WABC to Launch 1-Hour Newscast in ‘Oprah’ Timeslot

By Andrew Gauthier 

As stations around the country plan for an “Oprah”-less lineup, New York’s WABC has announced that it will use the soon-to-be-vacant 4 p.m. timeslot to launch a new, 1-hour newscast.

In doing so, the ABC flagship will become the first New York station to have a 4 o’clock newscast.

“It’s going to be an advantage for us, being at 4 by ourselves,” Dave Davis, WABC’s general manager, told Crain’s. “When there’s a big storm or a big story and people want something live and topical, we’ll be there.”

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While the new newscast may not draw an audience as significant as Oprah’s, it could potentially make more money for the station.  According to Crain’s, Oprah costs WABC $275,000 a week. The new newscast will almost certainly cost less and WABC will have the opportunity to keep a greater amount of the advertising revenue.

Atlanta’s WSB announced a similar move in November.

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