WHY ANNOUNCE AN AUTO RECALL ON A SATURDAY?

WHY ANNOUNCE AN AUTO RECALL ON A SATURDAY? I often see references to what is apparently a Washington cliche: bad news is released on a Friday or Saturday because Saturday and Sunday are slow newsdays. On Saturday January 31 the National Highway Traffic Administration announced a recall of about 2.1 million vehicles with airbags that might suddenly deploy even when the vehicle is not involved in a crash. The Saturday New York Times story by Christopher Jensen and Danielle Ivory is here. There had been earlier recalls of all of these cars, but the repairs have not solved the problem. Further, replacement parts might not be fully available until the end of 2015. The administrator is quoted that: “this is an urgent safety issue”. I can’t imagine why a serious recall like this—where the purpose is to get the word out to people—would be announced on a Saturday.