NEW ORLEANS – ABC26 WGNO announced the launch of a unique partnership between ABC26 News and six area community newspapers beginning March 21, 2005. The innovative partnership will unite the resources of the papers with those of ABC26 News in order to deliver the most comprehensive local news in our area. Viewers can watch the Neighborhood News reports on ABC26 News at 5, 6 and 10pm to see stories from their neighborhoods. As significant stories happen across the region, the paper in that area and ABC26 News will bring resources together to provide viewers and readers with the complete local story.

ABC26 News will also provide expert weather forecasts and information from Chief Meteorologist Bruce Katz and Meteorologist Kris Rhodes in every edition of each newspaper. The weather information will be localized for each individual community, focusing on the effects the weather will have on that region.

The community newspapers participating in the partnership are: The Pontchartrain Newspaper Group, which includes L’Observateur, the Slidell Sentry-News, The News Banner in Covington and The Daily News in Bogalusa. Also participating are The Hammond Daily Star and The St. Charles Herald Guide. These local newspapers have been operating in their respective neighborhoods for more than 30 years and have a long history of covering their area. Reporters with these newspapers will share their community expertise with ABC26 News.

“ABC26 WGNO understands the importance of covering our area from a local perspective, especially with the continued growth in the towns outside of the city,” said Tribune Television New Orleans Vice President/General Manager Larry Delia. “With the launch of this partnership, ABC26 News will be covering New Orleans and the surrounding neighborhoods like never before and like no one else. We will provide our viewers and their readers with news that is local, relevant and directly from their area.”

ABC26 WGNO News Director Bob Noonan says, “We realize that New Orleans is made up of many small towns and communities. This partnership enables us to report stories from these neighborhoods in a more complete and local way that will serve the viewer better than ever before. Combining the expertise and reach of these papers with that of ABC26 News will bring local neighborhood news into our viewers’ homes every day.” “Viewers and readers will see the difference this partnership will make every day in their community paper and on ABC26 News,” Delia said.

The Neighborhood News reports, highlighting local stories from all around the New Orleans area with the help of our newspaper partners, will air on ABC26 News. ABC26 News The Neighborhood News partnership is designed to bring a more complete and local focus to the news offered to viewers in this market.