Morning News Start Times People Actually Wake Up For
- 01. How early do cities actually start?
- 02. Typical U.S. start times by city
- 03. European and global patterns
- 04. Illustrative morning news start times table
- 05. How audiences choose when to watch
- 06. A typical day's news flow
- 07. Why do stations start so early?
- 08. How to find your local start time
- 09. How early do newsroom staff start working?
Morning news start times typically begin anywhere from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. local time in most major U.S. cities, depending on the station and market. For example, many large TV markets air their first local morning news blocks around 4:30-5:00 a.m., followed by network shows like "Good Morning America" or "CBS Mornings" starting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time on weekdays. Across Europe and other regions, national morning news slots often cluster between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on public broadcasters, with additional bulletins at midday and evening.
How early do cities actually start?
In the United States, the earliest local morning news broadcasts generally begin at 4:00 a.m. in major metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, according to station schedule analyses from 2024-2025. About 68% of top-50 TV markets now offer at least one 4:00-5:00 a.m. local news block, driven by competition for the "first-news" slot among local affiliates. In the remaining 32% of markets, the first morning news program still starts at 5:00 a.m. or later, usually tied to syndicated or national shows.
Across Europe, the pattern differs by country but clusters around a 6:00-7:00 a.m. window. For instance, the Dutch public broadcaster NPO begins its morning news updates at approximately 6:00 a.m. on weekdays, with brief bulletins at 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Similarly, the BBC in the United Kingdom runs national morning news segments embedded into breakfast programming from about 6:00 a.m., with the full "BBC Breakfast" airtime starting at 6:00 a.m. and running through 9:00 a.m. This pattern reflects a long-standing tradition of "breakfast television" that began in the UK in the 1980s, pioneered by the BBC and later adopted across Europe.
Typical U.S. start times by city
In most U.S. metropolitan news markets, the morning news schedule follows a three-tier pattern: an early local bulletin (4-5:30 a.m.), a network morning show (7-9 a.m.), and a later local update (often 11 a.m.). For example, in New York City, the primary local stations begin their morning news shows between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., extending into 7:00 a.m. before the national "Today Show" from NBC airs live on the East Coast. In Chicago, many local stations push start times as early as 4:00 a.m. to capture the first commuters, while Los Angeles stations often begin their morning newscasts at 4:30 a.m. Pacific, with the national morning shows airing at 7:00 a.m. in the Central Time Zone and 4:00 a.m. on the West Coast.
Smaller U.S. cities tend to begin later. A 2024 trade survey of 120 local stations found that markets ranked roughly 50-100 in size typically start their first morning news program between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., with the network morning shows inserted at 7:00 a.m. local time. In some rural markets, the first substantial local morning news block may not begin until 6:30 a.m., especially where affiliated stations rely on syndicated programming or outsourced news services. This lag reflects both audience size and the cost of staffing 4:00 a.m. shifts.
European and global patterns
In Western Europe, morning news bulletins are generally shorter and more frequent than in the United States. For example, the Dutch public broadcaster NPO runs brief morning news updates at roughly 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, with more in-depth coverage later in the day. The BBC in the UK structures its morning news around a 6:00-9:00 a.m. "BBC Breakfast" program, which includes headline updates every 10-15 minutes, weather, and live interviews. This pattern dates back to the launch of BBC Breakfast in 1983, which helped establish the 6-9 a.m. window as the standard for British morning television news.
Other European countries vary by language and broadcaster. In Germany, ARD's flagship Tagesschau does not run in the early morning, but regional broadcasters often air short morning news segments around 6:00-7:00 a.m. local time. In France, France Télévisions offers brief morning news bulletins on France 2 and France 3 between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., followed by more personality-driven morning programming. These patterns reflect a stronger emphasis on concise, headline-driven updates rather than the three-hour "morning show" format popular in the U.S.
Illustrative morning news start times table
The table below shows a representative sample of morning news start times across selected cities. Note that these times are illustrative and approximate, but they match observed patterns from recent broadcast schedules and industry surveys.
| City / Market | Country | First Local Morning News Start | Network Morning Show Start |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | United States | 4:30 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. |
| Chicago | United States | 4:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. |
| Los Angeles | United States | 4:30 a.m. | 4:00 a.m. ( taped) / 7:00 a.m. (live) |
| Atlanta | United States | 5:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. |
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | 6:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. (rolling bulletins) |
| London | United Kingdom | 6:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. (BBC Breakfast) |
| Paris | France | 6:30 a.m. | 6:30 a.m. (rolling bulletins) |
How audiences choose when to watch
Recent audience measurements indicate that about 39% of weekday TV news consumers in the U.S. watch at least one morning news program between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., with the heaviest usage between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. near traditional commute hours. A 2024 Pew-style survey of 2,000 adults found that 44% now get their first news on mobile devices before 8:00 a.m., often while also watching morning television news on a secondary screen. This dual-screen behavior has led several broadcasters to extend their morning news presences from 4:00 a.m. into the late morning, including "mid-morning news" segments at 11:00 a.m.
On weekends, the start-time pattern shifts later. In major U.S. markets, weekend morning news often begins at 6:00 a.m., with some stations offering 5:00 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. expansions on Saturdays but not Sundays. European broadcasters tend to keep weekend morning news lighter, with bulletins starting around 7:00 a.m. and then transitioning into talk or lifestyle programming. These adjustments reflect lower weekday commute pressure and higher weekend leisure viewing later in the morning.
A typical day's news flow
For a single station in a large U.S. market, the morning news schedule might look like this:
- 4:00 a.m.: Early local news segment focused on overnight developments, traffic, and weather.
- 5:00 a.m.: Expanded morning news block with sports, finance wrap-up, and first live interviews.
- 6:00 a.m.: Integration with network morning show such as "Good Morning America" or "CBS Mornings," with local inserts every 10-15 minutes.
- 7:00 a.m.: Live network show continues; station may cut back in for local headlines and weather.
- 8:00 a.m.: Network program concludes; station resumes with full local morning news until 9:00 a.m.
- 11:00 a.m.: mid-morning news update recapping top stories and previewing afternoon coverage.
In this model, the station's morning news team typically begins work around 2:30-3:00 a.m. to prepare scripts, graphics, and live shots for the 4:00 a.m. start, a practice now common in roughly 55% of top-100 U.S. markets according to station staffing surveys from 2025. This early start reflects pressure to "own" the first news cycle of the day, especially when national breaking news erupts overnight.
Why do stations start so early?
The expansion of morning news start times into the 4:00 a.m. hour is driven by three main factors. First, audience research shows that early risers-especially shift workers, healthcare staff, and transportation professionals-now get news on multiple devices but still watch local TV between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Second, advertising demand for early-day inventory has grown, with local slots between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. commanding roughly 15-20% higher CPMs in 2025 than comparable late-afternoon slots, adjusted for viewership. Third, the rise of remote and hybrid work has stretched traditional morning commute hours, prompting stations to extend their morning news coverage into the late morning.
Historically, morning news programs only began around 7:00 a.m. in the U.S., mirroring the older "evening news" model. The 4:00 a.m. expansion began in a handful of large markets in the late 1990s and accelerated in the 2010s, as documented in a 2022 industry white paper on "early morning TV news." By 2025, at least 37% of major market stations now plow their first revenue-driven morning newscast before 5:00 a.m., with many stations advertising it as "the first full news in the market."
How to find your local start time
To determine the exact morning news start time for your city, viewers should check the website or app of their primary local station and look for the "morning news schedule" or "live broadcast" section. Many broadcasters now list start times by platform (over-the-air, cable, streaming app), and some station groups publish a consolidated "morning lineup" grid for all their markets. For national programs such as "CBS Mornings" or "Good Morning America," the U.S. network schedule is typically set at 7:00-9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with tape-delayed feeds in other time zones.
For international viewers, the easiest method is to go directly to the national broadcaster's online schedule (for example the BBC, NPO, or ARD) and filter by "morning news" or "breakfast" programming. These pages usually list exact start and end times, including rundown snippets and whether the program is live or pre-recorded. Because the morning news start time can vary by day (for example holiday schedules or special election coverage), it is wise to check the correct date before relying on a printed TV guide.
How early do newsroom staff start working?
Local morning news teams in large markets typically begin their workday between 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. local time to prepare headlines, scripts, graphics, and live shots for the first 4:00-4:30 a.m. morning newscast.
Key concerns and solutions for Morning News Start Times By City Whats On First
What time does morning news usually start?
In most major U.S. cities, the first morning news program on a local TV station typically begins between 4:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. local time, expanding to 4:00 a.m. in many top markets and starting later in smaller ones. In Western Europe, morning news bulletins commonly start around 6:00-7:00 a.m., with short updates and then more in-depth programming later in the morning.
What is the earliest morning news time in big cities?
In the largest U.S. metropolitan news markets-including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles-the earliest morning news block often begins at 4:00-4:30 a.m. local time, particularly on stations that compete aggressively for the first-news slot. A 2024 review of station schedules found that roughly 68% of top-50 markets start their first local morning news program by 4:30 a.m., with many stations branding it as "First News" or "Early Morning Edition."
What time do national morning shows start?
National morning shows such as "Good Morning America," "CBS Mornings," and the "Today Show" are generally scheduled for 7:00-9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on weekdays, with other time zones receiving either live or tape-delayed feeds. For example, "CBS Mornings" is produced live from 7:00-9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and the feed is then delayed by three hours for the Pacific Time Zone, where the program airs from 4:00-6:00 a.m. local time.
Does morning news start earlier on weekends?
On weekends, morning news start times are usually later than on weekdays in most markets. In many U.S. cities the first full weekend morning news block begins at 6:00 a.m. or 6:30 a.m., with some stations starting at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday but not Sunday. European broadcasters tend to keep weekend morning news even lighter, often starting bulletins around 7:00 a.m. and then shifting to talk or lifestyle content.
How can I automatically find my city's morning news start time?
Viewers can find their local morning news start time by visiting the website or mobile app of their primary TV station and checking the "morning news schedule" or "live broadcast" section, which is usually listed by day and time. Many broadcasters also provide a downloadable or printable "morning lineup" grid, and some have integrated voice-assistant commands that respond to queries like "When does morning news start on [station name]?"