WLS-TV makes midday changes

Windy City Live moves to 11 a.m.; midday newscast moves online

(This story was originally posted on T Dog Media’s Google Plus and Facebook pages Thursday. Updated with new info.)

To make room for the incoming Live With Kelly & Michael at 9 a.m., ABC-owned WLS-TV (ABC 7) announced it was moving Windy City Live to 11 a.m. weekday mornings starting September 9.

Live currently airs on WGN-TV at 9, but is moving back to WLS this fall, and for the first time, airing at 9 a.m., finally putting Kelly & Michael on all the ABC O&Os. Two previous stints on ABC 7 from 1991-93 (Regis & Kathie Lee era) and 1999-2001 (Regis-Kathie Lee/Regis-Kelly eras) had the show stuck in overnight time slots.

Windy City Live’s move to 11 a.m. also displaces its top-rated midday newscast, which moves to an Internet-only feed at noon weekdays with anchor Alan Krashesky, replacing Linda Yu and Sylvia Perez. In addition to ABC7Chicago.com, the midday newscast would also be available on the new ABC 7 to go app for tablets and smartphones.

An earlier attempt at a web-only noon newscast from the Chicago Sun-Times anchored by Carol Marin was recently discontinued.

Linda Yu continues to co-anchor the 4 p.m. news, but 24-year veteran Sylvia Perez was let go from the station Thursday. Her contract expires in September, and is not being renewed.

The rest of ABC 7’s daytime schedule remains unchanged, with Katie staying put at 3 p.m.

WGN plans to fill the vacant 9 a.m. slot with an expansion of its morning newscast. WGN is also adding baby mama-drama talk show The Test to its daytime lineup this fall.