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More local news options at 8 AM than 7 AM on Saturdays? Why?

K

kramie13

Banned
It's approaching 7:30 AM on Saturday as I'm typing this. I went to turn on the local news to get an update on the impending snow storm and noticed only WBZ is airing local news right now.

Looking at the TV schedules of each Boston station, come 8 AM there's local news on WBZ, WCVB, WHDH, and WFXT. So why is there quadruple the news options at 8 AM vs 7 AM on Saturdays? This feels very *backwards* to me!
 
WCVB chooses to split Good Morning America on Saturdays, airing the first hour from 7-8, with local news from 8-9, and the second hour of GMA from 9-10 (WLNE airs GMA as one block from 8-10). I can only assume that WCVB can charge higher rates for commercials at the 8 am hour vs 7, so that’s why they split GMA.
 
Kbirdusa said:
WCVB chooses to split Good Morning America on Saturdays, airing the first hour from 7-8, with local news from 8-9, and the second hour of GMA from 9-10 (WLNE airs GMA as one block from 8-10). I can only assume that WCVB can charge higher rates for commercials at the 8 am hour vs 7, so that’s why they split GMA.
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I don't work in TV news or advertising, but I'm curious as to how/why the 8 AM hour would generate more ad revenue vs. 7 AM or 9 AM.
WMUR and WMTW don't "split" Saturday editions of GMA. Why does WCVB?
 
I searched "time Americans wake up" and got this regarding weekends:
  • Weekends vs. Weekdays: Many Americans sleep in, with some reports noting, for example, 5:30 AM on weekdays, but much later (9:00–10:00 AM) on weekends.
I don't have the source, but I searched this a while ago because it seemed radio pushed back the start of morning drive on many stations from 5 or 5:30 on weekdays to 6:00. Two of the network TV affiliates where I live pushed the start of their weekday and weekend morning news later, Some attribute this to a post-COVID effect of more people working from home. When I searched previously, I found the minute when 50% of Americans are awake on a weekday (in other words mean wakeup time) is 6:30 am on weekdays and 8:10 am on weekends.
 
kramie13 said:
I don't work in TV news or advertising, but I'm curious as to how/why the 8 AM hour would generate more ad revenue vs. 7 AM or 9 AM.
WMUR and WMTW don't "split" Saturday editions of GMA. Why does WCVB?
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With Boston being as large of a market as it is, they probably judge that local content is of more interest, and there would be a level of local content that there wouldn't be in Manchester or Providence. Back in the day, WLWT Cincinnati was a de facto independent station during the daytime hours, with abundant homegrown programming that was evidently seen as being of more interest than network offerings. Gray is migrating towards that model in many markets.
 
So the Boston news stations think that the vast majority of viewers have their TVs turned on during the 8 AM hour on Saturdays but not during the 7 AM hour? What would they be doing at 7 AM?
 
I just looked to see what our ABC station (WPVI Philadelphia) does on Saturday mornings:
Local news from 5 AM - 8 AM, 9 AM - 10 AM
GMA from 8 AM - 9 AM, 10 AM - 11 AM

Meanwhile KYW (CBS) has local news from 5 AM to 7 AM and 9-10 AM with CBS Mornings from 7-9 AM
WCAU (NBC) has local news from 6 - 7 AM and 8:30 - 10 AM with Today from 7-8:30 AM.

Im sure they know what they’re doing but my question is who the heck is watching local news at 5 AM on a Saturday??!!
 
Larry said:
I just looked to see what our ABC station (WPVI Philadelphia) does on Saturday what they’re doing but my question is who the heck is watching local news at 5 AM on a Saturday??!!
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People who work Saturdays or are just getting home from Friday night! 😎
 
Larry said:
I just looked to see what our ABC station (WPVI Philadelphia) does on Saturday mornings:
Local news from 5 AM - 8 AM, 9 AM - 10 AM
GMA from 8 AM - 9 AM, 10 AM - 11 AM

Meanwhile KYW (CBS) has local news from 5 AM to 7 AM and 9-10 AM with CBS Mornings from 7-9 AM
WCAU (NBC) has local news from 6 - 7 AM and 8:30 - 10 AM with Today from 7-8:30 AM.

Im sure they know what they’re doing but my question is who the heck is watching local news at 5 AM on a Saturday??!!
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Wood TV starts at 5AM in West Michigan TV market the rest start at 6AM WWMT air at 7AM on SUN. WOTV air a 9AM newscast on Sat.
 
Larry said:
I just looked to see what our ABC station (WPVI Philadelphia) does on Saturday mornings:
Local news from 5 AM - 8 AM, 9 AM - 10 AM
GMA from 8 AM - 9 AM, 10 AM - 11 AM

Meanwhile KYW (CBS) has local news from 5 AM to 7 AM and 9-10 AM with CBS Mornings from 7-9 AM
WCAU (NBC) has local news from 6 - 7 AM and 8:30 - 10 AM with Today from 7-8:30 AM.

Im sure they know what they’re doing but my question is who the heck is watching local news at 5 AM on a Saturday??!!
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Given the number of things I often need to do on Saturdays, often me. But that’s irrelevant; if they feel like the cost/benefit ratio works, then that’s the answer. And if the data changes, and they adjust accordingly, so be it.
 


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