CBS 2 Expanding Weekend Newscasts
CHICAGO (CBS) -- CBS 2 announced today that, beginning September 13, 2014, it will expand its Saturday and Sunday morning and evening newscasts by a total of three hours each weekend. In addition, the station will begin airing syndicated classic episodes of The Good Wife and Blue Bloods, two of the CBS Television Network's most popular dramas, following its weekend 10 p.m. newscasts.
The CBS 2 News at 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays will expand to a full hour, from 10:00-11:00 p.m.
On Saturdays, back-to-back episodes of The Good Wife will air from 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m., while on Sundays back-to-back episodes of Blue Bloods will be broadcast from 11:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Last season, The Good Wife was the number one scripted drama on Sunday nights and Blue Bloods was the number one program on Friday nights.
"The Good Wife and Blue Bloods are two of the most-watched shows on CBS, which ranks number one in primetime in Chicago," said Marty Wilke, President and General Manager, CBS 2. "By expanding our news and giving viewers another chance to see encore episodes of these popular shows, we look forward to tapping into the growing market of viewers who watch television on the weekends."
Wilke also announced that CBS 2 is also expanding its commitment to weekend morning news by adding an additional hour of local news from 5:00 – 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The station's new schedule will feature four hours of local and network news on Saturday mornings and five-and-a-half hours of news on Sunday mornings.
The Saturday morning news block from 5:00 – 9:00 a.m. includes CBS This Morning: Saturday, which will continue in its regular time period from 6:00 – 8:00 a.m., and the continuation of CBS 2 News in its current 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. time period.
News Expansion/2
With the addition of its new 5:00 a.m. newscast, CBS 2's new Sunday morning news block will feature local news from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m., CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood from 8:00-9:30 a.m. and Face The Nation with Bob Schieffer from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
"Local news is becoming more important on the weekends," Wilke explained. "By adding three additional hours of news, we will have more time to tell our viewers what's happening in and around Chicago."
Jim Williams and Mai Martinez will anchor the expanded CBS 2 News on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 p.m. and Marissa Bailey will anchor the expanded Saturday and Sunday morning newscast alongside weather anchor Ed Curran.
CBS, which maintained its position as "America's most-watched network" last season, has added Thursday Night Football to its fall line-up, which will debut September 11, 2014.