NECN shuffles the deck

Published Mar 04 2009, 02:43 PM by Adam Reilly

As a Jim Braude fan who usually doesn't get home until after 7 pm, I'd be perfectly happy if Braude's "NewsNight" program stayed in its current 8 pm slot.

As of March 16, though, New England Cable News is bumping Braude up to 6 pm, where he'll host "Broadside: The News with Jim Braude." ("Broadside" will be rebroadcast at 8 pm, so I guess I'll make do with that.) Also, Twitter pioneer RD Sahl's "Right Now" show--which is currently broadcast live at 6 and again at 7--will now be shown live at 7 every weekday night.

The rationale, according to NECN news director Tom Melvile, is this: "We want to attract a new and bigger audience for both of these programs. We feel Jim has a unique perspective on the news and we want to share that perspective at 6 p.m. It's like nothing that's being offered anywhere else."

"RD oversees all day long the most comprehensive half hour newscast in New England,'' Melville adds. "We think there is a bigger audience for that at 7 p.m. when there are more people home from work. We believe the Braude-Sahl switch is a win-win.''