ABC 7 to add 7 p.m. newscast on WCIU

ABC 7 is expanding its top-rated news program into prime time.

The station announced plans Tuesday to launch a 7 p.m. newscast on WCIU, The U, the flagship station of Weigel Broadcasting Co. It will be the only live local newscast in the Chicago viewing area in that time slot.

The hourlong newscast starts Jan. 12 and will air Monday through Friday. It will be anchored by veteran ABC 7 News anchors Hosea Sanders and Linda Yu, along with sports anchor Jim Rose and newly hired meteorologist Cheryl Scott.

"It gives viewers a chance to watch Chicago's No. 1 news at a new time and is a convenient option for those who want live, local news earlier in the evening," said ABC 7 President and General Manager John Idler in a statement.

Yu and Rose will do the broadcast in addition to their roles on ABC 7 at 4 p.m. Sanders will leave the morning news.

"After 20 years of waking up at 2:30 in the morning, the chance to anchor a prime time newscast on WCIU is a wonderful reward for my hard work," he said in a news release.

Terrell Brown will replace Sanders in the morning, joining Judy Hsu, Tracy Butler and Roz Varon as anchors of ABC 7's News This Morning starting Jan. 12.

Scott previously worked at NBC5 Chicago, and in Philadelphia, Knoxville, and Erie, Pennsylvania. She also did forecasts on the 24-hour Caribbean Weather Channel.