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KATV to Break Ground With Afternoon Lifestyle Show

2 min read

“Good Morning Arkansas” has been good indeed for KATV — so good that the Little Rock ABC affiliate will be expanding the news, talk and lifestyle format with a live and local 3 p.m. show.

“Good Afternoon Arkansas,” the first afternoon show of its kind in the Little Rock TV market, will make its debut on Sept. 4.

The station has been advertising for an “afternoon lifestyles host,” and news director Nick Genty confirmed to Arkansas Business that the new show will occupy the hourlong 3 p.m. slot now held by the “Steve Harvey Show.” Harvey will move to 4 p.m., knocking the “Dr. Oz Show” out of the lineup.

Genty said he was “thrilled to announce” the new program, which he said Channel 7 had been “working on for some time.” Along with the hourlong “Good Morning Arkansas” at 9 and the 30-minute “Midday Arkansas” at 11:30, the new program will give KATV two-and-a-half hours of local programming between “Good Morning America” and “Channel 7 News Live at 5.”

“We are excited to be the only station in Arkansas to have an afternoon show that will bring the most updated news and weather, along with other content that our viewers can use to make their lives better,” Genty said.

KATV’s help-wanted ad on the Arkansas Broadcasters Association website seeks “an excellent communicator, storyteller and writer with an energetic and terrific on-camera presence.” Since the program will be live, KATV says the “successful candidate will be able to think quick on his or her feet,” and a solid reporting background and experience in the anchor seat are required. The job title is “lifestyle show host.”

Genty said the program “will have high viewer engagement” on the station’s digital and social sites. “As the leader in the market, we knew we wanted to be the first to produce a local afternoon show.”

“Good Morning Arkansas,” now hosted by Melinda Mayo and Chris Kane, was the first local news magazine program in the state when it made its debut in January 2000 and has found its niche between “Good Morning America” and “The View.” ” ‘Good Morning Arkansas’ has been a huge success, as has our midday show,” Genty said, adding that both programs win their time slots. Meteorologist Barry Brandt appears on “Midday Arkansas” with anchor Erin Hawley.

” ‘Good Afternoon Arkansas’ will have some of the feel of ‘Good Morning Arkansas’ but will have more up-to-date news and weather,” Genty added. “Viewers will be able to get the big news events of the day and look ahead to what we are working on” for future in-depth news stories. “We know that viewers want new informational all day long, and this show is going to give us the platform to bring the latest information on news stories as they unfold all day.”

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