WCMH is adding two new newscasts, breaking the 90-minute standard threshold in Central Ohio.

WCMH-TV 4 / Colombus (“NBC 4”)

FIRST ON THE BLOG: Columbus has a 90-minute standard threshold across all of its news stations. Neither has seemed to break it into 2018 when stations left and right continues to add more news. However, in less than two weeks, WCMH will break it by adding another hour to that 90 minutes of news, though not continuously.

Starting Monday, September 24th, WCMH 4 is adding two half-hour newscasts on weekdays: one at 4:00 and one at 7:00 p.m. NBC 4 – First at 4:00 will be anchored by Chicago news icon Darlene Hill (who spent 23 years at WFLD 32 – FOX) and Mark Taylor. It will be a half-hour newscast as Inside Edition will move to 4:30 p.m. from its current 7:30 p.m. timeslot.

Meanwhile, it will expand its Saturday newscast at 7:00 p.m. to six nights a week to include weeknights as well starting on the same day. Anchor teams are to be determined but will more likely feature Storm Team 4 AMS-CBM/Sealed Meteorologist David Mazza on both broadcasts.

This will be the first time since the mid-2000s that WCMH has aired a local newscast at 4:00 p.m. as the station has once tried it before under NBC O&O and later, Media General ownership. It will continue to helm the ONLY local news at 4:00 p.m. in the market, just like the last attempt. It will also be the ONLY station to air a local newscast at 7:00 p.m.

Now, I may be wrong in terms of our research but this could be the first time since the 70s that Central Ohio has seen a local newscast at 7:00 p.m. as WBNS 10 (CBS) used to deliver one back one then when local news was just on at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. for that station. Again, I may be wrong so don’t quote me on that.

Now that’s huge for a market that’s just stuck with 90-minutes of news instead of having news at other times when needed, considering other markets much smaller than Central Ohio’s that have now had 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. news in their markets for years (think Richmond as an example). WCMH has caught up in the 21st century, at least on that front.