The nighttime TV news war in the Roanoke/Lynchburg market largely is fought at 11 p.m., but there will be a new battlefront in early September. That’s when 7 Too, WBDJ (Channel 7)’s high-definition station, will begin a 10 p.m. newscast to take on Fox 21/27’s “10 O’Clock News,” which is anchored by Natalie Faunce and John Carlin.

The new 7 Too broadcast is part of WDBJ’s recent long-term affiliation with News Corporation’s new product called MyNetwork TV. (News Corp. owns Fox Broadcasting Co. and cable channels such as FX and Fox News Channel.) The change at 7 Too likely will begin Sept. 5, and trade reports say MyNetwork TV was created in direct response to the recent UPN-WB merged network, The CW.

MyNetwork TV will offer 12 hours of original programming per week from Monday through Saturday. Two hour-long dramas, “Desire” and “Secrets,” will be structured in a 65-story arc weekdays for 13 weeks like the popular worldwide telenovela format.

Among these changes the biggest is that there will now be two 10 p.m. newscasts in the region. Bob Lee, president and general manager of WDBJ, said a new anchor will be hired in the coming months from a national pool of candidates, and later MyNetwork TV will launch a national morning show similar to Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”

“We want to seize the opportunity to take advantage of what momentum will exist at the launch for our new 10 p.m. newscast,” he said. “We think we can immediately become competitive and over time become dominant in the 10’clock news.”

At Fox 21/27, Debbie Reardon, the station’s creative services director, said station officials aren’t too worried about the competition from WDBJ. For one, she said, Fox has shows such as “American Idol,” “House” and “So You Think You Can Dance” that have been strong lead-ins to the “10 O’Clock News,” which is locally produced through a news partnership with WSLS-TV (Channel 10).

“We have no plans to change any marketing strategy at this point,” Reardon said. “It will be the same as always.” She said the station increased its rating numbers in February’s sweeps period among women and young adults 18 to 49.

According to her calculations, 80,000 households tune into Fox 21/27’s “10 O’Clock News” each week night. Because the station has a larger potential audience than the cable/satellite-based 7 Too, Reardon said there’s still a serious chance for ratings growth at her station.

Meanwhile, as Lee sees it, the new news competition will be good for a certain group of viewers whom surveys say want to get their news early before catching some zzzs.

Shows in the works

MyNetwork TV will start with “Desire,” which follows two brothers on the run from the mafia who find themselves in a heated battle of passion, betrayal, deceit and murder over the woman they both love; and “Secrets,” which goes behind-the-scenes to focus on the glamorous, yet sometimes brutally ruthless fashion industry.

According to a press release from News Corp., which owns Fox Broadcasting Co. and MyNetwork TV, here’s a list of other shows in the works and what the network is saying about them:

“Catwalk”: The ultimate search for the next “It” supermodel begins by crossing the country to discover 30 of the hottest, hippest and freshest faces who will compete for the once in a lifetime opportunity to be catapulted into stardom.“Celebrity Love Island”: Six gorgeous celebrity and six noncelebrity singles are thrown together in a fantasy island setting, where a star-studded search for love takes place.“On Scene”: This crime investigative series will cover all angles, examine all of the evidence and trace every single clue of the most compelling crimes committed today. “America’s Brainiest”: This quiz show, based on the hit British program, will find the country’s smartest individuals and reveal them.

— News Corp.