Kirstie Wilde Replaces Naversen as Channel 11 ‘Fox News’ Co-Anchor

After less than six months as co-anchor of KTTV’s “Fox News,” Andrea Naversen was replaced on Channel 11’s 10 p.m. newscast this week by former KNBC Channel 4 anchor Kirstie Wilde.

“Our broadcast is still evolving,” said Bob Morse, KTTV’s general manager, “and all our changes are aimed at making it the best possible broadcast that we can put on. Kirstie is a proven success in this market. And we decided to make the change now instead of later.”

“I think I am a victim of circumstance,” Naversen said Tuesday. “We had one news show and two female anchors. It came down to a judgment call. . . .”

Morse had signed Wilde, who had worked for him at the CBS affiliate in Louisville in the late 1970s, to a reported $1.2-million, three-year contract last month after KNBC-TV decided not to renew her contract at the same rate. At the time, Morse said that Wilde would anchor a proposed 11 p.m. newscast while Naversen would continue to appear on the 10 p.m. broadcast with Bill Redeker.

He said Tuesday that the station still plans to implement a late night newscast to compete with the three local network owned-and-operated stations, but he offered no specific time frame for its premiere.

“It will happen when we have gotten the (10 p.m.) show to the point where we are competitive with the O&O;’s,” Morse said.

Naversen, a former CBS and ABC network correspondent, took over KTTV’s anchor duties last September after the station canceled its 8 p.m. newscast.

Naversen said she has a two-year contract with KTTV that will continue to pay her even though she is no longer anchoring the station’s newscast. Though Morse said he was still discussing other possibilities with her, Naversen said she would no longer be working at Channel 11. She said she had not decided what she will do next.