# Is it common for the evening local tv news (5pm) to start a couple mins early? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709 "2014-06-26T16:40:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/1 "2014-06-26T16:40:14Z")
I’m not sure if they are trying to one up the competition. But the first local evening newscast starts a couple minutes early. I learned years ago that switching on the local news at 4:59 is too late. The anchors are already talking. They seem to start at 4:57. Right after Dr Oz. They skip a commercial break between Dr Oz and the news to start early. Its not my clock. Its synched to [time.gov](http://time.gov). Also the 6pm and 10pm local newscasts start at those times. If my clock is right at 10pm then its right at 5pm too. 😉 Is this common around the US? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/2 "2014-06-26T16:44:37Z")
i think it is a widespread marketing move, maybe in the stations not in first place and like to hype sensational news. they start early with breaking news. stuff the missing commercials later. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/3 "2014-06-26T16:58:53Z")
I’ve noticed this recently in the early morning. The 6 AM sometimes starts by 5:57! ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/4 "2014-06-27T13:04:41Z")
Yeah, I just happened to be watching the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles (KCBS) and noted that their “CBS 2 News at 6:00” began at 5:58 AM according to both the cable box’s clock and their own clock in the “bug” at the bottom of the broadcast’s screen. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/5 "2014-06-27T14:11:10Z")
Years ago I was involved in a project related to recording television shows. We discovered that any relationship between the reported start time of a program and the actual start time was purely coincidental. It was common for a network’s schedule to be off as much as 3 minutes in either direction. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/6 "2014-06-27T14:25:01Z")
Yes, it’s fairly common. I think the reason they do it is because you are watching Dr. Oz and before you have a chance to change the channel you are watching the evening news. Had there been a standard-length commercial at that time you might have wandered off to another channel. Since people are basically lazy, they get ‘tricked’ into watching a news show that they might not normally watch. Other shows do it too, which means when I record Mike & Molly on my DVR I often miss the first joke or two, unless I happen to be recording the show that runs right before it… ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/7 "2014-06-27T17:27:32Z")
“Jeopardy” begins on CBS a couple of minutes before the news on NBC ends. annoying! ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/8 "2014-06-27T18:38:54Z")
When did **Jeopardy** move to CBS? ---
**Author:** ![Suicide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Suicide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suicide)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/9 "2014-06-27T22:09:16Z")
i think the local news starts early so they can get an extra minute or two of commercials into the newscast…this means millions of dollars over the year ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/10 "2014-06-28T00:14:10Z")
Same here but I blamed it on how clueless the local station is (our anchor is a former Miss Iowa). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/11 "2014-06-28T02:58:19Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > When did **Jeopardy** move to CBS? _Jeopardy!_ is syndicated, so it isn’t on the same network in every market. ETA: Good lord, somebody made [a map](http://www.graphgraph.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/jeopardywheel_wheelaffiliates_geo_jeop_graphgraph.png) of what network’s station airs it in each market. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-for-the-evening-local-tv-news-5pm-to-start-a-couple-mins-early/691709/12 "2014-06-28T03:09:03Z")
In San Antonio Jeopardy! (which airs on the CBS affiliate) starts at 4:28. I have to set my DVR recording to start 2 minutes early or else I miss at least a whole category. The 5 o’clock news that follows starts up 2 minutes early as well, immediately after the Jeopardy! credits finish. The station has been doing this consistently since I moved to town 7 years ago. Those extra two minutes presumably get used for extra commercials in the “half hour” newscast.