'Twin Cities Live' expanding to 90 minutes

"Twin Cities Live" is celebrating its 10th anniversary on the air by taking on extra duties. The KSTP weekday series will expand from one hour to 90 minutes starting April 16 with bonus coverage of lifestyle issues largely aimed at working parents who are just coming home.

"These will be conversations you can have with your family around the dinner table that make you feel good about living in your community," said KSTP's director of programming Mandy Tadych who is also "TCL"'s executive producer.

The extra half hour, which will kick off at 4 p.m. with a slightly quicker pace, will include fast-and-easy cooking segments on Mondays (think Rachael Ray) and happy hour suggestions on Thursdays.

Elizabeth Ries and Steve Patterson will continue on as hosts.

"Who Wants To Be a Millionaire," which currently runs at 4 p.m., will now air earlier in the afternoon as part of a one-hour block that starts at 2 p.m. The game show will take the place of nationally syndicated talk show "Pickler & Ben," which will move to KSTP's sister station, KSTC, Ch. 45.

The additional 30 minutes, which will have the separate title "Twin Cities Live at Four," faces formidable competition, most notably WCCO's "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and a more traditional newscast on KARE. But Tadych believes the time is right for more "TCL."

"For the last few years we've been looking at the programming landscape and what fits our brand," she said. "This is something that makes sense in that it helps us fulfill our own destiny and really own this kind of local programming."