It ends at 11:35 and I have always wondered why
2007-12-29 08:22:06 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in News & Events ➔ Media & Journalism
Great question! This goes back to the very early days of television.
Networks and stations don't "own" the airwaves. They are part of the public domain. The government asks that in exchange for allowing stations to use the airwaves that they provide services that, "aid and support the public good". This includes broadcasting the political conventions, debates, emergency alerts, etc.
It also means providing news. The news broadcasts impacted by this provision provide 27 minutes of content (no idea why that number). With the added commercials this carries to total amount of time devoted to the newscast to 35 minutes -- thus the run over.
2007-12-29 09:35:24 · answer #1 · answered by Andy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Money.
The late local news is a big money-maker for local stations. More than 10 years ago, I think, the stations convinced the networks to back up the start of the late shows to 11:35. That way, they could squeeze in five more minutes (with a couple of more commercials) in.
I think Saturday Night Live still starts at 11:30, although I could be wrong.
2007-12-30 14:08:31 · answer #2 · answered by wdx2bb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The network shows like Letterman and Leno don't start until 11:35, so the local stations have to fill that time with more "news" (fluff).
2007-12-29 08:42:39 · answer #3 · answered by JD 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is an interesting question, and one that has been the source of confusion for me for quite a while.
2016-08-15 02:38:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋