News at 9....9AM That Is....
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A number of stations are adding 9AM newscasts and you can add Nexstar’s WTEN (Albany) to that list. They added a new 9AM newscast a couple of weeks ago.
If we are being honest, most of these new mid-morning newscasts are not really about giving viewers more news. They are about making more news ad spots available for campaigns to spend political dollars, and they it is much cheaper to add a newscast, than it is to pay for a syndicated show.
Between now and the 2024 election, billions of dollars will be spent by political campaigns on the local state and national level. Most political campaigns want to spend money in ads during newscasts. The feeling is that the people that watch TV news, are the most likely to vote.
While there is talk of a recession coming, it means many companies, including car dealerships will likely cut back on ad spending. But, political ad spending will continue and media companies see that as the saving grace. Therefore, they are willing to put on more newscasts, even in non-traditional news time slots.
Sadly, most of these newscasts are being staffed by the current news team, and news departments would be lucky if the station hires one or two extra people to help carry the load.
In other words, do more with less.
