ORLANDO, Fla. – WKMG-TV News 6, the local CBS affiliate in Orlando, is once again innovating the delivery of news and information to its audience by spotlighting -- on broadcast television -- the content and convenience of their OTT streaming channel, News 6+.
On Monday, November 14, WKMG will take over its 5:30 p.m. newscast with new programming called the “News 6+ Takeover.”
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For years, News 6 has been producing award-winning local news while sharing stories that celebrate and highlight our diverse communities, local businesses and those who innovate and generate solutions.
Now, WKMG will bring those personalities and themes from their owned-and-operated digital platforms, like ClickOrlando.com and News 6+, to the general broadcast audience at 5:30 p.m. every weekday on TV.
What will the Takeover look like on air?
“The News 6+ Takeover will deliver relevant news and information throughout all our platforms. Our audience should expect a more personal and interactive experience with Central Florida’s best news team in a way that is not constrained by a ‘one size fits all’ format of traditional newscasts,” WKMG General Manager Jeff Hoffman said.
Starting Monday, instead of a newscast, the audience will be exposed to News 6′s variety of podcasts and longer format journalism.
“In essence, it’s the opposite of our traditional broadcast to digital push. We will be using our vast collection of local, timely, original, digital content to populate our broadcast air,” said WKMG News Director Allison McGinley.
Why are we doing this now? Easy. People’s habits around consuming content and information has changed dramatically.
News 6 will meet that desire for inspiring content with local, community-based and solutions-oriented programming.
“In a market like Orlando with multiple local stations doing dozens of hours of news each day, this is an opportunity for WKMG News 6 to once again be the leader of innovation and crack the mold of what local news is expected to be. At WKMG News 6, we have an incredible team of passionate journalists with varied interests. Their reporting, their stories will help us to better connect with our audience. We are excited to expand it from our owned-and-operated digital platforms like ClickOrlando.com and News 6+ and bring it to our general broadcast audience at 5:30 p.m.,” McGinley said.
The News 6+ Takeover will air weekdays at 5:30 p.m. on News 6 and all content and shows will be available after they air on the News 6+ streaming app that is available for free on any Roku, FireTV, AppleTV or AndroidTV device.
You can also find the same content livestreamed or as video on demand on ClickOrlando.com.
Here’s a rundown of what you can expect to see on air after the launch of the News 6+ Takeover.
Monday: Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast hosted by News 6 anchors Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden. This podcast takes these colleagues and true friends off the traditional news set and into the more casual podcast realm where they sit down to give us their unfiltered take on some of the craziest headlines in Florida.
Tuesday: Solutionaries. It’s probably a word you’ve never heard before, but we didn’t make it up. A Solutionary is someone who recognizes a problem or injustice in society and comes up with creative and innovative ways to tackle those inequities. To give those people a spotlight, News 6 created this digital-only show focusing on issues our community is dealing with while highlighting the potential solutions available locally and around the nation.
Wednesday: Florida Foodie. News 6 anchor Lisa Bell and meteorologist Candace Campos talk with chefs, farmers, small businesses owners, CEOs and activists with the goal of getting people to think more about the food on their plates.
Thursday: Talk to Tom. We took a popular segment that News 6 features during major weather events and turned it into a weekly show. Viewers can submit any of their weather-related questions online or call into the show. In addition, Tom will share his views on recent weather events, viral videos and more. He will also talk to experts about weather topics.
Friday: A second weekly dose of Florida’s Fourth Estate featuring hot topics and viewer emails will allow the audience to enter the weekend with a light-hearted look at life.
Immediately following the weekday 5:30 p.m. News 6+ Takeover, WKMG will air its regularly scheduled newscast News 6 at 6 p.m. The News 6+ Takeover is expected to continue as alternative special programming for viewers throughout the holidays.