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Early morning local TV news outside the top 50

I

iowegian2

Guest
I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning newscasts outside
the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start? Also, during these
newscasts, when do traffic reports start? Example: in Des Moines (DMA #73)
two network affiliates start local newscasts at 5 AM, with traffic reports
catching the occasional clumping of cars starting at 5:45 AM.
 
> I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> newscasts outside
> the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
> Also, during these
> newscasts, when do traffic reports start? Example: in Des
> Moines (DMA #73)
> two network affiliates start local newscasts at 5 AM, with
> traffic reports
> catching the occasional clumping of cars starting at 5:45
> AM.
>

In the Tupelo/Columbus/West Point market (#132) the two stations that produce news start their morning programs at 5:30am. I do not believe either do regular traffic reports, as the market is to small and disjointed to make it effective.

In Evansville, Indiana (#99), WFIE-14-NBC begins their newscast at 4:30am while WEHT-25-ABC begins at 5:00am and WTVW-7-Fox begins at 6:00am. Not sure when they being their traffic reports.
 
> > I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> > newscasts outside
> > the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
----------
In Erie, PA (#143), WICU (NBC) runs 12 News Today from 5-7 AM. WJET (ABC) runs Good Morning Erie from 5:30-7 AM.
 
Here in Rochester, New York the ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates start their local news shows at 5:00am. Actually the NBC affiliate played catch-up with the other two stations because their morning news block used to start at 5:30 am.

The FOX affiliate, which carries News Central, does have an early morning news show. They are lucky to have enough people to staff their 10:00pm news.
<P ID="signature">______________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted and I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them".</P>
 
> I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> newscasts outside
> the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
> Also, during these
> newscasts, when do traffic reports start? Example: in Des
> Moines (DMA #73)
> two network affiliates start local newscasts at 5 AM, with
> traffic reports
> catching the occasional clumping of cars starting at 5:45
> AM.
>

I believe that all of us in Rockford (#134) start news @ 5:30am. I work nights, so I'm never up that early to check.

-A<P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
> I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> newscasts outside
> the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
> Also, during these
> newscasts, when do traffic reports start? Example: in Des
> Moines (DMA #73)
> two network affiliates start local newscasts at 5 AM, with
> traffic reports
> catching the occasional clumping of cars starting at 5:45
> AM.
>
In the Cedar Rapids Market DMA #88 (which includes Iowa City Waterloo and Dubuque) KCRG (ABC) 9 and KWWL (NBC) 7 both start news at 5am. KWWL has a traffic reporter deemed "Traffic Tracker" who reports at around 5 and 35 minutes after the hour between 5-7am. KGAN (CBS) 2 doesn't have morning news anymore only to show infomericals instead until the Early Show starts at 6am. KFXA 28 will start a morning program in September not sure what time that will start but would bet it would go past 7am (Maybe 6-9 or 6-8am)
 
In Honolulu KHON-2(Fox), KITV-4(ABC) and KHNL-13(NBC) start their morning newscast at 5am. KGMB-9(CBS) has "The Daily Buzz" from 5 to 7am.
 
> > I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> > newscasts outside
> > the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
> > Also, during these
> > newscasts, when do traffic reports start? Example: in Des
>
> > Moines (DMA #73)
> > two network affiliates start local newscasts at 5 AM, with
>
> > traffic reports
> > catching the occasional clumping of cars starting at 5:45
> > AM.
> >
>
> In the Tupelo/Columbus/West Point market (#132) the two
> stations that produce news start their morning programs at
> 5:30am. I do not believe either do regular traffic reports,
> as the market is to small and disjointed to make it
> effective.
>

In Huntsville, Alabama, the big three (CBS, NBC, ABC) all start their morning news at 5am. WHNT and WAFF have traffic reports which consist of a stationary camera looking at 5 cars on the freeway and calling it "heavy traffic". (When it rains, it is a study in blurry images) I'm not sure about WAAY's traffic coverage since I dont watch it much.


> In Evansville, Indiana (#99), WFIE-14-NBC begins their
> newscast at 4:30am while WEHT-25-ABC begins at 5:00am and
> WTVW-7-Fox begins at 6:00am. Not sure when they being their
> traffic reports.
>
 
> In the Cedar Rapids Market DMA #88 (which includes Iowa City
> Waterloo and Dubuque) KCRG (ABC) 9 and KWWL (NBC) 7 both
> start news at 5am. KWWL has a traffic reporter deemed
> "Traffic Tracker" who reports at around 5 and 35 minutes
> after the hour between 5-7am.

The concept of traffic reports in Iowa is quite funny, as it seems like an oxymoron!<P ID="signature">______________
WCBS = We're Crazy Buffoons and Schmucks
<a href=http://chuck.spotteddogs.org/tv/>Spotted Dog TV Talk - for all your non-news TV Talk</a></P>
 
> > I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> > newscasts outside
> > the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
> > Also, during these
> > newscasts, when do traffic reports start?

In Ft. Wayne, Indiana, the big 3 (WANE, WPTA, WISE) start at 5 am, although I'm not sure when the traffic reports start. I do know that they at least exist. The WISE newscast is a simulcast of WPTA, although WISE did have their own two hour news prior to Granite's buy of the station (they still operate WPTA under a LMA) earlier this year. Fox affiliate WFFT offers no local news, although it's been rumored that might be changing since Ft. Wayne is now a two newscast market.
 
> > In the Cedar Rapids Market DMA #88 (which includes Iowa
> City
> > Waterloo and Dubuque) KCRG (ABC) 9 and KWWL (NBC) 7 both
> > start news at 5am. KWWL has a traffic reporter deemed
> > "Traffic Tracker" who reports at around 5 and 35 minutes
> > after the hour between 5-7am.
>
> The concept of traffic reports in Iowa is quite funny, as it
> seems like an oxymoron!
>
Well, if you're bored some afternoon, you can look at the Des Moines
traffic cams: http://www.511ia.org/DM_Metro_tripGuide.asp

Iowa is getting less rural all of the time, as farms consolidate
and the non farmers living out in the sticks are getting tired of
no jobs and big stink from hog confinements, which tend to sprout
almost at will, thanks to our state legislature. So they come to
da big city, relatively speaking...DM metro population is
approaching 500,000.

Still, I've lived for several years in much larger metros, and yes,
traffic is pretty much a cakewalk here in comparison. Not exactly
an oxymoron, but you can see it from here. And traffic reports here
before 6:30 in the morning serve very little purpose. But, given some
of the other responses up and down the thread, apparently we're not
alone in this market in trying to mimic the big boys, whether
it makes sense or not.
 
In Quincy, IL, both 10 WGEM & 7 KHQA (NBC & CBS) start at 5:30.

> I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> newscasts outside
> the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
> Also, during these
> newscasts, when do traffic reports start? Example: in Des
> Moines (DMA #73)
> two network affiliates start local newscasts at 5 AM, with
> traffic reports
> catching the occasional clumping of cars starting at 5:45
> AM.
>
 
> > > In the Cedar Rapids Market DMA #88 (which includes Iowa
> > City
> > > Waterloo and Dubuque) KCRG (ABC) 9 and KWWL (NBC) 7 both
>
> > > start news at 5am. KWWL has a traffic reporter deemed
> > > "Traffic Tracker" who reports at around 5 and 35 minutes
>
> > > after the hour between 5-7am.
> >
> > The concept of traffic reports in Iowa is quite funny, as
> it
> > seems like an oxymoron!
> >
> Well, if you're bored some afternoon, you can look at the
> Des Moines
> traffic cams: http://www.511ia.org/DM_Metro_tripGuide.asp
>
> Iowa is getting less rural all of the time, as farms
> consolidate
> and the non farmers living out in the sticks are getting
> tired of
> no jobs and big stink from hog confinements, which tend to
> sprout
> almost at will, thanks to our state legislature. So they
> come to
> da big city, relatively speaking...DM metro population is
> approaching 500,000.
>
> Still, I've lived for several years in much larger metros,
> and yes,
> traffic is pretty much a cakewalk here in comparison. Not
> exactly
> an oxymoron, but you can see it from here. And traffic
> reports here
> before 6:30 in the morning serve very little purpose. But,
> given some
> of the other responses up and down the thread, apparently
> we're not
> alone in this market in trying to mimic the big boys,
> whether
> it makes sense or not.
>
Well Traffic reports in Iowa on morning shows may seem silly but when KWWL has to do traffic reports for 4 cities not just one and anyone who has been in Des Moines the last few years and will be in the next few would know why Des Moines NEEDS a traffic report with 235 being reconstructed.
 
In Toledo WTOL (CBS), WTVG (ABC O&O), and WNWO (NBC) all start right up at 5am. Don't know about the traffic, though.

Back to Ft. Wayne for a second...

> Fox affiliate WFFT offers no local news, although it's been rumored that
> might be changing since Ft. Wayne is now a two newscast market.

I'd love to see them have a go at it; of course, I'd love to see WPTA taken down a peg or three after the WISE debacle. Anyone have any background on Nexstar stations with news and how they fare in those markets?<P ID="signature">______________
The only thing I gotta do is stay terrestrial and die!</P>
 
> Anyone have any background on Nexstar stations with news and
> how they fare in those markets?

WTVW-7-Evansville is owned by Nexstar. I believe they are a distant third (in a 3-station race) behind WFIE-14 and WEHT-25. Mostly, I believe, this is due to the affiliation swap that occured in Evansville in 1995.

This involved three of the four stations (WEHT-25 went from CBS to ABC, WEVV-44 went from Fox to CBS and WTVW-7 went from ABC to Fox) when WTVW's then owner, Banam (a division of the old BankAmerica) sold off its television assets (two years later, of course, BankAmerica would merge with Nationsbank and become Bank Of America).

Another Nexstar station is KBTV-4-NBC in Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX. Another station that is third in a 3-station market. This is not hard to understand as KFDM-6-CBS is the dominant station and generally leaves only crumbs for both KBTV and KBMT-12-ABC to pick up.

A third, WTWO-2-NBC Terre Haute, IN. WTWO is a distant second in a 2-station race with WTHI-10-CBS (the dominant). There is a third station in the market, Bahakel-owned WFXW-38-Fox (Formerly WBAK). I can't remember which station produces a prime-time edition for WFXW, but it recently (as in the past two years) changed from one station to the other.

Even in their home market, Wilkes-Barre, PA, they don't muster much higher than second and third, respectively (they own both WBRE-28-NBC and WYOU-22-CBS). Both fall behind New York Times-owned WNEP-16-ABC.
 
> In Honolulu KHON-2(Fox), KITV-4(ABC) and KHNL-13(NBC) start
> their morning newscast at 5am. KGMB-9(CBS) has "The Daily
> Buzz" from 5 to 7am.
>
In Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas (#61), KSNW (Channel 3-NBC) and KAKE (Channel 10-ABC) has their morning newscast at 5 am. KWCH (Channel 12-CBS) have theirs at 5:30 am.
 
In the Laurel/Hattiesburg (MS) market, the "big dog" of it's two stations --- and for many years the only dog in the house --- is Raycom Media owned NBC affiliate WDAM-TV 7. It airs "News 7 Today" from 5:30 until 7:00.

The interesting bit about WDAM is it's morning/midday weathercaster, Jim Gibbons. Talk about a throwback! Jim is not a certified meterologist, but he's done the morning and midday weather (as well as reading news on "Midday") for nearly 50 years without a break! Also does a lot of commercial voiceovers. This guy has had a long and interesting career, including serving as the announcer for Paul Harvey on radio when he originated his show on at least a couple of occasions from the Pine Belt. Also like Harvey, he shows no sign of wanting to retire anytime soon!

The other station in the Pine Belt market, Media General-owned WHLT-TV 22 (CBS), simply simulcasts it's sister station out of Jackson WJTV-TV 12. It had a local news operation for awhile, but WDAM is such a dominant presence and it's previous owner didn't care to put enough resources into it to make it competitive.

<P ID="signature">______________
Robert Charles Pickering
Lakeland, Florida</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by CentralFLEagle on 07/23/05 06:14 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> I'm curious about starting times for local TV morning
> newscasts outside
> the top 50 markets. Is 5 AM local time a typical start?
> Also, during these
> newscasts, when do traffic reports start? Example: in Des
> Moines (DMA #73)
> two network affiliates start local newscasts at 5 AM, with
> traffic reports
> catching the occasional clumping of cars starting at 5:45
> AM.
----------
Even smaller than Erie, the Watertown, NY market (#176) has WWNY (CBS) that airs 7 News This Morning from 6-7 AM. At 5 AM they air First Business, and at 5:30 a CBS newscast. They sign on the air at 5 AM.

For the record, the smallest market with a morning show appears to be Presque Isle, ME (#205), which has NewsSource 8: The Morning Edition on WAGM from 6-7 AM.
 
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