question: Why do TV stations play so many shady college and class action medical injury lawsuit commercials during the daytime on weekdays?
comment: because the people who watch TV during the day are more likely to be unemployed due to either lack of education or disability. These firms know that, so they are offering the TV viewer a way to improve their situation.
passages: Many local television stations (both commercial and non-commercial) also produce their own programs that air in this time frame, generally focusing on local or state politics rather than national issues, and may play off the title of the network shows, such as Hartford, Connecticut's WFSB-TV, a CBS affiliate which titles their weekly program dealing with state and local issues "Face the State", a title also seen on KTVN in Reno/Carson City, Nevada and WHP-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, all of which serve state capital cities.
  
  Section::::Sunday morning talk shows by country.:United States.:The Full Ginsburg.
   In the United States, the granting of television and radio licenses by the FCC is contingent upon the station broadcasting a certain amount of public service advertising. To meet these requirements, many broadcast stations in America air the bulk of their required public service announcements during the late night or early morning when the smallest percentage of viewers are watching, leaving more day and prime time commercial slots available for high-paying advertisers.
   Local newscasts may also air during the daytime period, typically focusing on continuing coverage of events that had occurred since the morning news, and other forms of lifestyle-oriented stories. Some stations may produce daytime talk shows designed to feature advertorial segments brokered by local businesses.
   There are several different genres or formats of daytime programming that are produced. Most of these shows can be produced on a low budget, as these shows have to be able to make at least five new episodes per week (sometimes more) for most of the year. Most daytime shows are syndicated, meaning local stations buy the rights to air them. Commercials aired during daytime programming mostly advertise food & drink, household goods and feminine products geared toward housewives and stay-at-home moms, who of course make up the largest portion of the daytime viewing audience.
  
  Section::::Types of daytime programming.:Court shows.
   All four major English networks and the two largest Spanish networks also carry political talk programs on Sunday mornings (NBC's "Meet the Press", ABC's "This Week", CBS' "Face the Nation", Fox's sole news program "Fox News Sunday", Univision's "Al Punto", and Telemundo's "Enfoque"); of these programs, "Meet the Press" holds the distinction of being the longest-running American television program as it has aired since November 6, 1947. The U.S. is one of the few countries in which broadcast networks provide overnight or early morning national news programs, in addition to those airing in the morning and early evening. CBS and ABC are currently the only networks that produce overnight news programs on weeknights in the form of "Up to the Minute" and "World News Now", respectively; NBC previously produced overnight newscasts at different times, both of which have since been cancelled: "NBC News Overnight" from 1982 to 1983, and "NBC Nightside" from 1992 to 1999 (NBC currently does not offer a late night newscast, although the network currently airs rebroadcasts of the fourth hour of "Today", and sister network CNBC's "Mad Money" on weeknights).
   Saturday mornings usually feature network programming aimed at children (traditionally these mainly consisted of animated cartoons and in some cases, live-action scripted series and even game shows targeted at the demographic, although live-action lifestyle, science and wildlife programs have become the norm for the timeslot since 2009, while animated series have primarily been relegated to non-commercial and non-English language networks), while Sunday mornings include a form of public affairs program known as the Sunday morning talk shows (which maintain a "week-in-review" format that focuses primarily on political and socioeconomic issues, and if a particular program's format is more fluid in regards to topical content, other news stories of major interest). Both of these help fulfill stations' legal obligations, respectively to provide educational children's programs (through a law passed in 1990 known as the Children's Television Act, which requires stations to carry a minimum of three hours of programs featuring content benefiting the educational needs of youth each week) and public service programming. Sports and infomercials (and on some stations, syndicated feature film packages) can be found on weekend afternoons, followed again by the same type of prime-time shows aired during the week.
   Current independents follow a very different program format from their predecessors. While sitcom reruns are still popular, expanded newscasts and other syndicated programs such as talk shows; courtroom shows; reruns of recent scripted comedy and drama series; and no-cost public domain programming are common. Another type of content being added to many independent station lineups in recent years has been brokered programming, including infomercials, home shopping and televangelist programs; the Federal Communications Commission did not allow infomercials to be broadcast on American television until 1984, but since then, it has proven to be a lucrative, if somewhat polarizing with viewers, way to fill airtime. During the 1990s when infomercials gained popularity, many stations began broadcasting 24 hours a day rather than signing off at night. By filling the overnight hours with infomercials, the station would be able to generate extra revenue where they had previously been off the air. Home shopping programs (mainly simulcasts of cable services that also have over-the-air distribution such as QVC and the Home Shopping Network) or syndicated programs fill overnight time periods on stations that do not run infomercials during that day part.
   Drive time programming is almost exclusively restricted to during the work week. On weekends, because driving habits are much less uniform, lower profile programs (often reruns or brokered programming) typically air in the respective time slots.
  
  Section::::Variations.:Multiple time zones.
   Program time is often brokered to churches on Sunday mornings in a manner that parallels televangelism; there are also religious stations that rely primarily on brokered programs, and these stations often get the derisive title of "pay for pray," a play on the unethical practice of "pay for play" on music stations. There are also some AM radio stations that are dedicated to the brokered format, selling time for as little as 15 minutes or even selling the entire broadcasting day to a single entity, with the station holding the broadcast license and providing the facilities. That long-form type of brokered programming is especially popular among ethnic and religious broadcasters as well as with privately owned U.S.-based shortwave radio broadcasters.
   BULLET::::- To comply with FCC educational programming regulations, stations may defer certain programs featured in their respective network's E/I program blocks to determined weekend late morning or afternoon time periods if a sporting event is not scheduled in the timeslot or in place of paid programming that would otherwise be scheduled.
  
  BULLET::::- Airtimes of sporting events may vary depending on the offerings scheduled for that weekend. Scheduling overruns may occur due to events going into overtime, weather delays or other game stoppages, preempting scheduled local or syndicated programming.
  
  Section::::By network.
  
  Section::::By network.:ABC.
  
  Returning series:
  
  BULLET::::- "ABC World News Tonight"
   On Sundays, they also air two locally furnished religious programs, Church of Christ's "Truth for the World" and the previous week's services from the "Disciples of Christ".
  
  Section::::Buy a Dog, Sell a Hog.
   BULLET::::- To comply with FCC educational programming regulations, stations may defer certain programs featured in their respective network's E/I program blocks to determined weekend late morning or afternoon time periods if a sporting event is not scheduled in the timeslot or in place of paid programming that would otherwise be scheduled.
  
  BULLET::::- Airtimes of sporting events may vary depending on the offerings scheduled for that weekend. Scheduling overruns may occur due to events going into overtime, weather delays or other game stoppages, preempting scheduled local or syndicated programming.
  
  Section::::By network.
  
  Section::::By network.:ABC.
  
  Returning series:
  
  BULLET::::- "ABC World News Tonight"
   BULLET::::- (‡) ABC and Fox do not handle programming responsibilities for their programming blocks, but offers syndicated blocks of E/I-compliant programming that are intended for exclusive distribution to their stations. Litton's Weekend Adventure is offered to ABC stations by arrangement with Litton Entertainment and Xploration Station is offered to Fox stations by arrangement with Steve Rotfeld Productions.
   Section::::Types of daytime programming.:Sunday morning news programs.
  
  During the week, daytime television is generally devoid of or lacking news programming. However, on Sundays, most networks devote at least part of their Sunday morning schedule to serious news programming, as the viewers who would normally be at work during the daytime on weekdays are generally at home on Sunday mornings.
  
  Section::::Types of daytime programming.:Sunday morning news programs.:Current Sunday morning news and public affairs programs.
  
  BULLET::::- "Face the Nation" (CBS)
  
  BULLET::::- "Fox News Sunday" (Fox)
  
  BULLET::::- "Meet the Press" (NBC)
  
  BULLET::::- "This Week" (ABC)
  
  Section::::Types of daytime programming.:Talk shows.
   On February 17, 2018, WBBM added a 6:00 p.m. newscast on Saturdays, becoming the first and only station in the Chicago media market to have a 6 p.m. newscast on Saturdays; WLS-TV, WMAQ-TV, and WGN-TV are the three remaining stations in the market to carry syndicated programming and locally produced programming or specials (and occasionally, infomercials) during the 6:00-7:00 p.m. hour on Saturdays. It was only temporary however.
  
  Section::::News operation.:"The Enforcer".
   A new genre of locally produced television rose in the mid-2000s as television stations (especially those affiliated with NBC and Fox, where NBC gave up the most programming time; Fox has no daytime programming "per se") saw network time on weekday mornings after 9 a.m. returned to local control and saw new national talk shows either fail or not attract the right demographic to a timeslot. Beginning with "Daytime" on Media General-owned station WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida in the early 2000s, a new format came into use; these programs used the structure of a traditional locally produced daytime show with its usual format of light talk, health features, beauty tips and recipe segments (which were popular from the early 1970s up to the early 1990s, when expanding local newscasts became a much less expensive, more dependable form of revenue). Some of these shows, such as ABC affiliate WKBW-TV's long-running "AM Buffalo" in Buffalo, New York, seamlessly made the transition from a traditional local talk show to a paid program with little notice.
   Also in 2010, after some years of a third-place finish in the ratings, WAAY did something relatively rare for a Central Time Zone station: it cancelled its 6 p.m. newscast, deciding to counterprogram WHNT and WAFF with (first-run) episodes of "Jeopardy!" It acquired the rights to the long-running syndicated show from WAFF, which had aired it in daytime slots since its inception in 1984. WAAY is thus one of only a few stations in the Central Time Zone affiliated with the traditional networks that allows a full hour of Prime Time Access between 6 and 7 p.m., rather than just a half hour.
   While, in fact, this schedule is followed more often than not, over the years there have been numerous instances where scheduled programming has been pre-empted, presumably at the behest of station owner Geoff Stirling. In its earliest days, a viewer might have seen a constant shot of a fish tank in the overnight hours. Over the years, the overnight hours have been filled by content featuring, among other things, Stirling's metaphysical thoughts, his interviews with the likes of Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood and conspiracy theorist David Icke, computer animated art festivals, various features or animations starring Stirling-created superheroes such as Captain Atlantis (a.k.a. Captain Newfoundland) and Captain Canada, extended (sometimes all-night) tributes to The Beatles, Elvis Presley (a strung-together edit of the '68 Comeback Special and "Aloha from Hawaii"), and John F. Kennedy, Newfoundland cultural songs, and other programs that are truly miscellanea. Stirling quipped in a 2010 interview that this surreal programming was largely borne out of desperation to fill the 24-hour schedule: "Ted Turner bought up all the basketball."
   Despite being a major network, in addition to not carrying national morning and evening newscasts, Fox also does not air any network daytime programming (such as soap operas, game shows or talk shows). Because of this, the network's owned-and-operated stations and affiliates handle the responsibility of programming daytime hours with syndicated or locally produced programming (corporate sister 20th Television distributes several syndicated daytime programs carried by many Fox stations, such as "Divorce Court" and "The Wendy Williams Show"; Fox Television Stations also test markets certain series from 20th Television and other syndicators such as Warner Bros. Television Distribution that are proposed for national distribution on some of its stations). The network also does not carry network-supplied children's programming on Saturday mornings or late-night programming on Monday through Friday nights. Local affiliates either produce their own programming or run syndicated programs during these time periods. Because of the erratic scheduling of the network's sports programming, many Fox stations choose to run a mix of syndicated programming, infomercials and especially movies to fill weekend afternoon timeslots when a sports event is not scheduled to air.
   BULLET::::- Local schedules may differ, as affiliates have the option to pre-empt or delay network programs. Such scheduling may be limited to preemptions caused by local or national breaking news or weather coverage (which may force stations to tape delay certain programs in overnight timeslots or defer them to a co-operated station or digital subchannel in their regular timeslot) and any major sports events scheduled to air in a weekday timeslot (mainly during major holidays). Stations may air shows at other times at their preference.
   On May 6, 2016, the network announced major cutbacks in over-the-air broadcasting times to save money due to the Illinois state budget stand-off, along with other cuts from donors and production contracts. The network broadcasts from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. This broadcast schedule has not been seen for most stations since the 1960s and 1970s, when low popularity independent stations and some public television stations broadcast for limited hours. The station continues to maintain 24-hour, 7-days-per-week service over local cable providers and AT&T U-verse through a direct fiber optic link to Comcast (the major satellite services take the signal over-the-air), though since programs such as "Sesame Street" and "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" air before the daily over-the-air sign-on, this effectively makes half of the network's schedule cable only. Depending on how the June 2016 fundraising cycle and pledge drive goes, further hours could be cut from the schedule.
   The FCC's interest in program control began with the chain-broadcasting investigation of the late 1930s, culminating in the "Blue Book" of 1946, "Public Service Responsibility For Broadcast Licensees". The Blue Book differentiated between mass-appeal sponsored programs and unsponsored "sustaining" programs offered by the radio networks. This sustained programming, according to the Blue Book, had five features serving the public interest: 
  
  BULLET::::- Sustaining programs balanced the broadcast schedule, supplementing the soap operas and popular-music programs receiving the highest ratings and most commercial sponsors
   The midday block (defined by Arbitron as 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., though often extended later to about 5 p.m.) is mostly music, and in many places is at least partially voicetracked from another market. For a period around noon a station may play nonstop music or go to an all-request format for people eating lunch. This block is often occupied by a "no-repeat workday;" stations that offer this feature usually target captive audiences such as retail workers, who have to listen to the station for long periods of time and can become irritated by repetition.
   Programming on commercial stations is more ratings-driven—particularly during periods such as sweeps in the US and some Latin American countries.
  
  Section::::Features.:Other factors.
   Meanwhile, news channels usually program rolling news coverage where a set schedule of stories is followed (as opposed to evening and prime time, which typically focus on personality- and opinion-based programs), but this can be interrupted at any time for breaking news stories and other live events. The stock market trading day similarly falls within the daytime hours for channels devoted to business news, whose audience is concentrated towards out-of-home viewers. Children's television networks usually use the 9 a.m –3 p.m. timeslot before children of school age return home to air preschool programming for young viewers, while PBS member stations might either carry exclusively children's programming, or instructional programming to be taped for later use, programs which can be watched as part of acquiring college credit, or for viewers to eventually acquire their General Equivalency Diploma.
  