Remember a few years ago when NBC openly speculated about giving the 10 PM hour back to local affiliates and stop programming that primetime hour? Turns out some TV station owners wish they - and all the others - would would.

The reason is the often lucrative late news, that might catch more eyeballs an hour earlier. But as one exec. notes, they're also upset that the American networks seem to be concentrating more on their own streaming services than their free TV offerings. 

“There’s a lot of concentration on streaming platforms and scripted programs there. Our place in the ecosystem is live news and community service. So the ability to program one less hour of prime and move that late, local news up, potentially move the late-night talk shows up, I think it’s a win-win for everybody and we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

If the networks ever did give up that hour, which has essentially been in place since network TV began in the early 50s, it would mark one of the big sea changes in television history. And it's hard to say what Canadian stations here, so dependent on U.S. primetime programming, would do if it happens. 

Local TV Stations Still Pushing To Reclaim 10 PM Hour From Broadcast Networks, Top Exec Says