Huge props to FTVLive. I don’t know how they got this information, but boy oh boy, is KRON about to do something that they haven’t done since their failed “Early Prime” experiment when it was with NBC. The following information comes from FTVLive as all credit goes to them on this story…
KRON 4 is planning to add an hour-long 10:00pm newscast, 7 nights a week, starting in Mid-May of this year. If so, it will be airing a 10:00pm hour-long nightly newscast for the first time in 23 years, 1993 which was the last time KRON 4 did 10:00pm news under their failed “Early Prime” experiment when it was under a NBC affiliate which only lasted one TV season. And it would compete against KPIX 5 (CBS)’s half-hour 10:00pm nightly newscast on its sister station, KBCW 44 (CW) and against the long-dominant, long-established and perennial #1 in its timeslot, KTVU 2 (FOX)’s The 10:00 O’Clock News on KTVU Channel 2, long regarded as The #1 Primetime Newscast in the Country.
From what FTVLive is hearing, the half-hour 11:00pm newscast will be shortened to just 15 minutes and will air nightly from 11:00-11:15pm. KRON 4 already airs the area’s ONLY hour-long nightly 8:00pm newscast.
They are saying that KRON 4’s new late night weeknight schedule would look like this:
- 8:00-9:00 PM: KRON 4 News at 8:00
- 9:00-10:00 PM: My Network TV Primetime (first hour)
- 10:00-11:00 PM: KRON 4 News at 10:00
- 11:00-11:15 PM: KRON 4 News at 11:00
- 11:15-11:45 PM: Inside Edition
- 11:45 PM-12:45 AM: My Network TV Primetime (second hour)
KRON 4’s GM said they will hire more staff to support the additional news programming.
History about KRON 4’s primetime newscasts… in 1992-1993, KRON 4 did an “Early Prime” experiment which moved their half-hour 11:00pm news to 10:00pm and expanded it to a full hour. That didn’t put a dent into KTVU 2’s ratings and therefore, it was moved back to 11:00pm for the next TV season. In fact, KTVU 2’s ratings at 10:00pm were so huge and so strong, that when KRON 4 became Independent in 2002 and to My Network TV in 2006, it avoided broadcasting a local newscast at 10:00pm because at the time, KRON 4 knew that they can’t beat KTVU 2 in that timeslot. It first broadcasted local news in primetime at 9:00pm before become MyTV in 2006 at which then it moved to 8:00pm, where it still stands today.
So there you have it. KRON 4 goes to 10:00pm and will try this time to beat KTVU 2 in the ratings. They may not do so, just like KPIX 5 on KBCW 44, but maybe KRON 4 can be KTVU 2’s biggest competitor yet in today’s society. Let’s see how it works out for them.
changingnewscasts.wordpress.com 
Very weird to have 15 minute newscasts these days KRON will be the only TV station in the Grand United States of Amerika that will have a 15 minute newscast that I know of. Before 1963 I believe most local newscasts were 15 minutes long along with the National News. I think CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite was the first major network to expand its evening newscast to 30 minutes and then I think NBC Nightly News followed when the expansion of national network news went from 15 to 30 minutes most local newscasts at 6:00pm , 10:00p/11:00p also expanded from 15 to 30 minutes. 30 minute local newscasts may be a waste of time because half of the news on them is national and international news. I would prefer local newscast with 100 percent all local news 15 minutes long instead of a mix of local and national news on a 30 minute newscast.
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WSVN used to do an 11pm newscast for 15 minutes in 1995 during the OJ Simpson Trial. It worked so much that it eventually expanded to a full half-hour later.
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The OJ Simpson Trial was pretty much the start of Tabloid/Infotainment TV news.
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Not explicitly 15 minutes , but XETV in Sandeigo used to do an 11 minute 11pm news cast that was in 2008.
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11 minutes originally but then expanded to a full half hour before returning to a full hour at 10pm in 2013 I believe.
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San Diego speaking to me again.
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