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Nobody in NYC is doing a 6:30 or a 7:00, a hole Fox could easily fill, and yet their gift to the market is to go against two other stations at Noon.

 

I don't get the play-it-safe nature of the NYC market, especially given it's size and that there would be more of a market at 6:30 vs. the network news/Feud/reruns or 7:00 vs. Inside Edition/Extra/Jeopardy/Feud/reruns. This is the same market that dragged its heels with 4:00 news to the point that many medium markets had that first too.

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FTS is expanding newscasts at its stations in New York City, Washington, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis, Charlotte and Tampa. Among the additions include the return of noon news at WNYW after a nine-year absence, and new hour-long newscasts at 4:00 p.m. on KSAZ and WTVT, and at 5:00 p.m. on WJZY. News expansions will also occur in two other markets to be named later.

 

It would not surprise me to see the O&Os become de facto local news channels after the Disney-FOX deal.

 

It is downright SCARY how little they're relying on syndie programming these days--even from what's basically their own bench (Wendy, The Real, court shows, etc.)

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Nobody in NYC is doing a 6:30 or a 7:00, a hole Fox could easily fill, and yet their gift to the market is to go against two other stations at Noon.

 

I don't get the play-it-safe nature of the NYC market, especially given it's size and that there would be more of a market at 6:30 vs. the network news/Feud/reruns or 7:00 vs. Inside Edition/Extra/Jeopardy/Feud/reruns. This is the same market that dragged its heels with 4:00 news to the point that many medium markets had that first too.

 

As far as news at 6:30 p.m., that has been tried before more than once and failed (a situation that WPIX has experienced twice), presumably because the national network evening newscasts have dwarfed them in the ratings. That being said, NYC is the largest market where no non-Big-Three station runs a local newscast up against the network evening shows; I'm surprised WNYW hadn't at least experimented with a 6:30 p.m. newscast before 'PIX did.

 

And here I thought WFXT's six hours of morning news was impressive.

Quite a few Fox affiliates and a few non-Fox stations have six-hour-long morning newscasts. WGN is a key example.

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As far as news at 6:30 p.m., that has been tried before more than once and failed (a situation that WPIX has experienced twice)

 

There is the problem right there. It's similar to if ten years ago someone said "4:00 news can't work in NYC because WCBS failed twice". Some station/timeslot combinations just don't work.

 

That being said, NYC is the largest market where no non-Big-Three station runs a local newscast up against the network evening shows; I'm surprised WNYW hadn't at least experimented with a 6:30 p.m. newscast before 'PIX did.

 

NYC is way too play it safe for its own good. That said, a 7:00 worked 30 years ago. Why would it not work today?

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Quite a few Fox affiliates and a few non-Fox stations have six-hour-long morning newscasts. WGN is a key example.

 

Oh, I know that. In fact, WFXT isn't the only station in Boston that does it; WHDH also runs its morning news till 10:00am, though they start at 4:30.

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Not sure why people are debating what time slots “work” for news. This has nothing to do with ratings or trying to “win”.

 

It’s the midterm elections this fall. That is why they are doing this.

 

After the elections, a lot of these newscasts will likely go away. They will not “fail”, they accomplished their mission to bring in political ad revenue. Previous “failed” newscasts in these time slots? Look closer, they probably happened during an election year.

 

It’s all about the money. It’s always about the money.

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Not sure why people are debating what time slots “work” for news. This has nothing to do with ratings or trying to “win”.

 

It’s the midterm elections this fall. That is why they are doing this.

 

After the elections, a lot of these newscasts will likely go away. They will not “fail”, they accomplished their mission to bring in political ad revenue. Previous “failed” newscasts in these time slots? Look closer, they probably happened during an election year.

 

It’s all about the money. It’s always about the money.

A lot easier to grab the money when its a locally produced newscast and political campaigns are willing to always spend a ton of money.

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Not sure why people are debating what time slots “work” for news. This has nothing to do with ratings or trying to “win”.

 

It’s the midterm elections this fall. That is why they are doing this.

 

After the elections, a lot of these newscasts will likely go away. They will not “fail”, they accomplished their mission to bring in political ad revenue. Previous “failed” newscasts in these time slots? Look closer, they probably happened during an election year.

 

It’s all about the money. It’s always about the money.

 

I would like to see a comparison of political ad buys on a local non primetime level. Would a local newscast have the same number of political ads as syndicated fair?

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Not sure why people are debating what time slots “work” for news. This has nothing to do with ratings or trying to “win”.

 

It’s the midterm elections this fall. That is why they are doing this.

 

After the elections, a lot of these newscasts will likely go away. They will not “fail”, they accomplished their mission to bring in political ad revenue. Previous “failed” newscasts in these time slots? Look closer, they probably happened during an election year.

 

It’s all about the money. It’s always about the money.

THIS. When WNBC lauched 4pm newscast, it was in part due to 2016 election season. Them and other NBC O&Os launched their early newscast to mitigate the loss of short lived 'Meredith Vieira show' and other failures in the past. It remains and i don't see how it'll be different for future FOX O&O newscasts. As you say, It's all about the money, better than another sitcom rerun you can check out on Hulu or some 3rd rate syndie strip.

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A newscast with a 0.4 rating can still make a profit. And 9.9/10 times no extra staffing would be needed. The Golden Age of syndication is long since over, so if anything more news or locally-produced lifestyle shows will take their place. I could see with Fox's greater commitment to sports programming your typical news timing (i.e. 5, 6, 10) getting shaken up.

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Another thought. Perhaps Fox could develop programming they syndicate in-house to the other O&Os like Tribune, Tegna and Scripps do. Not all local time may be devoted to a traditional newscast.

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THIS. When WNBC lauched 4pm newscast, it was in part due to 2016 election season. Them and other NBC O&Os launched their early newscast to mitigate the loss of short lived 'Meredith Vieira show' and other failures in the past. It remains and i don't see how it'll be different for future FOX O&O newscasts. As you say, It's all about the money, better than another sitcom rerun you can check out on Hulu or some 3rd rate syndie strip.

 

KSAZ's 4pm news could very well be permanent. The others are obvious cash grabs.

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Another thought. Perhaps Fox could develop programming they syndicate in-house to the other O&Os like Tribune, Tegna and Scripps do. Not all local time may be devoted to a traditional newscast.

 

They already do with their summer 'pilot season' where the dud shows are replaced with pilot runs that become full-season shows like Wendy, DIsh Nation and The Real did. Unlike the chains though, Fox seems to set them up for national success so other Fox/CW affiliates can take them, rather than being only stuck on Fox and languishing (Top 30 seems to be one of their very few duds from the effort).

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They already do with their summer 'pilot season' where the dud shows are replaced with pilot runs that become full-season shows like Wendy, DIsh Nation and The Real did. Unlike the chains though, Fox seems to set them up for national success so other Fox/CW affiliates can take them, rather than being only stuck on Fox and languishing (Top 30 seems to be one of their very few duds from the effort).

 

You have a good point. Shows like “Texas Justice” & “Good Day Live” (both of which are no longer on the air) started this way, and “A Current Affair” began as a local show in New York in ‘86, not long after the establishment of Fox, & eventually went to the other Fox O & O’s (IIRC, in L.A., Chicago, Houston, & Washington, at the time), before its successful national syndication run.

 

Let’s also not forget Montel Williams’s show also had a similar test run when it started on a handful of stations (two of which, oddly enough, are now Fox O & O’s).

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You have a good point. Shows like “Texas Justice” & “Good Day Live” (both of which are no longer on the air) started this way, and “A Current Affair” began as a local show in New York in ‘86, not long after the establishment of Fox, & eventually went to the other Fox O & O’s (IIRC, in L.A., Chicago, Houston, & Washington, at the time), before its successful national syndication run.

 

Let’s also not forget Montel Williams’s show also had a similar test run when it started on a handful of stations (two of which, oddly enough, are now Fox O & O’s).

 

The 2005 revival of A Current Affair also comes to mind. Production was handed over to Fox News Channel at the time, as was Geraldo at Large.

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Finally!!!!

 

Also Ernie Anastos still lives on.

Keep f'ng that chicken.

 

It’s the midterm elections this fall. That is why they are doing this.

 

After the elections, a lot of these newscasts will likely go away. They will not “fail”, they accomplished their mission to bring in political ad revenue. Previous “failed” newscasts in these time slots? Look closer, they probably happened during an election year.

 

It’s all about the money. It’s always about the money.

And that's the quote of the year, y'all. In a business where the revenue streams are slowly drying up on the local level, any means to milk the cow that is the political advertising season. After all...

"Money has no grey areas. You either make it or you lose it." -"Mr. Wonderful" Kevin O'Leary

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