ABC7 election coverage defers to "Lost" season premiere

"Lost" and Jay Leno will both have an effect on how Chicago TV stations cover Tuesday's primary election, if for very different reasons.

With the faddishly popular "Lost" set to return today for its final season, ABC dodged a bullet when President Obama moved his State of the Union address ahead to last week instead of leaving it on Groundhog Day, as originally considered. Yet, locally ABC7 couldn't do anything about moving the previously scheduled Illinois primary, even if it did avert a double whammy with Obama.

Channel 7 plans to stick with the two-hour "Lost" season premiere, which airs at 8 p.m., immediately after a much-needed "Lost" synopsis at 7, and interrupt with election updates as necessary during regular station breaks.

"We will not touch a frame of 'Lost,' let me assure you," said Channel 7 President and General Manager Emily Barr.

Channel 7 does plan an extended hourlong election newscast at 10 p.m., as does WMAQ Channel 5. "It could go longer," Barr added. "If the governor's race is too close to call, we'll stick with it until we have something."

With Leno's 9 p.m. talk show already canceled by NBC as he prepares to return to "The Tonight Show" after the Olympics, Channel 5 plans to start its election coverage at 9, joining the usual 9 o'clock newscasts at WGN Channel 9, which plans two hours of coverage, and WFLD Channel 32, which will stick with its usual hour.

That gives Channel 5 a chance to make up some of the ground it has lost to WBBM Channel 2, which recently passed it to go into second place in the 10 p.m. news ratings behind Channel 7.

Channel 7 will hold its "Lost" fanatics, but at the risk of losing political fanatics. Channel 2, meanwhile, will play it straight from a position of strength, leaving a first-run episode of "The Good Wife" at 9 and going to the resurgent "Late Show With David Letterman" on schedule at 10:35, but likewise interspersed with updates.