Joint TV news venture LNC5 finishes its run.(Local)

By Philip Walzer

The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK

LNC5, a joint television news venture linking Cox Communications Inc., The Virginian-Pilot and WVEC-TV (Channel 13), is over.

The venture, forged in 1997, had featured "Pilot 13 News," a live 10 p.m. newscast on Cox's Channel 5, until it was discontinued in January 2009.

Since then, Channel 5 had been rerunning the most recent WVEC newscasts and featuring headlines from The Pilot's website and print editions. That ended at midnight New Year's Eve, Cox Vice President Leigh Ann Woisard said.

Channel 5 on Monday featured a blue screen with the message: "Effective December 31, LNC5 has ceased programming and will no longer be available. At this time no decision has been made on a replacement for channel 5."

A news release from Cox, The Pilot and Belo Corp., which owns Channel 13, said the LNC venture had been profitable. "However, the changing media landscape and shifting viewer needs have caused the partner organizations to reprioritize their efforts."

Tod Smith, WVEC's general manager, said Monday: "When LNC launched, the Internet wasn't really a factor in the media landscape. People now have access to information unlike what they had in the past."

Smith said the station and newspaper continue to maintain a partnership. The Pilot features Channel 13's forecasters in the weather sections of its print edition and website. WVEC's late-night newscasts promote headlines in the following morning's edition of the paper.

"This particular venture is over; the shelf life has ended," said Maurice Jones, The Pilot's president and publisher. "But in terms of us continuing to partner, we all are committed to doing that."

Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com