Update: Emailers tell FTVLive that this segment is being done by other non-Meredith stations as well including Cox stations. What the hell is happening to this business?

Struggling Meredith has come up with a way to try putting more money in their pocket and it includes pimping out their newscasts and taking out real news time to push products.

The company runs a segment called “Local Steals and Deals” in their stations’ newscasts across the country.

It’s hardy “local” when the segment runs on Meredith stations coast to coast.

The segment basically looks like what would happen if the Home Shopping Network hijacked your newscasts.

Viewers of WFSB in Hartford are starting to see through this crap and they are not happy:

It’s bad when the viewers are calling what they see in your newscast as an “infomercial.”

This is running across Meredith stations and it is really bad.

I’ll post video of one of this In newscast commercials below. As you can see, it’s not local, it’s not a deal and the only thing that is being stolen is the real news time from viewers.