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The race to 4:30am

Sammi Brie

Sammi Brie

Channels 3, 5, and 15 already had 4:30am newscasts.

3 and 10 have recently been racing to add more morning time: 3 added a full 9am hour. Now, KSAZ strikes back.

I saw a Fox 10 AZAM promo...but for the first time ever, 5-10am is gone and replaced with 4:30-10am. Five and a half hours of morning news. That's a lot of news!

Mc12 News, Arizona's "News" Station, is now last in the Valley in this time slot.
 
I'm watching The Office and just saw a promo for FOX 10 Arizona Morning with Rick D'Amico and Alexis DelChiaro. At the end Alexis says on the voiceover now 4:30 - 10.

I'm amazed stations start this early. I have to ask, is anyone really up and watching these newscasts?

Are OTA Broadcast Stations headed to 24 Hour News Stations.

I almost wonder if the future of local news will be 1/2 Hourly Updates at the bottom and top of the hour, I could be wrong, but I just wonder if that's the way things are going.

I didn't realize KNXV had news at 4:30. I remember reading on this board that KNXV was adding a 4:00 AM Newscast with Susan Casper, did people mean the 4 PM Newscast. Still confused.

I've seen the KPHO 4:30 AM Newscast a few times from stress and anxiety resulting insomnia not being able to sleep, it just alternates between Chris & Nicole reading headlines, news stories from overnight.
 
Over on 3, they're claiming that they've regained the title of "most watched local morning show." Who's right and who's wrong here? And, if 3's claim is true, what's causing 10's woes? It can't be their (now-weaker) digital over-the-air signal because not many people watch with rabbit ears anymore.

As for 10 adding a half-hour to their morning news, I'm surprised, because they're stockpiling syndicated programming once again (no surprise about that), stealing Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? from AZ-TV and soon they'll have no more time slots left to fill between the syndication, network programming, and infomercials (and not even on 45, since the paid programs keep that station going outside of Suns season!).
 
Actually, ABC15 News starts at 5am! They did start at 4:30am for a while (I'm thinking 2 or 3 years ago, but that didn't last long).

For those who have to rise early and some very long commutes in the Phoenix metro area, 4:30am news makes sense. Sometimes, I have to catch an early plane and leave home at 5am. There is a surprising amount of traffic already out there. So, there are quite a few people in Phoenix up by 4:30am.

Speaking of expanding newscasts, I'm very surprised that Fox 10 hasn't announced a weekend version of Arizona Morning.
 
Raymie said:
Mc12 News, Arizona's "News" Station, is now last in the Valley in this time slot.
Click to expand...

This is shocking, since I consider Fay to be a much better newscaster than Tram. Perhaps Tram and Scott did make "The Perfect Morning Blend" after all! :D
 
Raymie said:
I saw a Fox 10 AZAM promo...but for the first time ever, 5-10am is gone and replaced with 4:30-10am. Five and a half hours of morning news. That's a lot of news!
Click to expand...

Except that five and one-half hours isn't all news. Or even mostly news. It is features punctuated by headlines at the hour and half-hour. And to be fair to KSAZ it is enjoyable compared to other offerings that time in the morning. Well, except where they toot their network horn on "news" about American Idol and other Fox shows. They do headline under "entertainment" though.

My limited viewing experience with the other early "news" programs suggest they are not mostly news either.
 
formeraa said:
Raymie said:
Mc12 News, Arizona's "News" Station, is now last in the Valley in this time slot.
Click to expand...

This is shocking, since I consider Fay to be a much better newscaster than Tram. Perhaps Tram and Scott did make "The Perfect Morning Blend" after all! :D
Click to expand...

I meant last to expand into 4:30am, not last in ratings.
 
Raymie said:
formeraa said:
Raymie said:
Mc12 News, Arizona's "News" Station, is now last in the Valley in this time slot.
Click to expand...

This is shocking, since I consider Fay to be a much better newscaster than Tram. Perhaps Tram and Scott did make "The Perfect Morning Blend" after all! :D
Click to expand...

I meant last to expand into 4:30am, not last in ratings.
Click to expand...

Ah, that makes more sense! But, 12 News has been VERY quiet over the past year or so about ratings. I assume that they're not doing very well (compared to what they used to do).

One more point: KTVK is also advertising that GEAZ is the highest-rated early evening news program. Now, that's REALLY amazing, given how Patti stumbles through that newscast!!! So, KTVK is winning in the am and early evening now -- and don't forget that 12 News should have had a bump from the Winter Olympics during February!!
 
I watch Good Morning Arizona starting at 4:30.

Honestly, not surprised that Fox 10 went to 4:30. 3TV launched the first grenade when they went to 10:00. 3TV was the long-time leader of morning news until Fox 10 bumped them off.

Currently ABC15 doesn't have a 4:30 newscast. It did about 4 years ago. Ann Stephens (sp?) hosted it. It was news-light but entertaining.

I think what puts 3TV over the top is their weekends. As mentioned, GMAZ Saturdays is the highest rated news program in the Valley. What if Fox 10 started a weekend show?

Back to GMAZ at 4:30. The one thing that I don't like is Tara Hitchcock and Scott Pasmore aren't on. No slam against Kaley O'Kelley or Javier Soto but the main anchors should be on the entire program. I know Hitchcock and Pasmore have seniority, but it's weird that Pasmore gets to "sleep in" an hour and Hitchcock comes in a full 90 minutes after the show starts! On top of that O'Kelley, April Warnecke, and Gina Maravilla are there for the entire 5 1/2 hours.
 
formeraa said:
Speaking of expanding newscasts, I'm very surprised that Fox 10 hasn't announced a weekend version of Arizona Morning.
Click to expand...

They must think that the infomercials they air most Saturdays (outside of baseball season) bring in more ad revenue than an unproven morning news program (although I think they would take a large chunk of 3's Saturday morning viewers if they did so). Plus, Saturday mornings is where they place the unprofitable-yet-required three hours of educational shows (I'm still scratching my head on how they think an hour of old Saved By The Bell repeats qualifies) every week.

10's ties and similar look-and-feel to Fox News (ever-popular in red-state Arizona) should single-handedly put their ratings past 3's. I guess that's not the case.
 
brian4 said:
Back to GMAZ at 4:30. The one thing that I don't like is Tara Hitchcock and Scott Pasmore aren't on. No slam against Kaley O'Kelley or Javier Soto but the main anchors should be on the entire program. I know Hitchcock and Pasmore have seniority, but it's weird that Pasmore gets to "sleep in" an hour and Hitchcock comes in a full 90 minutes after the show starts! On top of that O'Kelley, April Warnecke, and Gina Maravilla are there for the entire 5 1/2 hours.
Click to expand...

Some stations have another anchor/reporter do the 4:30-5am half-hour or have one anchor team from 4:30am to 7am and another from 7am to 10am. 3TV's anchor schedule is a bit strange, but apparently it's working just fine -- given their great ratings.
 
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