WNBC To air a 7PM Newscast

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

WNBC New York Debuting 7 P.M. Local Newscast

NBC-owned WNBC New York will add a 7 p.m. daily local newscast to its lineup starting this Monday, June 7. The 30-minute presentation will include breaking news, weather forecasts and investigative reporting. WNBC said it will be the only regularly scheduled 7 p.m. local newscast offered...

tvnewscheck.com

Note this comes after NBC announced that KNBC and KNTV their West Coast O&O's would have their 7pm newscasts on June 7th.

 

[TheBigA]

Note this comes after NBC announced that KNBC and KNTV their West Coast O&O's would have their 7pm newscasts on June 7th.

All being done for the same reason: To replace the canceled "All Access" show that aired at 7:30. So the new 7PM news moves Access Hollywood to 7:30.

Interestingly, this kind of gets us back to the original reason why the FCC created this "local access" slot from 7 to 8PM. At one time, network's began their prime time schedule at 7PM. The FCC came up with the prime time access rule and that led to a huge explosion in syndicated game and entertainment news shows. Now stations feel they make more money with local news than national syndication.

Prime Time Access Rule - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The FCC believed that PTAR would ultimately increase the level of competition in program production, reduce the networks' control over programming decisions made by their affiliates, and thereby increase the diversity of programs available to the public, especially in the evening hours when most households were watching.

BTW the PTAR was repealed 20 years ago.