TV Q&A: Why do full weather forecasts come late in a newscast?

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.

Q: In my opinion, the reason all TV stations put the complete weather forecast on so late in their broadcast is because they know people will turn them off immediately afterward. What do you think?

— James, Jeannette

Rob: Weather is a huge driver of local TV news viewership so, yes, it does make strategic sense to put the most popular part of the forecast deeper into a newscast to keep viewers tuned in.

Under Nielsen’s metered system, a program gets credit for each quarter hour of viewing, so better to keep viewers watching into the second quarter of a broadcast (after the first 15 minutes) before presenting the seven-day forecast.

Q: I was just thinking that after severe storms hit our area last month: Do the local news stations have backup power generators in case their buildings are hit with extended power outages?

— Chad, via email

Rob: Yes, TV stations do have generators for just that purpose.

Q: I read that A&E got the rights to make Sue Grafton’s alphabet books series (“A Is for Alibi,” “B Is for Burglar,” etc.) into a TV show. When will that happen?

— Chuck, via voicemail

Rob: It looks like A&E Studios — not the network — acquired the rights to create a series based on Grafton’s books featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone back in October 2021.

A&E Studios still has the rights and is in active development on the series. So far, no network or streaming home for the show has been announced.

Q: I understand that Netflix will be showing a miniseries about the infamous Main Line Murders. Do you have any information about this program?

— Marsha, via email

Rob: From what I can tell, that proposed program was announced as in early development as a limited series in August 2024. No casting has been announced, so it probably has not moved beyond that stage at this point, making it impossible to know if/when the series might progress to a formal pickup, get filmed and ultimately stream.