Repurposing L.A.

At a time when syndicators and stations are attempting to stretch budgets more than ever, Twentieth Television is considering going national with a version of KTTV-TV's morning newscast Good Day L.A.

The one-hour Good Day U.S.A., as it's tentatively titled, will be along the lines of the third hour of the Today show, insiders say. As planned, Good Day L.A. will air live as usual from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the Fox Los Angeles O&O, with an extra hour tacked on for national syndication using the same talent and largely the same set. Anchors Steve Edwards, Dorothy Lucey and Jillian Barberie and even traffic expert Rod Bernsen are expected to be a part of the production. Twentieth declines comment.

"It's a smart thing to do," says Carsey-Werner Domestic Syndication President Bob Raleigh, who currently doesn't distribute a first-run show but has been trying to identify a strong project to present for a couple seasons. "I can sure see why they would do it. It's already being produced. You can attach more revenue to it, so the math seems to work."

The show is likely be tested on a selection of Fox O&Os before a national launch, the way Twentieth's Texas Justice was.

In November 2000, it topped The KTLA Morning News on the city's Tribune station for the first time in recent memory, according to Nielsen's household numbers. In last May's sweeps, Good Day L.A. trumped all the major newscasts in the ad-friendly adults 18-34 (2.7 Nielsen rating) and adults 18-49 demographics (2.5).

In its favor is Good Day L.A.'s showbiz feel—but that could be a problem, too, if the terror crisis continues. National newscasts have seen increased viewership in Los Angeles since Sept. 11.