KNTV presently broadcasts 37 hours, 25 minutes of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6 hours, 5 minutes each weekday, and hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). The station also produces a local sports highlight and discussion program on Sunday nights called Xfinity Sports Sunday Primetime, which is hosted by sports anchor Dave Feldman during the fall, when NBC provides football coverage in prime time. In September 1998, KNTV began producing an hour-long 10 p.m. newscast for then-WB affiliate KBWB-TV (now KOFY-TV). Upon becoming a WB affiliate in July 2000, KNTV increased its local news programming; it retained all of its existing newscasts and added two hours to its weekday morning newscast, an hour-long news and technology-focused program at noon, an additional half-hour to its 5 p.m. newscast and a simulcast of the KBWB 10 p.m. newscast. The 7–9 a.m., 5:30 and 10 p.m. newscasts were dropped once KNTV switched to NBC in January 2002. On July 21, 2008, KNTV became the third station in the Bay Area (behind KGO and KTVU) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition. For the first half of 2009, the recession forced NBC to cut costs at KNTV. Several rounds of layoffs occurred, forcing KNTV to shed some well-known personalities, including chief weather anchor John Farley, who left the station in March 2009; after Farley's departure, weekend weather segments originated from the studios of Los Angeles sister station KNBC. The station also closed news bureaus in Sacramento and Oakland. KNTV's news helicopter (which was purchased in 2006) was also suspended from use on April 30, 2009. On May 22, 2009, former NBC Weather Plus meteorologist Jeff Ranieri was named KNTV's new chief meteorologist. The year prior, on June 29, 2008, layoffs included reporters Noelle Walker, Ethan Harp, Christien Kafton, and San Jose reporter Daniel Garza, along with several behind-the-scenes jobs. In December 2010, sports director Raj Mathai transitioned to weeknight news anchor, though he continued to host Sports Sunday for a short time after the change. On December 21, 2010, KNTV's newscasts moved to a temporary set while the main news set underwent renovations, traffic and sports reports were also done in the newsroom. Meteorologist Rob Mayeda also announced his move to the weekend evening newscast. The station added additional personnel including former KOB reporter Marla Tellez, meteorologist Nick O'Kelly, and freelance sports anchors Justin Allen and Christine Nubla (all of whom,