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WISN-TV trimming its 10 p.m. newscast to 35 minutes, adding 9 p.m. news on Channel 12.2

Chris Foran
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WISN-TV (Channel 12) is cutting its 10 p.m. newscast back to 35 minutes starting Monday. 

The Milwaukee ABC affiliate's 10 p.m. newscast has been a full hour since 2011. 

The move allows WISN to start "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "Nightline" a half-hour earlier, at 10:35 p.m. and 11:37 p.m. respectively. 

WISN-TV (Channel 12) is cutting back its 10 p.m. newscast to 35 minutes, but is adding a new newscast at 9 p.m. on sister station Justice Milwaukee.

Believe it or not, it'll be the first time that WISN has aired ABC's late-night programming without delay since the network began broadcasting "Nightline" during the Iran hostage crisis in March 1980.  

While WISN is cutting back its nightly newscast, the station, owned by Hearst Television, is adding a new 9 p.m. local newscast on its sister station, Justice Milwaukee on Channel 12.2. Starting this spring, Channel 12.2 will air "WISN 12 News at 9:00 p.m." 

In a statement, WISN president and general manager Jan Wade said the new half-hour newscast on the digital subchannel (available on Spectrum cable at Channel 985 and Charter at Channel 180) will "provide news to a new audience at an earlier hour."  

WISN's Channel 12.2 will be the third station to air a 9 p.m. newscast in Milwaukee. 

The 9 p.m. news on WITI-TV (Channel 6) has one of the market's highest-rated newscasts — only WISN's 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts had higher ratings among overall viewers in November's "sweeps" ratings period. And WDJT-TV (Channel 58) has been airing a one-hour newscast at 9 p.m. on sister station WMLW since 2008. 

RELATED:WISN-TV has Milwaukee's two top-rated newscasts during November 'sweeps'