# Why is the Eastern time zone the "standard" in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284 "2008-01-20T19:04:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/21 "2008-01-21T22:00:58Z")
[QUOTE=ShibbOleth] At which time New York city was the center of the broadcasting universe. Los Angeles didn’t pick up steam until later. [/QUOTE] **I Love Lucy** was the first sitcom to be filmed in LA rather than NYC. ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/22 "2008-01-22T00:14:48Z")
[QUOTE=brad\_d] I am full of crap about the Oscars, and am conflating them with some other awards shows, it seems (from [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscars#Awards_night)): [/QUOTE] Yup. My wife and I work in film and tv, and go to Oscar parties with friends whose movies did not get nominated (awwwww), and the parties are always early. Used to be, when the Oscars were done on Monday instead of Sun, we’d get a day off. No one worked, everyone was at a party or the actual awards themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/23 "2008-01-22T11:32:23Z")
[QUOTE=Mongo Ponton] Because not just the USA but the whole World revolves around us. We are the engine that runs the universe as you know it. Thats right, Us! If it were not for us the Sun wouldnt even rise over you and you wouldnt need a time zone. [/QUOTE] This from a person living in _Delaware_? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/24 "2008-01-22T11:34:10Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] This from a person living in _Delaware_? :dubious: [/QUOTE] THAT, sir, is the FIRST state to ratify the Constitution of 1787, I’ll have you know! :mad: Well, I had to give them SOME props… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/25 "2008-01-22T15:23:52Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] I have a professional job that requires lots of conference calls. Our colleagues all over the world have to make sure that they don’t extend past 5 pm Eastern Time. That includes people in California who have to make sure they wrap things up with us by 2 pm their time. [/QUOTE] Wow, to have such consideration from my PST coworkers! I get so tired of meeting invites that start at 7PM EST from California coworkers. 😃 MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/26 "2008-01-22T15:27:02Z")
I think some of you “Centralians” might have something here. Let’s start Primetime around, say, 7:00 your time. Then bump us “Easternians” up one hour for our prime time… wait… see, now I’m confused. I got it, 8:00 CST, then 7:00 EST… shit. That’s not gonna work either. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/27 "2008-01-22T19:42:50Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] **I Love Lucy** was the first sitcom to be filmed in LA rather than NYC. [/QUOTE] Not so. The Hollywood-produced _Amos ‘n’ Andy_ (1951–1953) and _The Life of Riley_ (1949–1950) both preceded it. _Amos ‘n’ Andy_, which went on the air four months before _I Love Lucy_, was filmed at Hal Roach Studios with a [multiple-camera setup](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple-camera_setup), an innovation usually misattributed to Desilu. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/28 "2008-01-22T20:26:37Z")
A Londoner here. Greenwich Mean Time rules! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/29 "2008-01-22T20:31:40Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] A Londoner here. Greenwich Mean Time rules! 🙂 [/QUOTE] Greenwich Mean Time? Pah! I’ll stick with the [Paris Meridian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Meridian), thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/30 "2008-01-23T02:19:51Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] A Londoner here. Greenwich Mean Time rules! 🙂 [/QUOTE] Although just to be snotty we refer to it as Zulu time. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/31 "2008-01-23T04:21:13Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] Although just to be snotty we refer to it as Zulu time. 😛 [/QUOTE] And some technocrats prefer to say UTC. Which, in any case, does indeed rule. ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/32 "2008-01-23T04:57:56Z")
"This from a person living in Delaware? " You are forgiven only because you are in Hampshire. Delaware is the Henchman of the Boston-DC corridor. THE ENFORCER! Bow down before us or we will smite thee with higher credit card rates. Your Usury Laws are useless against our power :mad: That and Chancery Court can make the toughest CEO cry. ---
**Author:** ![Melkor28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Melkor28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melkor28)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/33 "2008-01-23T10:18:43Z")
[QUOTE] Because broadcasting it in Eastern time means nobody has to stay up any later to watch it. If games were broadcast at 7 pm Pacific then it would start at 10pm Eastern.[Magiver Member /QUOTE] I am sure glad they don’t broadcast games at 7 pm Pacific! Why does Time Warner delay Yankee games and ranger games till 10 PM EST, when they play in Calif.? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/34 "2008-01-23T17:10:58Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] Especially when radio and TV was live. [/QUOTE] And live radio broadcasts were taped and replayed in the West later. It is relatively harder to tape at 8pm PST then send the tape back in time to play at 8 PM EST. 🙂 As for Oscars - they were on just after we moved from NJ to CA, and it was a treat to watch them and not have it be midnight. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284/35 "2008-01-23T22:27:19Z")
[QUOTE=Mongo Ponton] "This from a person living in Delaware? " You are forgiven only because you are in Hampshire. Delaware is the Henchman of the Boston-DC corridor. THE ENFORCER! Bow down before us or we will smite thee with higher credit card rates. Your Usury Laws are useless against our power :mad: That and Chancery Court can make the toughest CEO cry. [/QUOTE] Not to mention raise your toll on the one toll gate between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The sheer effrontery, to charge people who are driving across the tip of your state!!! :eek: :eek: :mad: 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-eastern-time-zone-the-standard-in-the-usa/434284.md?page=1)