FIRST ON THE BLOG: I’ve been off a few days as I haven’t been feeling well, but now that I’m better, I’m ready to post again.
You’ve probably heard by now that WRAL is switching networks starting Monday February 29th with CBS moving to WNCN while NBC goes to WRAL. Meanwhile, already, there will be at least one newscast change right out the gate…
Starting Monday February 29th, WRAL 5 will move its weekday hour-long 4:00pm newscast that currently airs on its sister station WRAZ 50, to its own station WRAL 5. WRAL News at 4:00 on FOX 50 will soon become just WRAL News at 4:00 and will displace The Young and The Restless from that timeslot, once CBS leaves WRAL 5. WRAZ 50 will remain as a FOX affiliate for The Research Triangle.
The 4:00pm newscast was placed on WRAZ 50 due to WRAL 5 showing TYTR at 4:00pm because it airs an hour-long noon newscast. After the move, WRAZ 50 will just have WRAL 5’s weekday morning news from 7:00-9:00am and the nightly 10:00pm newscast (hour-long weeknights and half-hour weekends).
This is an affiliation shock for many in the TV news business. Plus, it will be the fourth time CBS will have a home in the Triangle under WNCN 17 (NBC). WPTF 28 (now WRDC 28 – MyTV) had it originally, then came WTVD 11 (ABC) in 1962 before WRAL 5 snatched it up in 1985.
This is a very interesting time in Raleigh television, indeed.
changingnewscasts.wordpress.com 
I was surprised that WRAL aired Young and the Restless at 4:00pm. You would think them being a top news station that they would have had a 4:00pm newscast a long time ago until they put it on WRAZ. Good move for WRAL moving their 4:00pm newscast on WRAZ to WRAL. I think WRAL will be a great NBC station. There were rumors several years maybe about 10 years back that WRAL-TV was interested in switching to NBC .
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It was to air their noon newscast for an hour ,which most CBS stations can’t do , and it was a good idea as a lead in for their 5pm newscast and good for Y&R while giving viewers a choice between their two channels at 4 .
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It was the only way to beat Oprah; everything WRAL tried before they moved Y&R to 4 had failed. WNCN continued with Y&R at 4 when it got CBS. WLKY, the CBS affiliate in Louisville, had the same problem but with Y&R at 4 there, they’re usually number one at 5.
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We may be starting to see a second huge TV station realignment or network switches in the Grand United States of America similar to the 1994, 1995 TV station network switch with WRAL switching to NBC, WKPT losing ABC, and WHDH going independent and WNEU becoming NBC and last year with WISH-TV going independent.
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Huge TV station network switch part duex coming soon. Part one was in 1994,95
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The Big Switch from the mid ’90s was the biggest media coup in history, eclipsing the ABC-NBC switch of the late ’70s and early ’80s. The Big Switch saw New World and Citicasters merge with Fox, following Fox’s acquisition of NFC football package… as well as the CBS-Group W merger.
It’s possible that another switch could be on the way. So far, we’ve seen ABC pulling affiliation from its Tri-Cities station, and going to a subchannel position on a competing station… NBC announcing its intentions of pulling affiliation from WHDH, and WNEU slated to air NBC, even though subject to change… recent affiliation switches in Indianapolis and Charlotte… stations gearing up for the spectrum incentive auction… a few more smaller TV station groups selling out to bigger TV station groups, and WRAL-WRAZ parent Capitol Broadcast Group selling out wouldn’t surprise me.
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[…] affiliation switch between WRAL and WNCN, then get ready for newscasts to change on both stations. WRAL is already moving their 4:00pm newscast over from WRAZ to right at WRAL and now we’re learning that WNCN will be doing some shuffling of their own […]
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Extremely upset that after all these years
Young & Restless will no longer air at 4:00 PM
on WRAL TV!!! 😡😡😡
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You know Doris… you can still watch The Young and The Restless, weekdays at 4:00pm in the Triangle over on WNCN 17, which is where CBS is at now. And its still on at 4:00pm for your convenience.
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WRAL moved “Y&R” to 4 PM in 1993 because it was having no luck programming against Oprah on WTVD. Within a short time “Y&R” was doing the almost-unthinkable and beating Oprah, helping WRAL’s 5 PM news ratings (same thing happened in Louisville; WLKY couldn’t beat Oprah on ABC affiliate WHAS so it, too, moved “Y&R” to 4 and still wins the 5 PM newscast ratings). Because people in the Triangle are conditioned to watching “Y&R” at 4, WNCN obviously figured that what worked for 23 years on WRAL could work for them, too,
Again, let me echo and elaborate on what Roly Ortega said. There is no reason you have to pass up your CBS favorites just because they’re now on WNCN. For instance, if Scott Pelley is your favorite network anchor but WRAL is your favorite local newscast, why can’t you turn over to CBS at 6:30? Likewise, if you prefer Charlie Rose to Matt Lauer, Charlie’s there at 7 AM–just make a little effort to find him. (And, BTW, Judge Judy is not a network show; she’s been on WNCN for years.)
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