CBS 6 has added a 7 p.m. newscast to its lineup.
That means across the networks in Richmond, you can get local news from 4:30 p.m. through 7:30 p.m.
“People who work late or are at the gym or grocery store at 5 or 6 o’clock may not be able to watch an evening newscast,” said Bill Anderson, the station news director.
For the Richmond area, this will be the only station broadcasting news at 7.
The additional newscast may allow the station to reach an untapped, most likely younger demographic that isn’t home to watch the news at 5:00 or 5:30.
With a different audience in mind, it will also come at the news from a different slant.
“We are targeting viewers interested in technology, the local business landscape and consumer and environmental issues,” Anderson said.
Bill Fitzgerald and Stephanie Rochon are anchoring the broadcast, which launched Monday. Zach Daniel is the meteorologist for the show.
Stations across the country have been eager to try new things since ad revenue has plummeted 20 percent to 30 percent compared with the previous year – mostly on account of a pullback from car dealers.
Full Disclosure: RBS appears on CBS 6 periodically and may appear on the 7:00 broadcast.
To read more about some of the challenges facing the industry, check out this New York Times article from May.
Mashalla Mukadam is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to mm@richmondbizsense.com.
CBS needs a HD newscast, who cares about a 7pm, get some HD. You ruin my CBS HD shows when you scroll breaking news on the bottom on the TV. Please fix this. I watch NBC 12 because it looks good.
I’m surprised no one thought of this sooner. I am just getting on the bus to go home at 6 p.m. Is there more money to be made airing Wheel of Fortune and Entertainment Tonight at 7 p.m.?