“Action News Update”?

[genius]

I've been seeing promos for an "Action News Update" on 6abc.com and their streaming apps. It airs at 11:30p. I have a few questions, though:

• Why are they doing this at 11:30p? The Olympics aren't even scheduled to end until midnight.
• Why are they doing this before the actual 11p is over? Normally they run the close at 11:32 or 11:33.
• Are they doing this on weekends, too? The Saturday 11p show ends at midnight, and the Sunday ends at 11:45.
• Did they do this in 2016 too?
• Or is this just a cheap ploy to try and lure some WCAU viewers over during the games?

 

[Route66Fan]

I remember that ABC affiliate, KMBC-TV in Kansas City, MO, did something similar, years ago during the Olympics, when they still delayed ABC late night programming, except when they did it, they had the 10PM news on at it's regular time, a syndicated sitcom (Most likely Seinfeld.) at 10:35PM, & then, the news update at 11:00PM, when the Olympics on NBC ended.

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

I've been seeing promos for an "Action News Update" on 6abc.com and their streaming apps. It airs at 11:30p. I have a few questions, though:

• Why are they doing this at 11:30p? The Olympics aren't even scheduled to end until midnight.
• Why are they doing this before the actual 11p is over? Normally they run the close at 11:32 or 11:33.
• Are they doing this on weekends, too? The Saturday 11p show ends at midnight, and the Sunday ends at 11:45.
• Did they do this in 2016 too?
• Or is this just a cheap ploy to try and lure some WCAU viewers over during the games?

I can answer that, even though I don't live in Philly.

• NBC's Primetime coverage now ends at 11:30 p.m., instead of Midnight like before to air two hours of late-night coverage at midnight, instead of just an hour like before.
• I'm not sure but WPVI has done this before.
• Only on weeknights because WPVI has that hour-long newscast at 11:00 p.m. on weekends and NBC's Primetime coverage will end at 11:30 p.m. every night, including on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Yes. Every Olympics since maybe 2012, I wanna say, has WPVI aired an Action News Update around the same time WCAU's news would come on.
• And yes, its a ploy to try and lure some viewers away after the games have ended for the day, and considering the tradition, I think it has worked well in the ratings for WPVI because they're still doing it. I mean... after all, they are the Delaware Valley's Leading News Program for a reason.

I rest my case.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

There is no cheap ploy. Its part of the way the competition works. Nothing terribly new but now it's heavily promoted on the streaming platforms. Makes perfect sense--you have the resources and reach, use them.

 

[MilkshakeMan560]

I can answer that, even though I don't live in Philly.

• NBC's Primetime coverage now ends at 11:30 p.m., instead of Midnight like before to air two hours of late-night coverage at midnight, instead of just an hour like before.
• I'm not sure but WPVI has done this before.
• Only on weeknights because WPVI has that hour-long newscast at 11:00 p.m. on weekends and NBC's Primetime coverage will end at 11:30 p.m. every night, including on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Yes. Every Olympics since maybe 2012, I wanna say, has WPVI aired an Action News Update around the same time WCAU's news would come on.
• And yes, its a ploy to try and lure some viewers away after the games have ended for the day, and considering the tradition, I think it has worked well in the ratings for WPVI because they're still doing it. I mean... after all, they are the Delaware Valley's Leading News Program for a reason.

I rest my case.

Thanks for that. I was the original poster of those questions on TVNT.