KPRC 2 Houston has done something you rarely see anymore...cancel a newscast. Starting today, the channel 2 4:30 morning newscast has been replaced with NBC's "Early Today."
Most TV stations around the US just keep adding newscasts, usually without adding staff.
Newish morning anchor Sofía Ojeda took to social media to console KPRC morning viewers:
"I have been getting some emails from you guys at home. We today...we are no longer on at 4:30 in the morning. So from 4 to 5 'Early Today' show will be on and then we will pop up right at 5am. And we will go all the way through until 8:00 on the KPRC2+ app. So join us. I know it's a little bit of a change, but change is good, right?"
Former KPRC 2 morning anchor Dan O'Rourke pointed out to me that Phillip Mena, a former KPRC 2 weekend anchor, anchors "Early Today."
If it weren't for my own blog, I would have no memory, so let's hit my archives to learn that KPRC 2 launched the 4:30am newscast all the way back in August 24, 2009. KHOU 11 also launched a 4:30am around that time, too.
In fact at the time, I wrote a post offering my services at 4am. For some reason I featured a photo of me on the NBC 5 KXAS DFW news desk where I pitched Houston stations the following:
"It will consist of me in my pajamas reading my blog aloud to the camera.
No additional staff will need to be hired. I will produce it myself. All you have to do is show me how to setup the lights and camera (I have TV production experience). Your master control operator can punch me live on air and go to commercial break."
No station ever reached out to take me up on the offer. I'm sure their emails just got marked as spam.
Back then, you will never guess who handled anchoring and meteorologist duties? That's right Owen Conflenti and Anthony Yanez. Some things never change I guess.
In 2009, Conflenti and Yanez were later joined at 5am by Lauren Freeman and Jennifer Reyna. Ok, that has changed.
"Lifestyles are changing and people are waking up earlier; we are happy to be there for them," said KPRC Local 2 Vice President and General Manager, Larry Blackerby in a staff announcement back then.
So does this mean the 4:30am cancellation signals a 2023 lifestyles change that people don't get their lazy asses out of bed early anymore? And if you are old school Houston, you get a gold star if you recognize that is a 97 Rock Moby reference. In fact, he had a whole song “Get your lazy asses out of bed!" he played every morning.
We kicked off our newscast at 5am- we will no longer be on at 4:30am. But we will go on from 5-7am on KPRC2 on your TV on then 7-8am on @kprc2 + app. Download it where you get your apps! pic.twitter.com/N3kCfWJHPh
— Sofía Ojeda (@KPRC2SofiaOjeda) January 9, 2023
