By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, August 3, 2015
Fox 5, which already airs more local news than any other Atlanta broadcast network by a wide margin, is expanding its 11 p.m. news to a full hour starting September 14.
The "Fox 5 News Edge," which came to be in 2007 hosted by Tom Haynes as a 30-minute show, will become the first one-hour 11 p.m. news program in the top 50 markets.
The other three major broadcast networks air talk shows during that second half hour. Currently, Fox 5 airs a repeat of "Access Hollywood" at 11:30 p.m.
Fox 5 starting next month will air a whopping 62.5 hours of local news a week. That's more than 37 percent of its weekly schedule.
Chief meteorologist David Chandley and sports anchor Ken Rodriguez will continue to help Haynes out in studio.
Mike McClain, the vice president of news for Fox 5, said this is a way to give people more choices in local news, as fewer and fewer people work traditional 9 to 5 jobs. He noted that in recent years, local news has begun airing as early as 4:30 a.m. as well. This now means two sports segments and Chandley's ability to be the last person in the market to provide a forecast before midnight rolls around.
According to the press release:
This expansion will utilize the station's interactive news stage to present Atlanta's trending stories. Social Media Producer, Natalie Tejada, will share stories that are "Trending Live." A new opinion segment, "Like It or Not," will provide a fresh take on the traditional news editorial, allowing viewers to engage directly with topics that are important to the Atlanta and North Georgia regions.
The "Like it or Not" sounds a bit like CBS 46's recently instituted "Just a Minute," where a rotating crew of former TV reporters offer their take on the news. In this case, McClain said he will cull from a broader array of Atlanta experts to do editorials.
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