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KOHD Stops Its Local Newscasts

After only two years on the air, KOHD pulls the plug on its newscasts.

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And then there was one...

One remaining local newscast remains in Central Oregon as of today, that being the folks over at KTVZ now that KOHD, the local ABC affiliate, has announced today that it will no longer produce a news program.

In a statement this morning on the KOHD website, KOHD General Manager Jerry Upham announced that tonight's 11 p.m. broadcast will be the last for the station, which took to the air in September of 2007. Upham cited the station's low Nielson ratings combined with the ongoing recession as reasons for the station to drop its broadcasts.

But KOHD will keep a crew on here in Bend to report pieces that will appear frequently on the station, likely interspersed in the newscast of Eugene-based KEZI. The website will also remain and feature local content, according to Upham.

Also, Dancing With the Stars fans will rest easy knowing that the KOHD shakeup will not affect ABC programming.

We first reported on an upcoming shakeup at KOHD in August when Daniel Pearson wrote a feature story in which Upham acknowledged the station was having trouble (like many local businesses) in the local economy. But the station insisted that there was no indication that they would be changing course. Industry experts in the story, however, predicted otherwise. Give it a read.