A Production Change in Des Moines

There is a changing of the guard for the 9 p.m. news on the Fox affiliate in Des Moines.

Hearst’s KCCI has taken over the production duties for the prime-time newscast on KDSM (Sinclair). The Des Moines Register reports that the new partnership officially kicked off on January 1st.

The move ends a long-running agreement between KDSM and Nexstar’s WHO. The NBC affiliate had been producing the news for the Fox station since KDSM shuttered its in-house news department in 2008.

According to KCCI Creative Services Director Kristen Joyal, the station is simulcasting the 9 p.m. news that it has aired on its MeTV sub-channel since 2016. Ben Kaplan and Stacey Horst anchor the broadcast.

WHO isn't ceding the time slot entirely. The Nexstar station launched its own 9 p.m. newscast on New Year's Day, which airs on their 13.4 sub-channel and streaming platforms.

KDSM General Manager Joseph Tracy told the Register, "Our collaboration with KCCI enables us to deliver a robust local newscast anchored by journalists our audience knows and trusts."