• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

small markets (#50-210) doing 4:30-7:00 AM newscasts

While we're on the subject of big market newscasts that start their news as early as 4 or 4:30 AM in the morning, is it possible that the the small markets (#50-#210), except for Las Vegas, are doing it now? I bet some of them are doing it right away. I know for years Las Vegas had been below market #50 until 2000 (actually a top #50 market now) that has two newscasts start at 4:30 AM on KVBC & KLAS. Could there be more on the way? Let me know about this.
 
Big markets are starting at 4:30a because a large portion of the audience has to deal with lengthy commutes. Many people want to be on the road before 5:30a so they're not sitting in traffic for two-plus hours. Here in Houston (where three stations start their news at 4:30a) many people will head into the central city (or near their work destination) at an early hour, then work out at a gym, have breakfast with friends/colleagues, or go jogging before finally getting to work...all to avoid traffic.

There is less reason for small markets to start so early as commute times are short (perhaps just a few minutes over a short distance.) Some years back when I lived in a city of 150,000 there was no one on the road before 7:00am, and you didn't see any significant traffic until 7:30. Virtually everyone was asleep until 6:00am or later.
 
In Phoenix, we have two stations which start at 4:30am: KPHO (CBS 5 Morning News) and KTVK (Good Morning Arizona). A few months ago, there was a rumor that ABC 15 was going to start a newscast at 4am, but that has not marterialized. Our Fox affiliate runs a 5 hour morning show (from 5am-10am) now.
 
Slightly off topic, but is there anyone, anywhere that starts before 4 AM? The earliest I can find is KNBC L.A. with a 4 AM cast.

On Las Vegas, a little different type of market with lots of overnight shift workers. Probably effects viewing habits.
 
MarcB said:
I'm gonna change this up slightly. How many stations in all markets (not just small ones) start news at 430AM? In Hartford the only one doing this is FOX 61...

I was going to bring this up, but I was not sure if Hartford was above or below a Top 50 market...
 
...in #68 Tucson, everybody -- KVOA/v4 (NBC), KGUN-TV/9 (ABC), KMSB/11 (Fox, but relays the morning newser of the co-owned indie in Phoenix, KTVK/v3) and KOLD-TV/v13 -- starts at 5:00. v4, 9 and v13 all carry their networks' respective early news half-hours at 4:30...
 
DToTheJ said:
MarcB said:
I'm gonna change this up slightly. How many stations in all markets (not just small ones) start news at 430AM? In Hartford the only one doing this is FOX 61...

I was going to bring this up, but I was not sure if Hartford was above or below a Top 50 market...

I thought it was #50, but I might be confusing this with the radio market.
 
Hartford/New Haven for television is #29 I believe, with us being the "smallest" market with at least 1 million households. Radio ranks lower since Hartford/New Britain/Middletown is separate from New Haven.
 
kms575 said:
DToTheJ said:
... I was not sure if Hartford was above or below a Top 50 market...

I thought it was #50, but I might be confusing this with the radio market.

KML-224 said:
Hartford/New Haven for television is #29 I believe, with us being the "smallest" market with at least 1 million households.

Thanks for the clarification! Now then, do any radio stations start newscasts at 4:30 AM? ;D
 
DToTheJ said:
Thanks for the clarification! Now then, do any radio stations start newscasts at 4:30 AM? ;D

I don't know. Isn't KYW 1060 still airing taped newscasts at that hour? :p WTIC 1080 in Hartford does local newscasts at the top and bottom of the hour, but between Midnite and 5AM, the top of the hour news is only 2 mins. The first 3 mins being CBS News. The only time they carry CBS News. WTIC has a half hour of all news at 5AM called The Sunrise Special and then a 3 hour block 3PM-6PM called Total News.
 
MarcB said:
DToTheJ said:
Thanks for the clarification! Now then, do any radio stations start newscasts at 4:30 AM? ;D

I don't know. Isn't KYW 1060 still airing taped newscasts at that hour? :p WTIC 1080 in Hartford does local newscasts at the top and bottom of the hour, but between Midnite and 5AM, the top of the hour news is only 2 mins. The first 3 mins being CBS News. The only time they carry CBS News. WTIC has a half hour of all news at 5AM called The Sunrise Special and then a 3 hour block 3PM-6PM called Total News.

Umm...isn't this the TV board?
 
If we're talking all markets, Nashville's CBS affiliate, WTVF/5,
has a 4:30 AM newscast; the ABC affiliate, WKRN/2, starts
just after 4 AM with "News 2 Early Morning." I think, but am
not sure, that WSMV/4 (NBC) also has a 4:30 AM newscast.
The three stations' early-morning news blocks continue until 7.
 
Here in DMA #7 (Atlanta), nobody starts early news until 5 AM. That is despite having the worst traffic in the country. Nobody has made an attempt to go early. Smaller markets are beating us to the punch.

Usually...once one station starts doing something, the others tend to follow for obvious reasons. That is the reason once one station starts going earlier...the others will follow.
 
In Missoula which I think is
#165 both KPAX and KECI
start their news at 5:30
KTMF on the other hand
doesn't have a news operation
 
jal41 said:
Here in DMA #7 (Atlanta), nobody starts early news until 5 AM. That is despite having the worst traffic in the country.

I thought that (dis)honor went to Los Angeles?
 
DToTheJ said:
jal41 said:
Here in DMA #7 (Atlanta), nobody starts early news until 5 AM. That is despite having the worst traffic in the country.

I thought that (dis)honor went to Los Angeles?

I don't know whose is worse but Atlanta's is bad enough, so much so that on the rare
occasions I go there anymore I start tensing up about 30-40 miles out. But to get back
on-topic, I'm also surprised that there's not a 4:30 AM newscast in Atlanta. WAGA (Fox)
would be in the best position to go with it first, since WSB (ABC), WXIA (NBC), and WGCL
(CBS) are all carrying their networks' early-morning newscasts at that time.

I mentioned Nashville having pre-5 AM local news, but because that's Central time, it's
possible for the networks' early-morning news to air at 3:30 AM there; I don't know if
they do, since I didn't check. CBS's may air at 4 AM (Central) but again, don't quote me.
I think WKRN may pre-empt "America This Morning" and go right into its local news around
4:05 AM.
 
bpatrick said:
If we're talking all markets, Nashville's CBS affiliate, WTVF/5,
has a 4:30 AM newscast; the ABC affiliate, WKRN/2, starts
just after 4 AM with "News 2 Early Morning." I think, but am
not sure, that WSMV/4 (NBC) also has a 4:30 AM newscast.
The three stations' early-morning news blocks continue until 7.
One of the three (I think it's channel 5) makes a big deal out of starting their early morning newscast at the rather unusual time of 4:24 a.m. Not sure what the deal is there, unless it is an attempt to jump the gun on the others. I believe channel 4 eventually went to a 4:00 a.m. start, but I'm not sure if they are still doing that.

Our FOX affiliate, WZTV-Fox 17, has an all-live, all-local morning show from 5:00-9:00 a.m. every morning. But yes, that does include some "fluff" segments.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom