NBC may air Saturday Night Live live in the Pacific and Mountain time zones for the first time beginning next February, following telecasts of the Extreme Football League (XFL), the Wall Street Journal reported today (Tuesday). The newspaper said that the live telecast (it would air at 8:30 on the West Coast) would be aimed at grabbing the large audience of young men expected to be drawn to the XFL. However, NBC West Coast President Scott Sassa told the Journal that a final decision on the live telecast has not yet been made. Ordinarily, young men do not watch much television on Saturday nights. The core group of SNL fans often tune in after they return home from other entertainment activities. Moreover, as the Journal observed, the often racy content of SNL might have to be toned down if the show is scheduled in primetime on the West Coast.

Source: Studio Briefing