WCPO 9 Cincinnati Is Trending Right Now—Here’s Why Everyone’s Talking About It

WCPO 9 News, Cincinnati’s longtime ABC affiliate, is in the middle of its biggest on-air shake-up in a decade, and local viewers are noticing. Here is what’s happening, why it matters to Tri-State audiences, and what industry insiders say could come next. Local faces exit, national feeds fill the gap At the end of May, primary late-news anchor Craig McKee revealed he is leaving Channel 9 after 10 years to take a position with sister station KNXV in Phoenix. His departure follows weekend meteorologist Brandon Spinner’s decision to quit TV altogether to focus on a whiskey-themed digital venture. The back-to-back exits come one year after WCPO quietly reduced its anchor roster by letting go of evening anchors Evan Millward and Jasmine Styles. In total, five high-profile personalities have left the station in 12 months, leaving co-anchor Tanya O’Rourke as the lone veteran at the desk. Why viewers are complaining • During several recent newscasts, up to 80 percent of the half-hour was filled with Scripps News national packages instead of locally produced reporting. • Reddit threads and Facebook comments accuse the station of “phoning it in” and “running on autopilot” while management restructures behind the scenes. • Some cord-cutters have reported erratic live-stream outages, fueling rumors of wider technical or budget problems at the Gilbert Avenue studios. What’s driving the overhaul Broadcast consultants point to a perfect storm: 1. Cost-cutting across the TV industry as linear ratings slide. 2. Scripps’ corporate push to share content across its 60-plus stations and its digital Scripps News network. 3. Rising production expenses for hyper-local newsgathering compared with cheaper national feeds. Potential impact on Cincinnati news coverage If WCPO adopts a permanent single-anchor format or shifts more airtime to national segments, local stories—especially investigations, neighborhood development, and veteran-affairs reporting pioneered by McKee—could receive less exposure. Competitors WLWT, WKRC, and WXIX are already promoting their “live, local, late-breaking” credentials to woo Channel 9 loyalists. What happens next • Station managers have begun an external search for at least one prime-time co-anchor. Industry sources say WCPO could tap an existing Scripps talent to keep costs down. • The meteorology team has been relying on part-timers since Spinner’s exit; a permanent hire is expected before hurricane season. • WCPO’s fall schedule will reveal whether the station doubles down on local enterprise reporting or leans further into the network’s cost-efficient national wheel. Bottom line for viewers For now, expect fewer familiar faces and more out-of-market stories on Channel 9 while the newsroom resets. Keep an eye on the November ratings book; if households shift to rival stations, WCPO may be forced to restore the hyper-local brand that once made “9 On Your Side” a Tri-State staple.