NEWS FLASH: Bin Laden wrapup specials
May 2, 2011 1:50 PM
[UPDATE: Our good friend Jaime Weinman notes that both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are in originals and doubtless writing about this topic as I type . . . ]
TV networks are playing catchup Monday on the big news that broke late Sunday night, extending nightly newscasts to further report on the killing of Osama bin Laden.
ABC World News With Diane Sawyer extends its Monday broadcast to 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET. Sawyer anchors from the World Trade Center site, promising interviews with Rudy Giuliani and DIck Cheney.
CBS Evening News With Katie Courie also expands to an hour, 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET, from Ground Zero. Expected interviews include relatives of those lost in 2001's World Trade Center attack by bin Laden's Al Qaeda operatives.
And why not in prime time? Because it's Nielsen's May sweeps period that measures detailed ratings for local station affiliates around the country (April 28- May 25). The networks are loaded up with fresh sitcom/drama episodes and live competition shows like Dancing With the Stars to pump the numbers there.