Right This Minute

Overview

The program showcases a broad mix of viral videos trending online as well as caught-on-tape footage of stories in the news; the videos are introduced by five hosts – currently Christian Vera, Gayle Bass, Nick Calderone, Oli Pettigrew and, as of 2015, Charity Bailey – who also provide commentary on the videos being shown in each segment. In 2014, Steven Fabian left the show to work for the syndicated newsmagazine Inside Edition and on July 27, 2015, Beth Troutman left the show as well to go work for WCNC-TV in Charlotte, NC to anchor for their weeknight 6 and 11pm newscasts, which leaves Nick, Gayle and Christian as the only original presenters, left on the program.

Videos typically shown on Right This Minute include dashcam and security camera footage of criminal acts and police pursuits; freak accidents; people and animals displaying interesting talents (with such videos of this particular type involving children and animals also being presented without commentary once or twice in some episodes, prefaced only by a title introduction by one of two female production staffers cuing the video by clapperboard); rescue footage; epic fails (such as extreme sports mishaps, and other various stunts that go wrong); humorous or dangerous stunts; practical jokes; parodies; and original user-created content culled from various user-submitted video websites (such as YouTube, LiveLeak, Break.com and eBaum's World) and sent directly to the program's website and mobile app. The program also features one or more interviews with those involved in a particular video in each episode.

Episodes initially were one hour long, but as a result of a revamp of the series' format in 2012, it began producing two half-hour episodes daily, as well as two half-hour "best of" editions on weekends featuring segments shown during the weekday broadcasts. Some stations carrying the program choose to air both daily half-hour episodes as a one-hour block, while others choose to air only one of the episodes or split them into different time slots.

Production and distribution

Right This Minute is syndicated to stations across the country. Originally, it aired only on stations owned by originating producers Cox Media Group, Raycom Media and the E. W. Scripps Company. In 2013, Magic Dust Television and the Raycom-Scripps-Cox constortium partnered with MGM Television to distribute the program to stations owned by other broadcasting companies. In April 2014, Fox Television Stations picked up RTM for broadcast on Fox's owned-and-operated stations in ten markets. Through additional station distribution deals, the show's national clearances grew to approximately 91% of U.S. television markets as a Monday through Friday strip. Rebroadcasts of the show aired on cable channel HLN from February to September 2014.

During its first season, Right This Minute was produced at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. The program moved its production and operations to its current home in the Ahwatukee neighborhood of Phoenix.

On January 19, 2016, it was announced that Disney–ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution will take over distribution of Right This Minute for the 2016–17 television season. As result of the change of distributor, the eight ABC O&O stations picked up the program starting in fall 2016, replacing FABLife (which was cancelled after only one season). CHCH has aired the program in Canada since September 12, 2016.