• June 14, 2001

The National Football League has made major changes in game starting times for the 2001-2002 postseason. Instead of the first Saturday games starting and airing at 12:30 p.m. EST and the second at 4:30 p.m., the NFL will now have the first games start at 4:30 p.m. and the second at 8:00 p.m.

The NFL and its television partners - ABC, CBS and Fox - said they made the change to attract a larger West Coast viewing audience. In the past, due to the 3-hour time difference, NFL West Coast fans do not have a chance to catch the early games.

The first 2001-2002 Wild Card games to be played in the new time frame will air on January 5, 2002 on ABC.

"This is a good move for the NFL and their television partners and the fans who want to make sure they get to see the games," said an NFL spokesperson. "We made sure that we did not make any huge changes to our normal schedule and our Sunday schedule."

- Adam Bernard