In the TV business, change has its risks, sometimes attracting viewers, sometimes sending them away. “Anytime there is change, there is some sampling,’’ said Bill Carroll, a TV station adviser for Katz Television Group in New York City. “When something dramatically changes, we either embrace the change, or we look to see if there are other things more to our liking. That always happens, when, particularly, there are new anchors on the network morning shows.’’
Mornings are the second-highest revenue generators for TV stations after late news. The morning audience attracts viewers ages 25-54, a desirable demographic for advertisers. The increasing emphasis on morning news mirrors the changing habits of workers, many of whom have longer commutes and are waking up earlier. In 2010, four of five Boston TV news stations, including cable channel NECN, added a 4:30 a.m. newscast to their lineup to compete for a growing population of precommute viewers. “In the mornings, that’s the first opportunity to catch up on news, weather, the sports score that took place on the West Coast,’’ said Carroll. “That’s really become that new opportunity.’’
WHDH general manager Chris Wayland acknowledged that he’s always on the hunt for ways to build ratings in the Boston market, the seventh largest in the nation. In September, WHDH expanded its morning news programming to five hours by adding a 9 a.m. newscast, replacing syndicated talk show “LIVE! with Kelly,’’ which now airs on WCVB. Just this month, it added Sarah French as a morning in-studio reporter and former night reporter Tim Caputo to its morning news team. “Any time we do anything to any of our newscasts, it’s to improve our ratings and to put on a better product,’’ Wayland said. “We are always tweaking and evaluating. This market is very competitive.’’
