No news is no news at WSTR-TV (Channel 64). Plans for a 10 p.m. newscast, to compete with WXIX-TV (Channel 19), have been shelved.

        “It's still something we want to do, but it's on hold for now,” says Merry Ewing, general manager of the WB affiliate. “I really can't say much more.”

        In November, Ms. Ewing had said she hoped that Channel 64 could soon enter the local TV news picture, although it wasn't in the 2002 budget for the Sinclair Broadcast Group station.

        Channel 64 had been “in very, very substantial conversations for 1 1/2 years” with WCPO-TV about having Channel 9 produce a half-hour 10 p.m. newscast for the WB station, says Bill Fee, Channel 9 vice president and general manager.

        Those talks broke off last month, Mr. Fee says.

        Also in the past six months, Sinclair has shut down TV newsrooms and laid off dozens of people, at St. Louis' KDNL-TV (Channel 30) and WXLV-TV (Channel 45) in Greensboro, N.C.

        Sinclair signaled a change in strategy last week by announcing a “corporate news start-up operation” at its headquarters near Baltimore in Hunt Valley, Md.

        The company placed an advertisement in Broadcasting & Cable magazine, looking for news managers, anchor/reporters, meteorologists, producers, assignment editors, directors and production support staff.

        Sinclair owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to 63 TV stations in 40 markets. The company controls WKEF-TV (Channel 22) and WRGT-TV (Channel 45) in Dayton; WSYX-TV (Channel 6) and WTTE-TV (Channel 28) in Columbus; WDKY-TV (Channel 56) in Lexington; and WTTV-TV (Channel 4) in Indianapolis.

        Sinclair corporate executives could not be reached for comment, so it could not be determined when Cincinnati viewers could see an alternative newscast.

        But that day is coming. And how it impacts Channel 19, which has one of the highest-rated 10 p.m. newscasts of all Fox affiliates, remains to be seen. Stay tuned.

        E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/kiese

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