KMBC-TV in Kansas City presently broadcasts 34 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 5 hours each weekday and 4½ hours on Saturdays and Sundays). When Channel 9 first signed on the air on August 2, 1953, the station's news department started with its original newscast titles: "Your Esso Reporter". In 1956, the newscast titles was rebranded as "The Kansas City Report", rebranded again in 1960, this time as "The Television 9 Report". In 1965, Channel 9 rebranded newscasts titles. For the 5 p.m. weekday newscast, it was known as: "Pulse", and for the 10 p.m. weeknight newscast, it was known as "24 Hours". In 1966, Len Dawson was hired as sports director, while he was still playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. In 1968, Channel 9 hired Larry Moore as reporter. In 1971, the station rebranded its newscasts titles as "Total News" (which would remain until the end of the 1970s). In January 1972, Larry Moore became the station's lead anchor. In 1978, Moore left the station to start a 5-year break. In 1979, Channel 9 rebranded its newscasts titles as "The News". At that time, it was "The News: The 6 O'Clock Report" and "The News: The 10 O'Clock Report". In February 1980, Micheal Mahoney joined the station as reporter and he would go on to become one of the legendary reporters in Kansas City television news history. In January 1981, Christine Craft joined Channel 9 as co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. weeknight newscasts with Scott Feldman, but in August of that year, she was removed. On July 4, 1983, Kris Ketz joined Channel 9 to anchor on the 5 p.m. weeknight newscast. In August 1983, Channel 9 rebranded its newscast titles as "KMBC 9 News", and it was also that time that Larry Moore returned to the station as lead anchor, and he would go on to become one of the legendary television news anchors in Kansas City history. In 1985, Laurie Everett joined the station as Larry Moore's co-anchor for the weeknight newscasts, and also, Bryan Busby joined the team as weathercaster for the weeknight newscasts, becoming one of the greatest television weathercasts in Kansas City history. On December 1, 1987, Channel 9 launched its own weekday morning newscast, when it was the initially 30-minute traditional news program as: "First News", with anchor Maria Antonia and weather with Joel Nichols. In 1990, Kelly Eckerman joined Channel 9 as reporter. In 1997, Eckerman was promoted as Larry Moore's co-anchor on the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts. In January 1998, Martin Augustine joined KMBC-TV as reporter. In 1999, Pete Grigsby joined the station as weathercaster for the First News weekday morning newscast. In 2001, Kelly Eckerman became Larry Moore's co-anchor on the 10 p.m. weeknight newscast and still continuing co-anchoring the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. weeknight newscasts. On August 23, 2007, Channel 9 began broadcasting from its new purpose-built facility near Swope Park, for its newscasts, and it became the first station in the Kansas City television market to begin broadcast its local newscasts in high definition. In October 2007, Kris Ketz became co-anchor on the First News weekday morning newscast. On March 16, 2009, Len Dawson announced he would step down full time as sports director/anchor of the daily weeknight newscasts but would still report for the station during the Chiefs football season, 15 years before he passed away. On November 27, 2013, Larry Moore retired from regularly anchoring news broadcasts and he was transitioned to anchor emeritus role in which he contributed special projects for the station. In May 2015, Kris Ketz became anchor for the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. weeknight newscasts.