CW 39 cancels ‘NewsFix’ and ‘Morning Dose’

PHOTOS: Big changes at KIAH-TV Grego Onofrio asn’t your typical tie-and-jacket news anchorman in Houston. Channel 39’s quirky newscast, the 9 p.m. "NewsFix," is over. >>>See other Houston TV anchors and reporters on the move this year ... less PHOTOS: Big changes at KIAH-TV Grego Onofrio asn’t your typical tie-and-jacket news anchorman in Houston. Channel 39’s quirky newscast, the 9 p.m. "NewsFix," is over. >>>See other Houston TV ... more Photo: -- / -- Photo: -- / -- Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close CW 39 cancels ‘NewsFix’ and ‘Morning Dose’ 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

Houston’s The CW 39 (KIAH-TV) is canceling two of its local news programs: the “Morning Dose” morning show and its evening “NewsFix” broadcasts.

It’s part of a broader change at the Tribune-owned The CW network nationally where the “Morning Dose” and “Newsfix” programs in Dallas are also being axed, as well as the late newscast at WDCW in Washington, D.C.

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“Unfortunately, despite the efforts of a lot of talented employees, these shows haven’t delivered the ratings or the revenue we hoped for when they were launched,” Tribune Broadcasting president Larry Wert said in a letter to employees Thursday morning. “Taking these steps will enable us to reallocated the resources devoted to these shows to other areas of our broadcasting business, including the further expansion of local news in several markets.”

This expansion includes a three-hour local morning newcast block for The CW 39 beginning in the fall.

“Mornings are a time-period where we have seen growth, and by shifting resources we believe we can better serve our local audiences,” Wert said.

The last broadcasts of the current programs are Sept. 14. “Morning Dose,” hosted by Laila Muhammad and Jenny Anchondo, airs from 5 a.m.-8 a.m. and “Newsfix,” anchored by Grego Onofrio, airs at 5 p.m.

“NewsFix,” which began 7 1/2 years ago, often featured the Houston Chronicle’s Craig Hlavaty, whose weekly segment on the stranger side of Houston life included getting thrown into a pool by Lou Ferrigno and nearly getting punched by Mike Tyson.

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“For over seven years I had a weekly segment on NewsFix that allowed me to visit places around the city, from Galveston to Conroe, and show off some of the best and weirdest parts of Houston experience,” Hlavaty said. “Many people compared the feel and tempo of the news program to KLOL-FM during its golden age. That was a comparison I never took for granted.

“I have met twentysomethings and younger from across the area who grew up with the show in their homes every night since 2011 and that is very special to me. Many of them got into TV and journalism because of what they saw the show doing. That will be the lasting influence on the city, the way it made news a little more fun and light in a world that is not always very kind."

cary.darling@chron.com