CBS Atlanta adds 5 p.m. news, drops 'The 700 Club.'
By RODNEY HO, filed August 26, 2010
CBS Atlanta (WGCL-TV) is adding an extra hour of news on weekdays starting Monday, August 30 at 5 p.m.
But it also means Pat Robertson's long-running "The 700 Club" is leaving the station's 9 a.m. position. News director Steve Schwaid said he did not know where that program will end up. According to the WATL-TV schedule, the show is already airing a half-hour version at 9 a.m. there and will go to a full hour on Monday.
CBS Atlanta has been running "People's Court" at 5 p.m., but that veteran court show will now move to the 9 a.m. slot.
Stephany Fisher and Kim Fettig will co-anchor the 5 p.m. show. Jaquitta Williams, who recently joined the station, co-hosts with Fisher at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Stations in this market have been aggressively adding more broadcast news in recent years. WAGA-TV has a relatively new 11 p.m. news program and an extra 9 a.m. "Good Day Xtra" show. All four local news stations recently added a 4:30 a.m. broadcast.
"There's clearly a market for this," Schwaid said. "Our continued goal is to increase our news footprint in the market."
The station is the only one in town with a 4 p.m. show, so it will run local news continuously from 4 to 6:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. WAGA and WSB both air local news as well. WXIA-TV airs "Dr. Phil." With "People's Court," WGCL would typically finish behind those three other stations among 25 to 54 year olds, with WSB on top, followed by WAGA, then WXIA. WATL-TV with "Maury" would often beat "People's Court" as well in that demo.
CBS Atlanta now will air about six hours a day of fresh news, matching WSB-TV and ahead of WXIA-TV. WAGA, with its 10 p.m. news and "Good Day Atlanta"/"Good Day Xtra" combo, has by far the most.
And how about Dagmar Midcap's possible departure from the station later this year?
"We'll talk another time," Schwaid said.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
