KOMO owner Sinclair has ended weekend morning news at WJLA-TV in DC per a post from anchor Kellye Lynn, who worked for me years ago in that market at regional cable. The ND there now is Jon Brady, ex-KCPQ news boss. Makes me wonder about KOMO weekend a.m. They do two hours sandwiched around GMA on Saturday and Sunday with lots of packaged segments. KIRO has already abandoned its weekend a.m. shows.
KOMO does 2 hours on each weekend day. They have a 6am and a 8am newscast
ReplyDeleteI am not up early enough to catch the KOMO 6 am on weekends. Thanks for the correction. I cross checked it on the cable grid and you were spot on.
DeleteI updated the post.
I think your thoughts here are spot on Wayne. As you note, much of what KOMO airs on those newscasts is prepackaged stories from throughout the past week with little fresh news coverage (although this past weekend was a very notable exception as we all know). Sinclair I think could save some money by axing these newscasts but then there's another question I'd also have here - if Sinclair were to ax those newscasts, what would you do then with Theron Zahn? I could see it easier for them to move Fahmy into a full weekday schedule but Zahn considering his versatility and seniority there, not sure.
ReplyDeleteIf Sinclair were to ax KOMO's weekend morning newscasts, I could envision Fahmy and Theron being utilized as a dayside team. With Kelly Clarkson's daytime talk show, which airs locally on KOMO, coming to an end, KOMO could expand its weekday 3:30pm newscast to a full hour starting at 3pm for minimal cost, and deploy Fahmy and Theron to that hour, as well as to the existing 11am newscast.
DeleteHaving said that, I would rather that Sinclair retain KOMO's weekend morning newscasts and invest in them as KOMO is a stronger position than WJLA with less competition, which should make KOMO's offering more viable financially. Last I knew, WJLA was fourth in a market with five TV newsrooms, plus four additional TV newsrooms in nearby Baltimore, which has a fair bit of overlap with Washington DC on the Maryland side of the market. KOMO's 6am weekend morning hour actually has no competition, since KING and Fox 13 don't start until 7am. WJLA had no such advantage.
Because we have never seen any ratings info on weekend mornings, I have no idea if KOMO getting on first at 6 means anything on a weekend morning. I think they prefere ABC at 7 a.m. The 8 a.m. version that I see is a weak program. Fahmy is not a draw. Fox has tossed its weekend mornings to the duopoly with a poorly anchored soft program. JLA has long been a troubled station in DC and SInclair's ownership makes it very vulnerable. We shall see. I am sure WRC draws many more viewers there.
DeleteWithout ratings info, it is difficult to say if KOMO being on at 6am on weekends when the other stations aren't means anything. For all we know, the hour isn't rating well and the only advantage is that it allows KOMO to be on before anyone else. On the other hand, the hour could be quite popular with viewers and bringing in decent revenue. Ratings info would tell us a lot, but most stations just don't seem to be interested in sharing that anymore.
DeleteIf memory serves, WRC is generally number one in DC, followed by WTTG, WUSA, WJLA, and WDVM/WDCW (Nexstar's "DC News Now").
Weekend mornings may be run on the cheap but I’d guess the pay to play programs etc that take their spot are even cheaper — as in free or they come with cash. Can’t beat that.
ReplyDeleteI thought KOMO did two hours. 6am and 8am. Is one just a repeat of the other? I only tend to catch the 8am.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. Like you, I am not up early enough.
DeleteHere ya go Wayne.
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Nicely done.
ReplyDelete