WPXI’s 4PM newscast begins September 13
July 13, 2021One must have read the writing on the wall at WTAE when they seemed to have “ambushed” the market with the announcement of their 4:00 p.m. newscast less that a week before its start last week. With Judge Judy ending production, WPXI will add a 4:00 p.m. newscast on September 13. Both will go head to head with KDKA-TV who has had a 4 o’clock newscast for a few years.
Anchoring WPXI’s 4:00 p.m. will be former WTAE consumer reporter and former KDKA-TV anchor Susan Koeppen whom KDKA let go last year at the same time they released Rick Dayton. Dayton now does afternoon drive at KDKA Radio. Koeppen is the first person in quite a while to complete the Pittsburgh news trifecta – putting her in a league with Eleanor Schano and Adam Lynch.
Its been more than a few years since KDKA-TV adopted a 4 PM newscast. I think I was still in high school–2002 to be exact. I’m actually surprised its taken WTAE-TV and WPXI this long to have one of their own. 3 PM will be next–I could easily see KDKA-TV doing this and moving Dr. Phil to WPCW, which would mean they would either air network programming or local news in every timeslot during the week except roughly the 2 AM-3:30 AM period.
I see where you got the info about KD’s 4 PM newscast. To me 2002 seems way too long ago for its start, but I’ve been wrong before. It just seems to me that the national trends for 4 PM are truly just getting started. 3:00 p.m.? Give it a few years.
Agreed on 4 PM being a national trend. Until recently WOIO in Cleveland was the only other station I knew of that had a 4 PM news. Here in Columbus only WCMH-TV has it, which is a byproduct of its ownership by Nexstar, whose stations tend to have a news-intensive schedule; Nexstar also kinda started the 7 PM news trend. Pittsburgh was a relative latecomer on the recent trend of 7 PM news (or in KDKA-TV’s case, 7:30), doesn’t WTAE still air theirs on 4.2? I don’t see WPXI moving theirs over from PCNC due to them airing the Sony game show block, which is the same reason why WBNS-TV here in Columbus doesn’t air one despite being the ratings leader here. But there are a few stations airing 3 PM news now, but not as many as 4 PM. 3 PM is coming, though…
I stand by my observation, made to a local news director 35 years ago, that not enough actual news happens in Pittsburgh to fill a full hour every day (and now we have hour upon hour upon hour to fill).
I suppose these days local news is one of the few things that differentiates you as a local station. The rest of the programming you can pretty much find out in that universe of hundreds of cable channels and internet streams.
Have you watched The National Desk on WPGH-TV yet? It pretty much repeats itself every hour except for breaking news stories. And that’s with NATIONAL news.
That’s the same format as the old CNN Headline News. It’s a conscious format choice which allows viewers to drop-in and catch all the reports no matter where they might join in the cycle. Unlike Pittsburgh there really is enough news happening nationally and globally to fill an hour each day. Local newscasts devote well over half their time to fluff/fillers (another fact I pointed out to that news director years ago).