Why the 11:00 a.m. deadline?

Admittedly, 11:00 a.m. seems to be an odd part of the day to have a deadline. And yet, in the course of our abnormal day, it makes sense.
You have to understand that our day starts very early. Contrary to popular belief, we don't walk in the door 15 minutes before showtime. We have a lot of responsibilities to perform before the show even hits the air. Editing and rewriting stories, putting together weather forecasts and graphics, editing video, corralling the monkeys... you get the idea. It's a fairly lengthy process crafting a 90-minute show. And that doesn't include the material we put together the day before, like the birthday/anniversary list.
The birthday/anniversary segment can sometimes be the longest and most time consuming portion of the show to put together. It honestly varies from day-to-day. Today took a matter of 15 minutes, but last Friday, it was just over 75 minutes. And that's not including the time required for the on-air graphic (another 10-25 minutes). Obviously the volume of birthday/anniversary announcements is the main factor. Phone calls and alien sightings are also factors.
We try to conclude our day around Noon, so with the 11:00 a.m. deadline, that gives us a safety net time to get the birthday/anniversary organized before we leave. Otherwise, we'd be here even earlier in the morning, and we honestly don't get enough sleep as it is.
The 11:00 a.m. deadline is not new as Good Morning Four States has had it in place for at least five years. Just remember, if you get your birthday/anniversary in late, it will just air on the following day. And for Monday birthdays/anniversaries, get it to us by 11:00 a.m. Friday morning. We try not to work weekends. That's the only time we sleep.