Is this a first?

[kdex86 56]

In my area, the CBS, ABC, and NBC affiliates in both Boston AND Providence are all airing local news at 10 PM tonight.  While WBTS is still fairly new, I’ve never seen WBZ, WCVB, WLNE, or WJAR air 10 PM news on their main channels.  Even WPRI is airing local news at 10 PM tonight, when their sister station WNAC usually airs local news during that time.  The program guide reads “WNAC 10 PM News”.  Very weird.

 

I have 2 questions:

1. Are local TV stations (at least in the Eastern time zone) saying bye-bye to 11 PM news in 2023?
2. Why is my program guide displaying listing these broadcasts as 11 o’clock newscasts?  11 PM ≠ 10 PM.

 

[Nelson R. 569]

This is going on across the whole country because of New Year’s Eve specials. NBC did it last year and CBS and ABC are following suit this year. They still are branded as 11pm news even though they are airing at 10pm, much like NBC still brands the Opening Night NFL game on Thursday Night as Sunday Night Football because it is part of the SNF package. By the end of the decade all three Big 3 networks could cut 10-11pm primetime although some in the forum believe that not all affiliates would air news at 10. 

[MorningNews 1543]

It’s for NYE specials. Several central timezone stations are shifting their 10pm news to 9pm for today as well.