WCCO-TV reveals hosts for afternoon news show replacing Ellen DeGeneres

Jeff Wagner and Erin Hassanzadeh will anchor.

August 19, 2022 at 3:55PM
The 4 p.m. weekday broadcast will be anchored by station veterans Jeff Wagner and Erin Hassanzadeh. (WCCO/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

WCCO-TV is replacing "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" with an additional hour of local news.

The local CBS affiliate revealed Friday that the 4 p.m. weekday broadcast will be anchored by station veterans Jeff Wagner and Erin Hassanzadeh.

"The desire for local news is as strong as ever," said WCCO general manager Ann Ouellette. "Launching the 4 p.m. news is part of a broader strategy to serve our audience where they are on all of our platforms."

"Ellen" ended its 19-year run in May. The new program, "The 4 on WCCO," launches Labor Day.

"We're building a newscast that's smart with heart," news director Kari Patey said. "We'll give our viewers a deeper understanding of news as it happens while at the same time giving them reason to smile and be proud of where they live. Erin and Jeff's passion for community journalism make them the perfect fit for this new show."

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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