From KOHD's website:

Changes to the local television landscape in Central Oregon, and the broadcast industry overall, have been significant during the last three years. In September of 2007, KOHD-TV launched local news programming poised for a major challenge against a competitor entrenched in Bend for more than thirty years. The station moved aggressively into the market with a talented team and all the tools required for success.

Unfortunately, KOHD News viewer's habits are not reflected positively in Nielson ratings. Factor in the dramatic impact of the economic conditions since The Great Depression, we now are taking the next logical step and changing our news product that better matches the current trend of how people get their news.

The result, after careful thought and review, KOHD-TV has made the decision to discontinue the station's current schedule of news programming. KOHD will air its last regularly scheduled newscast in its current form at 11 PM on March 5th. However, a news team will remain at KOHD, providing solid local coverage for the Bend market with news and weather updates - both on-air and online - throughout the day. These updates will air more frequently than the current long form shows, including reports every half hour in the morning, weather updates every hour during the day, and news updates again in the evening at 5, 6 and 7pm. At 11pm there will be a 10 minute broadcast that will give viewers all the day's local news, weather and sports.

KOHD will continue to air your favorite ABC prime time, daytime and weekend sports programming. I want to thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Jerry Upham
KOHD General Manager

OMC reported on these changes last night.

KOHD in Bend this week has swapped its 6 pm newscast and its 5:30 airing of ABC World News, realizing an opportunity to become the only locally produced news in the 5:30 time slot, General Manager Jerry Upham tells OMC.

KTVZ runs NBC Nightly News at that time, while KBNZ simulcasts big-sister KOIN's Portland news.

KOHD has also moved its interview segment, "Direct Connect," featuring questions sent in by viewers, from 6:30 to 5:30, helping to emphasize that newscast's locality.

Local alternative newspaper The Source Weekly examines the competition for TV news viewers in Bend and challenges the idea that the market can support two major news stations, KTVZ and KOHD.

While KTVZ, the local NBC affiliate, has been around for decades, ABC affiliate KOHD has only been airing newscasts for two years. In addition, KBNZ, a recently launched satellite of KOIN in Portland, is airing one-minute local news inserts.

The Source consulted outside experts on the business of small-market news, and spoke with KOHD General Manager Jerry Upham, who talked about the contraction in Bend's ad market. The Source also interviewed KBNZ GM Dave Ulrickson, who describes his operation as a "pro-business advocate station."

Read the full story.

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.