an alternative to its previous efforts to program the 4:00 p.m. time slot (including Inside Edition through the end of the 1993–94 season, A Current Affair from September 1994 to January 1996 and finally, the WSVN-produced Deco Drive, the latter two programs of which had underperformed for the station). The 4:00 p.m. newscast was originally separated from the existing early evening news block by Hard Copy, and later by Extra after Hard Copy ended its run in September 1999; after Extra moved to 7:30 p.m. in September 2001, WHDH launched a 4:30 p.m. newscast (the second in Boston, after a newscast on WFXT that launched three months earlier). The fast-paced Sunbeam news format rejuvenated WHDH's ratings, especially after switching to NBC. For most of the last decade, WHDH has waged a spirited battle for first place, behind long-dominant WCVB. In 2002, WHDH was noted as having the best newscast in the U.S. in a study published by the Columbia Journalism Review. In previous studies, the station was deemed as having one of the worst newscasts. On December 19, 2006, WHDH took over production of WLVI's nightly 10:00 p.m. newscast (after Sunbeam's purchase of the station resulted in the shutdown of channel 56's in-house news department). On February 29, 2008, it was reported that the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike caused a significant loss in viewers for the station's late newscast. WHDH-TV finished at 11:00 p.m., with an average of 166,100 total viewers, down from 199,900 viewers in 2007. From 1997 to 2003, WHDH's staff included field reporter Jeffery Derderian, who was a co-owner of The Station nightclub with his brother Michael. Jeffrey resigned from WHDH in February 2003 to join WPRI-TV in Providence, Rhode Island. Three days later, a fire engulfed the Station nightclub, killing 100 people. On July 29, 2008, WHDH became the second station in Boston (after WCVB-TV) to begin broadcasting its newscasts in high definition. On that day, revised graphics, music, and an updated newsplex also made their debut. During the transition, the station's newscasts were conducted in front of a green screen showing the former newsplex while renovations to that set were being done. On August 22, 2011, WHDH launched an hour-long 9:00 a.m. newscast, which replaced Live with Regis and Kelly after it moved from WHDH to WCVB-TV. Originally slated to premiere on September 12, 2011, the launch date of the newscast was moved