When the ax falls on KOHD tomorrow, the once booming city of Bend will be reduced to having only one full-time TV news station. Employees at the ABC affiliate were informed this morning that the station will become a Bend bureau for KEZI, Chambers Communications' sister station in Eugene. Bend employees will then create local packages for KEZI-produced Bend cut-ins.

Executives at KOHD and KEZI aren't yet talking, but information that we've learned, some from sources who were specifically instructed not to talk to blogs about this news, is that there will be three "one-man bands" in Bend and an anchor/producer hosting KOHD cut-ins from Eugene. We hope to have more information after laid-off employees cash their severance checks tomorrow.

KOHD launched as the United States' first HD television station to be built from the ground up in September 2007. Chambers paid an ambitious $8.5 million at auction for the station's FCC license in 2006. Their 11,000 square foot facility will now be used as KEZI's Bend bureau a facility for filing Bend stories off to Eugene for production, if not also a shrine to media industry and Bend industry hopes during the city's population boom and before the advertising recession.

KOHD cut its weekend newscasts in a major reshuffling last summer and rearranged its evening news lineup as recently as a month ago. At the station's last Christmas party, employees were told that Chambers was committed to maintaining KOHD's news operations without cuts through 2010. KOHD equipment will now be moved to Eugene, which may enable KEZI to become that market's first station to produce newscasts in HD.

The Bend TV news market is also served by NBC affiliate KTVZ, which airs morning, evening and late newscasts each weekday, as well as half-hour shows at 6 and 11 pm on weekends. The station also produces a weekday half-hour at 10 pm on Fox affiliate and sister station KFXO. CBS affiliate KBNZ simulcasts Portland sister station KOIN's newscasts with one-minute local cut-ins.

In addition to KOHD and KEZI, Eugene-based Chambers Communications also owns KDRV in Medford and its semi-satellite KDKF in Klamath Falls, as well as Chambers Productions in Eugene and Chambers Cable in Sunriver.

KOHD's last locally produced newscast will air tomorrow at 11 pm.

UPDATE (3/6, 7:03 am): In the absence of further communication from Chambers Communications, we're unsure to handle KOHD News Director Jerry Upham's email opposing the term "bureau." Since we haven't received an alternative to this word used by employees for the new relationship between KOHD and KEZI, we'll simply say that, to our understanding, KOHD will operate as a facility that three people will file stories out of. Those stories will then be sent to Eugene for production and anchoring, and will appear on KOHD as news updates. If anyone would like to help us fill in the details, please contact oregonmediagmail [dot] com. Thank you.

OMC receives a press release from KOHD Bend:

KOHD-TV, Central Oregon’s ABC station, has agreed to carriage terms with The Dish Network, and will be available for DISH subscribers sometime during the month of July. Subscribers will need to call The Dish Network to get KOHD and any other available local stations as early as July 8th.

“This has been a long time coming”, says Jerry Upham, KOHD General Manager. “The local stations have been seeking carriage for years, and now finally some of the satellite subscribers in Central Oregon will be able to get their local news, sports and weather via their subscription if they so desire”.

KOHD will be available on The DISH Network Channel 9 in standard definition. At this time, there is no official word from DirecTv on if or when they will carry KOHD, or any of the other local channels.

“We are hopeful that DirecTv will follow DISH and make KOHD available sometime soon”, adds Upham.

KOHD can also be seen over-the-air on digital channel 51-1, and analog Channel 53. On cable, KOHD is carried by Bend Broadband on channel 9 (and 609 for HD subscribers), Chambers Cable (Sunriver) Channel 9, and Crestview Cable (Madras, Prinevelle and LaPine) Channel 9.

For more information, please contact Bryan Johnson, Director of Creative Services for KOHD, at bjohnsonkohd [dot] com.

It appears other Bend stations may be going on Dish as well.