It's apparently not mandatory. Some copy desk veterans are helpful and good teachers, and some couldn't teach an elephant to eat a peanut. There is a day desk for feature sections. The night desk mostly works 4-12 p.m. A few come in earlier, and few stay later.
Extra pages are okay.
Nice place to work. The copy desk configuration could be better. We keep squeezing more and more people into a small area. No one has their own workplace or computer we play musical chairs each night.