Former Ch. 9 anchor Brenda Blackmon is joining Ch. 11 to co-anchor a new 6:30 p.m. weekday newscast with WPIX veteran Kaity Tong.
The newscast, targeted for a mid-to-late January launch, will be the only local newscast airing at 6:30 p.m. in New York — competing against the “NBC Nightly News,” ABC’s “World News Tonight” and the “CBS Evening News.”
“It’s hard to make history in New York — everything’s been done — but guess what? PIX is doing something new and, best of all, we’re going to be number one,” says Blackmon, a multiple Emmy winner who spent 23 years at WWOR before the station jettisoned its 10 p.m. newscast in 2013.
“I don’t settle for second-best,” she says. “The best part of all is that I’ll be sitting next to someone you can rely on with experience and know-how. Kaity is just the best — we’ve hung out before — girls hang out and girls talk — and I respect her and her talent.
“I’m so excited. My feet have not touched the ground.”
Tong, who moved to weekends in 2010, has been with Ch. 11 since 1992 and, before that, spent 10 years at Ch. 7 (1981-91).
“With such a rich history in the market, Brenda and Kaity will be a powerhouse anchor duo at 6:30 p.m.,” Ch. 11 president/GM Rich Graziano said in a statement.
Tamsen Fadal and John Muller will continue anchoring Ch. 11’s 10 p.m. newscast.