NBC Mulling a 5th Hour of Today

It might get to the point where the Today Show goes into tomorrow.

Variety reports that NBC News has considered the prospect of creating a fifth hour of “Today” on weekdays, according to two people familiar with the matter, the latest nod to the growing spotlight many broadcast networks are giving to news programming across their schedules as more consumers watch scripted programs at times of their own choosing.

“We like serving our audience on any given day of the week. There’s enough going on to fill 24 hours of television,” said Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News, in an interview. When asked what slot a new hour of “Today,” might fill, he only suggested that “I don’t think it would be earlier” than the 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. block that currently supports NBC’s daytime schedule. But he cautioned: “There are no imminent plans for it,” and added: “I don’t want to overstate the likelihood of it happening.”

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