SUN HERALD: STORY ON NEWS 25 AT NOON

Starting Monday, Feb. 1, the station will begin airing “News 25 at Noon,” a live, 30-minute weekday broadcast on WXXV’s NBC affiliate.

The show will be hosted by “News 25 Today” anchors Katarina Luketich and Bryan Kennedy.

“Katarina and Bryan have done a great job hosting our morning news programs, and they have become very popular because of their on-air chemistry,” WXXV News Director Joe Sullivan said.

Joining Luketich and Kennedy will be meteorologist Steve Taylor.

“Steve is a veteran of the Gulf Coast news scene,” Sullivan said. “He has more than 25 years of experience.”

Sullivan said the success of the morning news shows — which air weekdays at 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and a 9 p.m. Sunday broadcast — was the catalyst for the newest addition.

“The success of our morning news has allowed us to push forward with this noon broadcast,” he said. “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a while.”

He said the noon news show will offer viewers something more than just the news.

“We will have breaking news,” Sullivan said. “But we will also have a lot of local news and special guests from the area. There will be plenty of time for our guests to come on and talk about what is important to them on the Gulf Coast. This will be the only noon newscast on the Coast.”

WXXV started its first newscast in 2013.