newscasts were titled News 9. On November 20, 2011, News-Press & Gazette announced it would re-establish a news operation for KECY, its ABC-affiliated second digital subchannel, and Telemundo outlet KESE by March 2012. The production officially launched on March 23, 2012, airing in full high definition, making KECY the first television outlet in the market to offer HD local news programming. The station's Fox-affiliated main channel airs a half-hour 9 p.m. newscast each weeknight; the ABC subchannel KECY-DT2 airs its own local newscasts (branded as ABC 5 News) each weeknight at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m., while KESE offers Spanish-language regional news from sister station KUNA-LD in Palm Desert each weeknight at 5 and 10. All local news offerings are produced live except for the 10 o'clock broadcast for KESE, which is taped earlier in the evening to allow KECY-DT2 to air a live newscast at the same time. The station's broadcasts originate from a specially-designed virtual set at its main studios, which can be tailored to the specific network channel that the local newscast is aired on. There are no weather or sports personalities based out of this station's facility and the news team currently consists of five personalities. Taped weather forecasts originating from sister station KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas are inserted into each local broadcast. With the launch of this news department, KECY became the first Fox affiliate in News-Press & Gazette's portfolio to have its newscasts produced in-house. Following the relocations of KSWT and KYMA-DT to the KECY building, all three stations largely retained their current newscast times (though KECY general manager Paul Heebink has stated that KECY-DT2 may reschedule its newscasts) and separate news branding, though they share reporters. To accommodate the production of simultaneous newscasts, additional studios were constructed, featuring virtual sets similar to what was already used for KECY's newscasts; NPG also intended to expand the stations' news staff. Subsequent to the relocation, KYMA-DT newscasts are now simulcast on KECY-DT2 and a separate newscast for ABC5 News is no longer offered. Technical information Subchannels The station's digital signal is multiplexed: Analog-to-digital conversion KECY-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 48 to VHF channel 9 for post-transition