The station's news department was first established in 1994, with hour-long newscasts at 6 and 10 p.m.; the 6 p.m. newscast was canceled in 2000 and was replaced by syndicated programming. After the sale to Journal, WFTX expanded its news department with a focus on consumer advocacy and investigative reporting as the main theme. A weekday morning newscast titled "Fox 4 News Rising" subsequently debuted in the fall of 2006 that originally aired from 5 to 9 a.m. However, due to low ratings and the lack of consistent viewership, it was cut back to two hours, from 6 to 8 a.m.; the 5 a.m. hour would be reinstated on January 17, 2011. To complement the 10 p.m. show, WFTX eventually launched a weeknight late evening newscast, "Fox 4 News Tracker at 11", in 2007. On September 17, 2007, longtime weeknight co-anchor Krista Fogelsong left WFTX in a much publicized departure (she is now at rival WZVN-TV). Weekday morning co-anchor and Cape Coral native Amy Wegmann moved to the weeknight broadcasts to fill the vacancy.