Rachael Ray

Look for WLS-Channel 7 to move “Inside Edition” and “Jeopardy!” back to their old time slots at 3 and 3:30 p.m. this fall when the ABC-owned station shuffles its daytime schedule for the third time in three years.

Triggering the latest realignment is the cancellation of Katie Couric’s syndicated talk show after two seasons and the station’s acquisition of “The Rachael Ray Show,” which currently airs at 10 a.m. Monday through Friday on Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9.

Couric’s disappointing ratings at 3 p.m. proved a drag on ABC 7’s once-invincible daytime lineup. The powerful “Inside Edition” and “Jeopardy!” combo had been the lead-in to the station's 4 p.m. newscast since the 1980s. When Disney/ABC bosses forced all of their owned stations to air “Katie” at 3 p.m. (Central Time) in 2012, ABC 7 reluctantly shifted “Inside Edition” and “Jeopardy!” to 2 and 2:30 p.m.

ABC 7 officials won’t confirm a time slot for “Rachael Ray” until they announce their fall schedule this summer, but sources said it’s a certainty that “Inside Edition” and “Jeopardy!” will revert to the 3 p.m. hour.

Last fall, the station added "Live with Kelly and Michael” at 9 a.m. and shifted the locally produced “Windy City Live” to 11 a.m. in place of a top-rated newscast that had aired for more than 20 years.