Reflecting increased interest in early-morning news at local stations around the country, ABC News confirms it will expand its “World News This Morning” broadcast to a full two hours and a 5 a.m. start, effective Sept. 11.

NBC News expanded “Sunrise” to a 5 a.m. start on Jan. 30. That show, which had already shown ratings strength in the wee hours, has since been No. 1 for 27 weeks in a row, plus two ties with ABC.

CBS News said Friday it will continue to offer its “Up to the Minute” overnight news program from 2 to 6 a.m., with “CBS Morning News” airing from 6 to 7 a.m. and the start of “CBS This Morning.”

“ABC World News This Morning,” currently anchored by Kevin Newman, debuted as an hour in 1982 and was expanded to 90 minutes - from 5:30 to 7 a.m. - in 1992.

Donaldson’s back at it

Sam Donaldson returned to ABC and “This Week With David Brinkley” Sunday and, resuming a regular schedule, is expected to show up as co-anchor of “PrimeTime Live” on Wednesday night.

His recovery from a late July operation for removal of a malignant tumor on a lymph node was slowed a week ago when he was hospitalized with a blood clot in his lung.