Toledo newscasts to start at 4:30 a.m.
8/11/2010Early morning risers will soon get a double dose of local newscasts each weekday.
WTOL-TV, Channel 11, and WTVG-TV, Channel 13, are expanding their local news programming by a half-hour beginning at 4:30 a.m. and running through 7 a.m. Mondays-Fridays.
Channel 11 kicks off the new News 11 Your Morning programming schedule Aug. 23. Channel 13 begins its new 13ABC Action News schedule a week later, Aug. 30.
"Lifestyles are changing. People are waking up earlier and we're excited to be starting the day with them," said WTOL news director Andi Roman. "This is a perfect extension to our Emmy award-winning morning show. Viewers will get their first look at the day's news, weather, traffic, and school closings."
Added Brian Trauring, WTVG news director, "Many stations around the nation are going to 4:30 a.m. and have found success in doing so. There were skeptics when we started at 5:30 and 5 a.m. and yet we always seem to find people looking for information."
The 4:30 a.m. newscast isn't a new concept. During extreme weather conditions, WTOL and WTVG have pre-empted network programming with an early half-hour of news and weather updates. One such special newscast during a ratings period proved to be popular with viewers, Trauring said.
"We know the appetite is there and now we will be able to serve those people," he said.
Channel 13 is also expanding its Saturday schedule with a new 9 to 10 a.m. newscast. The program will replace an hour of children's programming. The newscast will debut Sept. 4 as part of WTVG's news programming, which includes a 6 to 8 a.m. newscast, followed by an hour of Good Morning America.
Contact Kirk Baird at
kbaird@theblade.com
or 419-724-6734.
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