WXIN To Add 4 A.M. News

Tribune's WXIN Indianapolis will start its morning news at 4 a.m. beginning Jan. 10, building on its move to 4:30 a.m. earlier this year.

The 4:30 a.m. news has been one of the defining local TV stories of 2010, but a growing number of stations, including Tribune sibling WPIX New York, KLAS Las Vegas and WTVF Nashville, now start their local news at 4 a.m. Longer commutes, the round-the-clock news cycle, and the relatively inexpensive cost of adding local news are all cited as factors in the rise of very early morning local programming.

WXIN is a Fox affiliate in DMA No. 27.

"We have seen viewers waking up earlier and watching earlier, ever since we moved up our start time to 4:30 a.m.," said WXIN General Manager Jerry Martin. "We are again showing our commitment to be there for viewers, being on even earlier."

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.