Newscast

KTLA-TV Channel 5 is expanding its news operation and is adding more than eight hours of news programming each week, station officials announced Tuesday. The increase, which primarily affects early morning and midday newscasts, is part of a larger strategy begun this year to broaden the station's local news coverage. KTLA, which like the Los Angeles Times is owned by Tribune Co., began a 6:30 p.m. weekday newscast in January.

Veteran KNBC-TV Channel 4 newscaster Paul Moyer, one of the last of a breed of well-paid and highly promoted local news anchors, confirmed his retirement Wednesday from the station at which he's worked for nearly a quarter-century. "It's been a hell of a run," Moyer said in a brief phone interview. "I'm going to miss it, I'm going to miss it a lot. Any success I may have achieved I owe to the people of Southern California. I thank them for every one of those 37 years [in the L.A. market].

In a major shake-up at two local stations, Pat Harvey, one of the most prominent news anchors in Los Angeles and the most identifiable personality of KCAL's prime-time newscast, jumped Wednesday to the anchor desk at sister station KCBS. Harvey, who helped launch KCAL's prime-time newscast two decades ago, will now anchor the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts with Paul Magers at KCBS. His former co-anchor Laura Diaz has moved to a solo anchor slot on KCBS' 6 p.m. newscast. KCBS weekend anchor Sharon Tay has succeeded Harvey as co-anchor of KCAL's 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts.

Michael Tuck, a controversial anchorman and commentator from the ABC affiliate in San Diego, will finally begin work at KCBS Channel 2 on Monday. Tuck, who was signed by KCBS almost a year ago, will co-anchor the station's 6 p.m. newscast with Tritia Toyota and do regular reporting on the 11 p.m. broadcast. Chris Conangla, who had been anchoring at 6 p.m., will move to the station's early morning newscast and continue his duties on the station's noon show.

Fox News Channel has selected White House correspondent Bret Baier to replace Brit Hume as anchor of its weekday 3 p.m. newscast. Hume is cutting back to part-time work at Fox and was anchoring his last newscast Tuesday. Baier will start his new job Jan. 5. Baier is familiar to viewers of the show as Hume's occasional substitute and from his work as Fox's top person in the White House. He said he plans "on continuing to maintain the prestige of the program in every way I know how."

Your Aug. 5 cover story on news anchors was very interesting. However, why did you fail to mention Kent Shocknek and Carla Aragon of KNBC's "Today in L.A." newscast? We think they do an exceptional job. Kent and Carla make watching the early morning news a pleasant task. Casey and Kelly Eckert, Oxnard