In a move from tradition that will serve the lunch bunch, KHNL News 8 will launch a new 11 a.m. weekday newscast beginning Dec. 3. It will be anchored by recent morning anchor Kristine Uyeno.

"There is a huge void in the marketplace for news viewers between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. locally, and this newscast will help to fill that need," said John Fink, KHNL-KFVE general manager in a statement.

The NBC affiliate will be the first to provide a regular half-hour midday newscast. All stations now boast morning news programs and the traditional 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.

Fink said that the viewership of local TV at 11 a.m. weekdays is similar to the number of folks who watch the early morning news. He said the newscast will cater to an underserved audience for midday local news.

"We continue to look for time periods to provide a news product that reflects viewer interest," said Fink.

KHNL also will be videostreamed at 11 a.m. at khnl.com so those at work without a TV set will have access to the broadcasts.

"Viewer habits and usage of media has seen more change in the past five years than in the previous 20 years", said Fink, "and we plan to continue to explore the best means to provide information to our local community on-air and online with the realization that traditional media must continually adapt."

The midday addition is the latest salvo in the ongoing war among TV stations to attract viewers.

KGMB-9, the CBS station, earlier this month kicked off a 5 to 7 a.m. "Sunrise at KGMB9" to compete with affiliates at KHON (Fox), KITV-4 (ABC) and KHNL.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.