CINCINNATI — The Greater Cincinnati area is expected to be hit with serious storms Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning.
Because of those storms, WCPO may not be airing ABC's normal prime time shows — because we may need to report on dangerous weather for the safety of residents in the Tri-State.
The timeline of those storms is still subject to change, but WCPO meteorologists expect the storms will move into southeast Indiana after 8 p.m. The line will then move toward the Cincinnati metro area and the heart of the Tri-State between 10 p.m. and midnight.
This timing means the following ABC shows may be pre-empted, or covered up by our weather coverage:
- 8 p.m. — The Connors
- 8:30 p.m. — Abbott Elementary
- 9:02 p.m. — Celebrity Jeopardy
- 10:02 p.m. — What Would You Do?
If there are still active tornado warnings in place for areas in the Tri-State after the 11 p.m. news, there is also the possibility that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will not air at 11:35 p.m.
Why are you staying on air for weather coverage? We want to watch our shows
One of the most-asked questions we get at WCPO is about why we would be live on air with weather coverage — especially when sometimes you, the viewer, cannot see any evidence of severe weather out your window.
The reason is simple: Severe weather is still happening somewhere in the Tri-State, and not all our neighbors are safe yet.
Federal Communications Commission rules require broadcasters and cable operators to make certain emergency information accessible to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, and to persons who are blind or have visual disabilities.
This rule means that certain information about an emergency must be provided in both audio and visual formats.
What qualifies as emergency information?
Emergency information is intended to help protect life, health, safety or property. Examples from the FCC include:
- Immediate weather situations: tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, tidal waves, earthquakes, icing conditions, heavy snows, widespread fires, warnings and watches of impending weather changes, and
- Community situations such as: pandemics, widespread power failures, industrial explosions, civil disorders, discharge of toxic gases, school closings and changes in school bus schedules resulting from such conditions.
The Greater Cincinnati media market is comprised of the following counties. If any of these counties are under an active tornado warning, WCPO will remain on air for their safety.
In Ohio:
- Adams County
- Brown County
- Butler County
- Clermont County
- Clinton County
- Hamilton County
- Highland County
- Warren County
In Kentucky:
- Boone County
- Bracken County
- Campbell County
- Carroll County
- Gallatin County
- Grant County
- Kenton County
- Mason County
- Owen County
- Pendleton County
In Indiana:
- Dearborn County
- Fayette County
- Franklin County
- Ohio County
- Ripley County
- Switzerland County
- Union County
Are you going to re-air the shows you didn't run?
Often we do — but sometimes we do not.
Check back here later — we will update this story with more information about the re-air time of shows when we learn which ones didn't make it on air.
