http://www.sj-r.com/Sections/News/Stories/45683.asp"Springfield viewers looking for local news created in the city soon will have something they've never had - a choice between two channels.
Beginning in April, WCFN-TV, Springfield's UPN affiliate, will air a half-hour local news broadcast at 9 p.m. each weekday. WCFN broadcasts on Channel 49.
Its debut will mark the end of WICS-TV's monopoly on television news targeted at Springfield, a monopoly held by the NBC affiliate since its debut in 1953. WICS-TV broadcasts on Channel 20.
"Springfield viewers have asked for this, and asked us many, many times," said Russ Hamilton, vice president and general manager of WCFN and its sister station WCIA, the Champaign-based CBS affiliate for the Springfield-Decatur-Champaign television market. NexStar Broadcasting Group, in Irving, Texas, owns both WCIA and WCFN."
This is great news from Springfield. Competition is always good. Maybe the new station will focus on investigative reporting to gain a competitive edge over WICS. However, a 9:00pm newscast will mean that people can watch both newscasts as WICS reports at 10:00pm. They also noted that FOX may re-run the Chicago news broadcast. It's interesting that people are demanding more local news, or at least that people think there is a demand to be informed.