IDAHO FALLS - Two Idaho Falls television stations have joined forces.

The respective owners of the stations signed a shared-services agreement in which KIFI will take over operations for KIDK Channel 3, a CBS affiliate.

KIFI Channel 8 is the local ABC affiliate.

The agreement was first announced Tuesday during KIDK's 5 p.m. newscast.

Under the terms of the agreement, the News-Press and Gazette Co., which owns KIFI, will provide news reporting, and promotional, administrative and other operational support services from its facility in Idaho Falls. In addition, NPG will provide advertising sales services under a joint-sales agreement.

The agreement, which takes effect Jan. 1, should provide expense savings to both stations, according to Mark Danielson, KIFI's general manager.

"We will add additional staff at KIFI," Danielson said.

Once the transition, which will take about a month, is complete, there will be some staff reductions due to duplication of duties, Danielson said.

Danielson said NPG plans to maintain Channel 3's lineup offerings for the time being.

"We will make some programming changes, but those decisions are ongoing," Danielson said.

Seattle-based Fisher Communications owns KIDK. Fisher operates 20 television stations throughout the western U.S.

NPG, which owns KIFI, has its headquarters in St. Joseph, Mo. The company owns TV stations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Texas and has 14 newspapers in Kansas and Missouri.