To benefit West Coast, network plans later hours for new anchors

NEW YORK (AP) -- In an age when stories spread instantly, ABC News executive Jon Banner says the idea of airing a daily newscast on the West Coast that is three hours old "is kind of an insult."
So when ABC announced last week that Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff were the new anchors of "World News Tonight," the network also said they'd work later hours than predecessor Peter Jennings. They will also anchor two separate live newscasts each night for viewers outside the eastern time zones.
The two live later broadcasts begin Jan. 5.
Exciting message
Time and experience will tell whether the innovation is groundbreaking or a gimmick. But one Western journalist already said she's excited by the message it sends.
"We've wanted something like this for quite some time, just to make sure the network's approach is not as New York-centric or D.C.-centric as it has been in the past," said Stacy Owen, news director at the ABC affiliate KXTV in Sacramento, Calif.
"World News Tonight" is broadcast live at 6:30 p.m. in virtually all Eastern cities, and at 5:30 p.m. in most Central time zone markets.
Since that's the middle of the afternoon out West, ABC stations there air a tape of the national news as much as three hours later. All three network evening newscasts update their broadcasts for the West Coast if stories change.
The new editions will be made at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET. Vargas and Woodruff will often repeat what they did earlier, but will have the opportunity to add details to a still-unfolding story.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.