ABC11's weather team will provide updates on newsobserver.com, starting today. We have many experts on The N&O staff on a variety of subjects but weather forecasting is not one of them. This collaboration enables us to offer local weather expertise that we otherwise would not be able to provide. The ABC11 meteorologists will provide several updates a day, seven days a week.

For more on other partnerships we've established, click here. --John Drescher

Local television news outfit ABC11-WTVD will debut a new 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily newscast on Thursday.

The newscast will feature reporters Frances Scott and Fred Shropshire, and will lead into ABC11’s 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts.

“We at ABC11 are proud and excited to take the lead in providing Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville and surrounding areas with a landmark in the region’s local news coverage, the first daily 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. newscast,” said John Idler, president and general manager of the station, in a release.

The early newscast is another attempt by a local station to compete with market leader WRAL.

NBC17 went the other direction on the schedule, offering a 7 p.m. newscast.