Moving the Network News to 7PM

[davidmatthew 0]

I think the networks would be better off moving their 6:30PM news shows to 7 as more people are getting home late. Local news can fill in the 6:30-7:00 block.

 

Just a suggestion.

[WXmanTim 88]

One major glaring problem:

 

The central time-zone affiliates would have a cow. 7:00pm ET is 6:00pm CT, which is when those stations air what is usually considered "the newscast of record." For pretty much the same reason, the networks never went forward on plans to expand their newscasts to one-hour - which has been batted about off-and-on since the mid-70s.

 

The network's already broadcast two separate news feeds: the 6:30 ET/5:30 CT program live, then offer a second feed at 7:00 ET/6:00 CT for east coast affiliates that push the network newscast to 7:00 ET. This is usually the exact same feed as the previous half-hour, but with updates as warranted. This is also the feed the mountain and west coast affiliates broadcast.

 

I think we are, in all honesty, in the last generation of anchored network newscasts. Viewership is shrinking, as is ad revenue. My guess is Williams, Couric (well, maybe not Couric herself but whomever CBS taps to replace her) and Gibson are the last of the network anchors. Once they retire, say in another 10-years or thereabouts, the networks are more than likely going to drop the 30-minute newscast altogether.

 

Perhaps they should offer a 5 - 10-minute "news brief" for stations to drop into their newscasts at whatever time they choose.

 

Let's say, WXYZ airs news from 5:00 - 7:00 (or 6:00 - 8:00 depending on commuting patterns). At 7:40 (for example), the network open runs: "From ABC News, this is World News brief. Now from New York Joe Anchor." Joe Anchor then runs through the national/world headlines, maybe with a couple of full-length reports and signs off at 7:50. A couple commercials later and WXYZ is back to finish the newscast.

 

The beauty of it is, WXYZ might air it at 7:40 ET, while WLS might air it at 5:40 CT and KMGH could do it at 7:45 MT. ABC could still maintain a news division and break into programming if warranted but could drop in targeted newscasts throughout the day (like the cable nets do on weekends), rather than expend huge amounts of money on newsgathering for a single 30-minute daily newscast.

[Les Tremayne 2]

There is no way the stations carrying Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy! back-to-back in whatever order from 7-8pm are going to split that winning tandem up.

[10Viewer 319]

But the networks have to think differently with regard to network news. In the evening, I think someone will be forced to move the network newscast later in the evening. Dan Rather always said he would prefer to have an hour at 10pm to do national news. European networks, like the BBC, have national news throughout the day.

 

The half-hour news at 6:30 doesn't cut it anymore.

[WAVY 10 Fan 232]

But the networks have to think differently with regard to network news. In the evening, I think someone will be forced to move the network newscast later in the evening. Dan Rather always said he would prefer to have an hour at 10pm to do national news. European networks, like the BBC, have national news throughout the day.

 

The half-hour news at 6:30 doesn't cut it anymore.

 

A rare time I agree with Rather.

[alaskanews 108]

But the networks have to think differently with regard to network news. In the evening, I think someone will be forced to move the network newscast later in the evening. Dan Rather always said he would prefer to have an hour at 10pm to do national news. European networks, like the BBC, have national news throughout the day.

 

The half-hour news at 6:30 doesn't cut it anymore.

 

This is if the networks actually cared about news anymore. I see Les Moonves drooling because the CBS EN is tanking, that's just another place for him to put a crappy reality show.

[wabceyewitness 767]

We've been hearing for so long that the evening news is on its death bad, but let's face reality: ABC, CBS and NBC - combined - still bring in about 23 million viewers on average each night. That's a whole lot of eyeballs to for three networks to split in just one very early half-hour especially with the advent of a 1000+ channel universe and 24 hour cable news....speaking of cable -- CNN, FOX and MSNBC, combined, don't even bring in the number of viewers in an hour that the "low-rated" CBS Evening News does.

 

The next step in the evening news wars will be one network making the bold stop of either (A) convincing affiliates to air the news at 7pm or (:puke: reducing the evening news to a news brief. My money is on CBS being first to go with option (:puke: and NBC going with option (A).

[Bucc 4]

I understand what you are thinking. I was thinking, the national news start at 7 also, and it should be an hour.

 

So....

5-6 Local news

6 to 7 syndication (Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy)

7 to 8 Network News

 

I also think the big three networks, need to end their primtime at 10, with the local news being an hour at 10pm.

 

Just a thought:)

[Que 73]

I understand what you are thinking. I was thinking, the national news start at 7 also, and it should be an hour.

 

So....

5-6 Local news

6 to 7 syndication (Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy)

7 to 8 Network News

 

I also think the big three networks, need to end their primtime at 10, with the local news being an hour at 10pm.

 

Just a thought:)

 

You are forgetting about Central Time Zone. As mentioned above, it would not work this way due to network programming starting at 7pm.

[Bucc 4]

Oh well, yea I understand that, I only think in Eastern time, cuz it's where I live. I also dont really get the whole time difference thing...lol, sorry to admit that!!

[PTVNews 188]

Oh well, yea I understand that, I only think in Eastern time, cuz it's where I live. I also dont really get the whole time difference thing...lol, sorry to admit that!!

 

I don't know why they have it different either.

[Bucc 4]

Right, I don't really get it. I mean I can sort of understand on the west coast. But like, it could just be all at the same time throughout the US, i think

[alaskanews 108]

It saves money on satellite time, those suckers are spendy, so if you can piggy back off another feed, it makes sense. This whole thing is about money, that's why you won't have any primetime newscasts.

[mobilene 2]

I'm only sayin' this hypothetically. But when Indiana didn't observe Daylight Savings Time, stations in many markets used to tape-delay summer network programs by an hour.

 

I mean, they all used to just switch to the 7p prime time when the rest of the country went to DST, which was awesome, but starting in the 90s they all went to tape delay.

 

The central time zone stations could do the same thing. Hypothetically.

 

Additionally, having 5-6 p be the only evening local news block would really, really suck -- because so many working people aren't really able to watch the news then. I, for one, get home about 5:40. Half the time I'm busy feeding my sons. It's a non-starter.

[Jess 1110]

Uhm, a lot of people forget that the network news USED to be on at 7. It wasn't officially scheduled at 6:30 until the late 1980s, although many stations took a feed at 6:30.

 

There is far, far, far too much money being made from the syndicated shows at 7pm for an evening newscast at that time to be a feasible option.

[jestbiteme 13]

Uhm, a lot of people forget that the network news USED to be on at 7. It wasn't officially scheduled at 6:30 until the late 1980s, although many stations took a feed at 6:30.

 

There is far, far, far too much money being made from the syndicated shows at 7pm for an evening newscast at that time to be a feasible option.

 

In Pittsburgh, it still is. On KDKA, at least. The arrangement benefits them- a full hour of top-rated local news=more advertising revenue and a better lead in for Katie Couric (whom I happen to prefer over the other two networks, dammit!)

 

There are stations like WNBC that run a local newscast at 7, too, so don't discount that in the argument that syndicated shows make far too much money to make such an arrangement feasible. Someone obviously thought it could make money, and while it's true that we're talking local and not national news, it's on a similar track.

 

Perhaps the decision could be left to the individual station? As a news junkie, I guess I don't see the harm. I watch almost 4 hours of news every evening- 4, 5 and 6 followed by the evening news from 7 to 7:30.

[rjdickens 1]

ANN has gotten the message, with a seperate half hour at 10 PM.

Problem is, none of the networks we have access to want to run it... and our viewers are all over our butts about it ever since FamilyNet stopped running it in favor of Black Beauty.

[kjohnson 15]

Two flies in the ointment:

 

How do you structure a 'news brief' on stations that have no local news (WWJ, KDNL, etc.)? What do they fill the other 20 minutes with? Commercials?

 

Some markets can't work on that premise. I remember someone proposing splitting the ET and CT zone at the Mississippi River. That wouldn't work in markets like St. Louis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Memphis, and the Quad Cities. Viewers would have to slog through "Tonight at 10pm IL/ET and 9pm MO/CT" and "10pm St. Paul/ET and 9pm Minneapolis/CT." Can you imagining the headaches, especially with stations that have co-owned stations in different parts of the market.

 

I'm with Matt. I'd rather watch Katie, then Brian. Since the debate last month, Charlie makes me sick...A 'fair' journalist, indeed...

[mobilene 2]

Uhm, a lot of people forget that the network news USED to be on at 7. It wasn't officially scheduled at 6:30 until the late 1980s, although many stations took a feed at 6:30.

 

That depended on your market. When I grew up in Indiana, waaay back in the 70s and early 80s, during DST the national network news was on at 5:30, and during standard time it was on at 6:30.

[Bucc 4]

In Pittsburgh, it still is. On KDKA, at least. The arrangement benefits them- a full hour of top-rated local news=more advertising revenue and a better lead in for Katie Couric (whom I happen to prefer over the other two networks, dammit!)

 

There are stations like WNBC that run a local newscast at 7, too, so don't discount that in the argument that syndicated shows make far too much money to make such an arrangement feasible. Someone obviously thought it could make money, and while it's true that we're talking local and not national news, it's on a similar track.

 

Perhaps the decision could be left to the individual station? As a news junkie, I guess I don't see the harm. I watch almost 4 hours of news every evening- 4, 5 and 6 followed by the evening news from 7 to 7:30.

 

 

yea, same in Albany, NY. WRGB puts on 2 hours of local news 5-7, then Katie, and from what I understand her rattings are better in our market than overall nationaly, plus it works better for the area.

[mbhcity 3]

Then again, such an idea is not relatively new...hell it's still being used at WRC, WJZ, and KDKA all of which air three hours of news from 4-7pm. KABC and KCBS did this in the 1980's.

[NewsMan 0]

Then again, such an idea is not relatively new...hell it's still being used at WRC, WJZ, and KDKA all of which air three hours of news from 4-7pm. KABC and KCBS did this in the 1980's.

 

As did WBZ when it was NBC.

[ybYellow 2]

What if CBS just outsourced to CNN? Their ratings would help, and they could even offer a 15 min / 30 min edition for the affiliates...

 

Also, why not just take Katie off of the EN and put her where they really need her: The Early Show.

[WAVY 10 Fan 232]

What if CBS just outsourced to CNN? Their ratings would help, and they could even offer a 15 min / 30 min edition for the affiliates...

 

Also, why not just take Katie off of the EN and put her where they really need her: The Early Show.

 

With all this speculation about Katie's job; I personally would not be surprised if that was exactly what CBS did.

[Jess 1110]

It didn't seem to be standardized at 6:30 until the late 1980s. All three New York stations didn't move them to 6:30 until the late 1980s; WNBC didn't move until September 1991. But I know that this varied by market, and I think it was already at 6:30 in the 1970s and early 80s in many places. I think I remember reading about WPVI having it at the earlier time when they started Action News, and that they actually used the half-hour local news as a selling point against the hour-long shows on 3 and 10...