titled More in the Morning, for MyNetworkTV-affiliated sister station KSMO (that program ended on December 30 of that year, amid low ratings). On September 14, 2010, KMBC debuted a half-hour prime time newscast at 9:00 p.m. for Channel 29, titled KMBC 9 News at 9:00 on KCWE. Originally debuting as a weeknight-only program, it became the competitor to two existing nightly prime time newscasts on other area stations; its strongest competition is WDAF-TV's in-house 9:00 p.m. newscast, a one-hour program which has been the leader in the time period since it launched upon Channel 4's 1994 affiliation switch; it also competes against a half-hour newscast on MyNetworkTV affiliate KSMO that sister station KCTV has produced since shortly after the Meredith Corporation took ownership of KSMO in October 2005. The newscast includes a commercial-free block leading off the broadcast, featuring the day's top headlines and an updated weather forecast segment during the first nine minutes of the program (a play on its sister station's channel number, and modeled after the Eleven @ 11:00 late news format). KMBC/KCWE station management cited The CW's growing ratings (even though the network has typically placed fifth or sixth, depending on the ratings strength of the Spanish-language Univision network, nationally since its launch) behind its decision to launch the program. The weeknight editions of the newscast would eventually be expanded to one hour on April 25, 2016; the weekend editions remain a half-hour in length, with off-network syndicated sitcoms filling the remainder of the time period. Technical information Subchannels The station's digital channel is multiplexed: Analog-to-digital conversion KCWE signed on its digital signal on UHF channel 31 on July 1, 2002. The station shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 29, on December 15, 2008—two months before the originally scheduled date of February 17, 2009 for full-power stations to transition from analog to digital broadcasts—in order to accommodate the move of sister station KMBC-TV's digital allotment to channel 29. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 31. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 29. References External links Television stations in the Kansas City metropolitan area Television channels and stations established in 1996 The CW affiliates True Crime Network affiliates Twist (TV network) affiliates Hearst Television 1996 establishments in Missouri Sporting Kansas City broadcasters Major League Soccer over-the-air television broadcasters