The launch of a new 6 p.m. newscast in Omaha highlights the challenge of placing one of the nation’s most popular syndicated TV shows on schedules in the Upper Midwest.
On Sept. 8, Gray NBC affiliate WOWT/6.1 will launch a 6 p.m. newscast, replacing “Jeopardy!” The syndicated show will move to 4:30 p.m. on Hearst ABC affiliate KETV/7.1.
WOWT had been one of the few big-three network affiliates in the country not running a local newscast at 6 p.m. It had instead aired local news at 6:30, which will continue, in addition to a block of local news from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
At KETV, “Jeopardy!” replaces local news at 4:30, with half-hour local newscasts continuing at 4, 5, and 6 p.m. KETV also runs sister program “Wheel of Fortune” at 6:30. According to KETV, the shows have aired on separate stations in Omaha for about three decades.
The challenge of finding a consistent spot on the schedule for “Jeopardy!” arises from differences in prime time programming in the Central and Mountain time zones versus the Eastern and Pacific zones.
On the east and west coasts, network prime time begins at 8 p.m., with the syndicated hourlong block of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel” airing at 7 p.m. local time in most markets (the order of the shows varies by market).
But in the Upper Midwest, where network prime time begins at 7 o’clock, “Wheel” runs at 6:30. “Jeopardy!” usually runs in a late-afternoon timeslot, sometimes on a different station.
There are three other Upper Midwest markets where “Jeopardy!” airs at 6 p.m. local time: In Sioux City, it runs on Sinclair CBS affiliate KPTH/44.3, which doesn’t air local news. In Wisconsin, Weigel CBS affiliate WDJT/58.1 (Milwaukee) and Sinclair FOX affiliate WLUK/11.1 (Green Bay) air “Jeopardy!” opposite three competing 6 p.m. newscasts.
Nationally, Matt Carberry’s “Jeopardy!” page has a comprehensive list of local airtimes for every market.
In a sign of the evolving TV landscape, fans will be able to bypass local affiliates to stream the previous-day episodes of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel” on Hulu and Peacock beginning Sept. 9.