences available in the early evenings, WNBC has unveiled plans for LX New York, a one-hour daily information, lifestyle and entertainment show on 9/14, replacing it’s long-running 5PM newscast. Produced for WNBC by LX.TV, LX New York will air live from Rockefeller Center and other locations throughout the tri-state area weekdays at 5pm.
LX New York will offer viewers a fresh alternative to the traditional local programs found at 5 p.m. The show will feature a colorful mix of local stories, celebrity guests, in-studio experts, cooking segments and irreverent fun. With an energetic cast of characters, LX New York will deliver the latest information on fashion, the arts, travel, and pop culture in a fast-paced entertaining hour.
“LX New York is a more contemporary answer to the changing consumer needs in the early evening,” said Burns. “This is a new kind of show designed to appeal to the large female audience that’s home in the late afternoon and not necessarily looking for a traditional local newscast. LX New York is the next step in our ongoing effort to expand our portfolio of relevant content, reaching new and, often, untapped audiences.”
LX New York will focus on reaching female “cosmopolitan connoisseurs” – those who identify themselves with the lifestyle and opportunities that the best of New York offers. The show will visit and report from many of the neighborhoods in the Tri-state area and tap in to the latest trends and New York buzz. In addition, WNBC will supply news headlines and weather reports during the broadcast.
WNBC was the first television station to inaugurate the half-hour late news format and was the first television station in New York to offer local newscasts on weekend mornings. Additionally, WNBC first launched “Live at Five” in 1980, taking on the competitor’s old movies and syndicated fare. With its interviews and lifestyle segments “Live at Five” changed the way local news and information was reported in the afternoons. LX New York is the next step forward in the evolution of this time period.
The new show will take the place of “NewsChannel 4 at 5PM with Sue Simmons and David Ushery.” Simmons will continue to co-anchor the 6:00PM and 11:00PM newscasts with Chuck Scarborough, while Ushery will continue to serve as an anchor and reporter on WNBC and on the group’s additional media platforms.
LX.TV began as a broadband video network catering to young, affluent urbanites, and was acquired by NBC Local Media in January 2008. LX’s marquee shows, “1st Look,” and “Open House NYC,” have both shown consistent ratings growth since their debut on WNBC. Airing Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m, “Open House NYC” is up 12% year to year, with an average viewership of nearly 200,000 viewers and the most upscale audience in the timeperiod. “1st Look,” airing Saturday and Sunday reaches an average of 300,000 viewers each week, up 5% over the previous year.
