Spectrum News 1 isn’t just for cable TV customers anymore.
Nearly every D-FW resident who owns a TV and an antenna — even those without cable — will be able to tune in to Spectrum News 1 on channel 55 starting Friday.
The 24/7 local news network will be broadcast over the air on KAZD-TV while continuing to run on Channel 1 and in the network’s mobile app for Spectrum TV customers. All others can tune into Channel 55, with classics station MeTV moving to a different channel.
Spectrum News 1 launched in North Texas in 2020 with a plan to disrupt the traditional news model by replacing quick-hit and crime-heavy news cycles with community-focused stories and beat reporting. The programming was formerly only available to Spectrum cable customers, but Spectrum Networks is launching its first and only over-the-air broadcast in D-FW, the fifth largest television market in the U.S., according to Nielsen 2021 rankings.
Spectrum operates more than 30 local cable-exclusive programming networks in 12 states, reaching 2.6 million households a month. Charter Communications Inc. owns Spectrum’s local programming, broadband and cable services.
D-FW residents already have five network affiliates, an independent TV station, a public broadcasting station and multiple Spanish-language news channels to choose from. Spectrum News 1 is betting on what it describes as unbiased reporting, a local lens and character-driven news to draw a crowd.
Spectrum recruited from the local community to fill roles in its Dallas newsroom two years ago, landing veteran TV journalist Brett Shipp and former soap opera star Charles Divins. Shipp, son of WFAA-TV newsman Bert Shipp, delivers top Dallas headlines on Your Morning on Spectrum News 1. The 5 a.m. show is co-anchored by Divins and Dallas native Alex Stockwell.
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Those shows laid the foundation for Dallas to become Spectrum’s first location for an over-the-air rollout.
“We know already that there’s a real desire for the kind of news that we develop, create and produce,” Spectrum Networks executive vice president Mike Bair said. “That gave us some encouragement in this market.”
Since its October 2020 launch, Spectrum News 1 has become the second-most-watched news network among Spectrum customers in D-FW. Bair described that as “pretty remarkable” since it can take decades to build an audience.
The Dallas programming lineup includes community reporting, local and state politics, ZIP code-specific weather reports and Texas sports coverage. Ten Dallas-based journalists work for the network, and more than 36 journalists cover the state of Texas.
As cable-exclusive programming, Spectrum News 1 was shielded from having to chase short-term ratings success. The company is treating the move to over-the-air broadcasting as a learning experience to see how its model works when programming reaches a wider audience.
“We do not worry about last night’s ratings,” Bair said. “We are more interested in long-term viewership that contributes to people’s value of their cable subscription, but we wanted to take this further, reach more of the community, and test it against the broadcast.”
Spectrum Networks wants to introduce more viewers to its news brand and generate revenue from over-the-air programming.
“If you can create ubiquity for your product and reach more people, it will not only become more economic, but you’ll build a bigger brand in markets that matter,” Bair said.
The move is part of a broader plan to reach a larger audience by giving viewers access to news in a variety of ways. If all goes well for over-the-air coverage in Dallas, Spectrum plans to make similar moves in other cities.
“If we like it, it’s something we could roll out nationally,” Bair said. “We’re using this as a learning experience. It will help us better understand what resonates in the community.”
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Spectrum News 1 to broadcast over-the-air on KAZD-TV - The Dallas Morning News
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