Miniskirts and midriffs bringing young male viewers to KCOP.

Two years after moving its often-hip, sometimes irreverent and slightly sexed-up news report from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., KCOP (Channel 13) has pulled ahead of two of the network affiliates in the quest to lure young male viewers.

Overall, ratings show KCOP rising by about 7 percent from a year ago, with a sizable jump in men from 18 to 34 years old. KCOP executives say its success with this elusive demographic is giving the station a way to stand out in a hotly competitive market.

"We zig where others zag," said Jose Rios, vice president of news for KCOP, a UPN station that is owned and operated by Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corp. Ltd. "We feel we don't have to go lock step with all the others. What they do is predictable. What we do is unique."

Advertisers and competitors acknowledge KCOP's success. But they also note that the newscast lags far behind the market's overall ratings leaders. And the young adult males in the demographic who are watching TV at that hour are still more likely to watch "The Simpsons" of the cable news parody "The Daily Show."

"Kids don't watch news and it's a waste of time to go after them," said Robert L. Long, vice president and news director of KNBC-TV (Channel 4), which typically logs the highest 11 p.m. news ratings. KCOP's newscast is presented in rapid-fire style, with breezy on-air banter, oddball stories and MTV-style fashion choices. Lauren Sanchez, who co-anchors with Rick Garcia, is often seen in low-riding jeans and tops that expose her midriff. The weather reporter, Maria Quiban, typically wears a miniskirt. (For his part, Garcia sticks with more traditional garb.) No one is stationed behind a desk and seldom is anyone seen sitting down.

Rios said it's part of a strategy calculated to make the station a destination for younger adults and compensate for the absence of the strong lead-in shows that fuel viewership at other newscasts.

Although KCOP's youth-oriented approach to news was launched four years ago, it was in June 2002 that the station made the switch from an hour-long newscast at 10 p.m. to a half hour at 11 p.m., following syndicated reruns of "Frasier."

In terms of ratings, the results have been a mixed bag. After the May sweeps, KCOP reforted that it scored a 0.7 rating among 18-34-year old men, edging out KABC's (Channel 7) 0.6 and KCBS' (Channel 2) 0.2. The station said the results represented a 250 percent increase in that audience segment from a year earlier.

The downside is that so few men under 34 watch local TV news at that hour that the distinction borders on being trivial. In terms of overall draw, KCOP is among those bringing up the rear, often grabbing far less than half the viewers watching market leader KNBC.

While nightly news ratings can spike with a breaking story, KNBC typically scores a rating of between 7 and 9 at 11 p.m. (A rating point is equal to the percentage of viewers watching TV at the time.) Channel 4 is usually followed by KABC then KCBS, which are typically a point or two lower. KCOP is usually among the also-rans with ratings between 1 and 3.

"Generally speaking, a newscast should be the highest quality, broadcast, not something that serves a niche market," Long said.

Still, with about 10 stations in the market presenting local news either at 10 of 11 p.m., some say it's reasonable for KCOP to break out with something a bit radical.

"Would a market leader do what they are doing? Hell no," said Dot DiLorenzo, executive vice president and director of media for the L.A. advertising agency Davis Elen. "KCOP is showing that they are not afraid to gamble and do something others won't do."

Still, DiLorenzo and others who buy advertising time on local stations say that if they want to find younger viewers at 11 p.m. they are likely to bypass the news altogether.

"If I want to find young adults at 11 o'clock, I'm probably going to look at 'The Simpsons' or 'The Daily Show,'" said Tami Jackson, broadcast supervisor for Round 2 Communications, a Los Angeles media buying agency.

"It will be interesting to see how it turns out," said Jackson. "We live in a changing world and young people interested in the news will probably go for a format they can relate to--if they decide to watch the news."