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ABC affiliate news to work a Sunday-Thursday schedule

J

JayR

From the News-Press:

ABC bets on big Sunday

The main anchors at ABC7 (WZVN-TV) are going to have to adjust their schedules later this month when they start a Sunday-Thursday work week.

The reason for the move: Sunday night is huge for ABC stations thanks to a strong line-up...
Click to expand...

Are there, or will there be, any other ABC stations/affiliates that will do the same? This will certainly be unusual.
 
A number of ABC affiliates do or have done this, mainly to capitalize on ABC's Sunday night line-up, and because viewership levels aren't all that high on Friday nights.
 
As far as I know, they've only done it during sweeps, but our local ABC affiliate (WEWS/5) has regularly put the weekday team on Sunday nights.
 
In Dallas, Ft. Worth KTVT Channel 11 tried this years ago when CBS bought the station.
It did not help.
Their numbers are not good.
And I can't tell you if they still do it or not.
I have not watched them years.
 
IIRC, KCPQ (Fox) in Seattle has been doing this since they launched their current news department in the late 90s.
 
SteveRichards said:
A number of ABC affiliates do or have done this, mainly to capitalize on ABC's Sunday night line-up, and because viewership levels aren't all that high on Friday nights.
Click to expand...

On a side note, it's interesting that a cable network like USA has some of its best numbers on Friday nights. In general, cable programming seems to do better when overall viewership levels are lower.
 
In Phoenix, KNXV (ABC15) has been doing it for at least two years. Not sure of the exact date but Grey's Anatomy was still on Sunday nights when they started.

I think it make sense because ABC was getting good ratings/buzz for their Desperate Housewives/Gray's pairing and like Steve Richards said Fridays is starting to go down hill for the networks.
 
amfmhd said:
In Dallas, Ft. Worth KTVT Channel 11 tried this years ago when CBS bought the station.
It did not help.
Their numbers are not good.
And I can't tell you if they still do it or not.
I have not watched them years.
Click to expand...

"11 News 11 on 11 at 10 starts right now"!
"And that wraps up 11 on 11 at 10, it's now 10:13 (huh?) and we're just getting started tonight..."

The funny thing is that Seattle's KSTW/11 was owned by the same company and had 11 News 11 at 11 with former Dallas anchor Dale Schornack and former Dallas wx personality Neal Barton.
 
Hi everyone:
OhioMediaWatch said:
As far as I know, they've only done it during sweeps, but our local ABC affiliate (WEWS/5) has regularly put the weekday team on Sunday nights.
Click to expand...
Here in Denver, KMGH 7 has done this for quite awhile now, so seeing Mike Landess, Ann Trujillo, weatherman Mike Nelson & sportscaster Lionel Bienvenu is nothing new to us.

Cheers :D

Pat
 
KTNV (Las Vegas) had been doing the Sunday-Thursday thing for a while, & I think they don't think they do that anymore, unless they need them on a certain big story.
 
When I first read that headline, I thought it said that these ABC affiliates wouldn't have newscasts at all on Friday or Saturday! Ha! As for Hartford/New Haven, I don't know if this is being done with WTNH-TV/DT channel 8/D 10 of New Haven or not. I don't presently watch anything on that network (or station) right now.
 
Isn't Saint Louis the largest market to where a so-called "Big 3" (ABC, CBS, NBC) doesn't do news? What about Detroit and WWJ-TV (CBS) channel 62? (Is it WWJ-TV or WGPR-TV?)
 
Atlanta's ABC affilate, WSB-TV, is still with the main anchor team Monday-Friday. After 33 years in the lead anchor position, I don't think they will make Monica Pearson (Kaufman) switch to a new schedule (She was lead anchor when WSB-TV was still an NBC affiliate).

Keep in mind...Monica and John Pruitt take a lot of time off for special assignments and other things...which is no problem for the market's 800 pound gorilla. So WSB-TV has no reason to make a shift.

ABC affiliates that are #2 or #3 might have some reason to do so, but not those that are a strong #1 in their markets.
 
It is an interesting question though---will people watching "Brothers and Sisters" really suddenly tune out at 11 if the see the weekend anchor, but would stay if the see the weeknight team?
 
In Phoenix, I change the channel no matter what clowns ABC 15 chooses to put on. I'll take my chances on Linda Williams and Marc Martinez on Fox 10!
 
ABC affiliate WCVB/Boston's main anchors switched to a Sunday night thru Thursday night lineup earlier this year.

Boston's Fox affiliate, WFXT, has had a Sunday thru Thursday main anchor schedule for at least a couple of years.
 
KML-224 said:
Isn't Saint Louis the largest market to where a so-called "Big 3" (ABC, CBS, NBC) doesn't do news? What about Detroit and WWJ-TV (CBS) channel 62? (Is it WWJ-TV or WGPR-TV?)
Click to expand...

WWJ-TV still does not have a news department.
 
M.J. said:
WWJ-TV still does not have a news department.
Click to expand...

62, after the CBS purchase of the former WGPR-TV, did try news with the help of the existing news department at WKBD/50 - shortly after it became a sister station under the Viacom umbrella. WKBD had been doing news at 10 PM for years. The attempt didn't last long, and 62 is again without news... though I think they have weather updates or something.

WKBD also stopped producing its own news, in favor of a newscast produced by ABC affliliate WXYZ/7.

The WGPR calls went away a few months after CBS took over 62.
 
KML-224 said:
When I first read that headline, I thought it said that these ABC affiliates wouldn't have newscasts at all on Friday or Saturday! Ha! As for Hartford/New Haven, I don't know if this is being done with WTNH-TV/DT channel 8/D 10 of New Haven or not. I don't presently watch anything on that network (or station) right now.
Click to expand...

WTNH has done it before from time to time, but not on any regular basis. I suspect it may have been done during sweeps periods.
 
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