Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 23)
07/24/08 09:11 AM
By ED BARK
TXA21's ballyhooed turnoff turned out to be a bit of a turn-on Wednesday night.
The buildup, however, drew a bigger audience than the station's brief analog signal shutdown at 8:15 p.m. during its nightly two-hour local newscast.
From 7 to 8 p.m., TXA21's "First in Prime" news averaged 73,068 D-FW homes, peaking at 97,424 between 7:15 to 7:30 p.m., according to Nielsen's numbers. That was good enough to outpoint both CBS' Big Brother 10 (70,632 homes) and NBC's Baby Borrowers rerun (31,663 homes) for the full hour.
From 8 to 9 p.m., TXA21's news drew 56,019 total homes, with a peak audience of 75,504 from 8 to 8:15 p.m.
Those are both nice bumps from Tuesday night's numbers, when the news had just 24,356 homes from 7 to 8 p.m. and 38,970 in its second hour.
At Uncle Barky central, our non-digital, dinky little countertop kitchen TV set went to fuzz as anticipated during the 30-second test. The cable hookups all remained in play, as they should have.
TXA21 reporter Jay Gormley, live at the station's transmitter center, presided over the switchoff in a manner that at times made it seem as though he was stationed underground at the Los Alamos nuclear weapons complex.
Meanwhile, anchor Doug Dunbar reported from a phone bank of experts answering questions from perplexed TV watchers who wonder if they'll be ready for the big Feb. 17th FCC-mandated switch from analog to digital signals. The station supposedly was flooded with calls.
Back at the mothership, anchors Tracy Kornet and Chris Salcedo breezily set the table, with Kornet tongue-in-cheekily billing the switchoff as "a fun family event."
Well, it was kinda fun. But make no mistake. All of D-FW's broadcast stations are more than a little concerned about what could happen to their ratings during the heart of the February "sweeps" competition. There are still a lot of analog-only sets in this market, and those $40 government-funded coupons toward the purchase of a digital converter box are only available "while supplies last."
Furthermore, as TXA21 reported, TV owners with coupons already in hand are finding it hard to find stores with those digital boxes in stock. So stay tuned, until you can't anymore.
In other ratings news, CBS' rerun combo of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY controlled the total homes ratings from 8 to 10 p..m.
The first hour of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance had the biggest overall audience from 7 to 8 p.m., but ran second among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds. The respective winners in that key demographic were ABC's Wife Swap at 7 p.m. and NBC's first-run Baby Borrowers at 8 p.m.
In the local news derby, WFAA8's 10 p.m. edition nipped CBS11 in total homes, with the two stations tying for first among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The "Who's in First?" 6 a.m. competition had another different outcome. Fox4 took first in total homes and WFAA8 topped the 25-to-54 demo. NBC5, which had run the table on both Monday and Tuesday, tied for second in both measurements.
Fox4 had a total homes win at 5 p.m., but WFAA8 took the 25-to-54 gold.
WFAA8 once again swept the 6 p.m. competitions, running its weekday streak to 23.
TXA21's ballyhooed turnoff turned out to be a bit of a turn-on Wednesday night.
The buildup, however, drew a bigger audience than the station's brief analog signal shutdown at 8:15 p.m. during its nightly two-hour local newscast.
From 7 to 8 p.m., TXA21's "First in Prime" news averaged 73,068 D-FW homes, peaking at 97,424 between 7:15 to 7:30 p.m., according to Nielsen's numbers. That was good enough to outpoint both CBS' Big Brother 10 (70,632 homes) and NBC's Baby Borrowers rerun (31,663 homes) for the full hour.
From 8 to 9 p.m., TXA21's news drew 56,019 total homes, with a peak audience of 75,504 from 8 to 8:15 p.m.
Those are both nice bumps from Tuesday night's numbers, when the news had just 24,356 homes from 7 to 8 p.m. and 38,970 in its second hour.
At Uncle Barky central, our non-digital, dinky little countertop kitchen TV set went to fuzz as anticipated during the 30-second test. The cable hookups all remained in play, as they should have.
TXA21 reporter Jay Gormley, live at the station's transmitter center, presided over the switchoff in a manner that at times made it seem as though he was stationed underground at the Los Alamos nuclear weapons complex.
Meanwhile, anchor Doug Dunbar reported from a phone bank of experts answering questions from perplexed TV watchers who wonder if they'll be ready for the big Feb. 17th FCC-mandated switch from analog to digital signals. The station supposedly was flooded with calls.
Back at the mothership, anchors Tracy Kornet and Chris Salcedo breezily set the table, with Kornet tongue-in-cheekily billing the switchoff as "a fun family event."
Well, it was kinda fun. But make no mistake. All of D-FW's broadcast stations are more than a little concerned about what could happen to their ratings during the heart of the February "sweeps" competition. There are still a lot of analog-only sets in this market, and those $40 government-funded coupons toward the purchase of a digital converter box are only available "while supplies last."
Furthermore, as TXA21 reported, TV owners with coupons already in hand are finding it hard to find stores with those digital boxes in stock. So stay tuned, until you can't anymore.
In other ratings news, CBS' rerun combo of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY controlled the total homes ratings from 8 to 10 p..m.
The first hour of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance had the biggest overall audience from 7 to 8 p.m., but ran second among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds. The respective winners in that key demographic were ABC's Wife Swap at 7 p.m. and NBC's first-run Baby Borrowers at 8 p.m.
In the local news derby, WFAA8's 10 p.m. edition nipped CBS11 in total homes, with the two stations tying for first among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The "Who's in First?" 6 a.m. competition had another different outcome. Fox4 took first in total homes and WFAA8 topped the 25-to-54 demo. NBC5, which had run the table on both Monday and Tuesday, tied for second in both measurements.
Fox4 had a total homes win at 5 p.m., but WFAA8 took the 25-to-54 gold.
WFAA8 once again swept the 6 p.m. competitions, running its weekday streak to 23.
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Internet confidential: NBC5's bloggin' brigade
07/23/08 01:42 PM
By ED BARK
NBC5's full-time news staff is D-FW's smallest at last count, with a total of 27 anchors and reporters, including weather and sports.
But the station leads the local leagues in bloggers -- 17 to be exact. Maybe "Working with a Net" should be NBC5's new slogan. Clearly it's a priority with management.
Before looking at what NBC5ers have been blogging lately, let's check the specs for Fox4, WFAA8 and CBS11. All of these numbers are based on prolonged visits to their Web sites to see who's blogging and who's not.
Fox4 currently has a full-time newsroom staff of 32, with 14 of them contributing blogs as well. That makes the station a solid second to the Peacock.
WFAA8, with the market's largest staff of 37, has eight bloggers. But the station is the only D-FW news provider with face-to-the-camera video blogs. Anchor Gloria Campos calls hers the "Glo Cam." Aaron Chimbel's is the "Mojo Blog."
CBS11 is still barely in this game. Only anchor Tracy Kornet has her own individual blog among the station's 35 news staffers. CBS11 also has a sports blog called "The Bullpen" and a weather blog. But that still doesn't add up to much compared to the others.
NBC's bloggers are all still doing it the commendable old-school way, in print. And some of them really seem to be working at it.
Early morning traffic reporter Tammy Dombeck calls hers "Totally Tammy," and begins each post with a "Hey gang" greeting. Her most recent contribution, written on July 18th, is on the "Hot Batmobile's" arrival in North Texas.
She's also written lately on Christie Brinkley's divorce proceedings and some "Wonderful Viewer Encounters," which include pictures. But Dombeck hasn't been much of a busy bee of late. Just four posts in the past month. Unlike Uncle Barky, perhaps she has a life or went on vacation.
Reporter Grant Stinchfield ("Grant's Rant") in contrast has authored nine posts in the past two weeks, most of them with pictures included.
One of his two July 14th submissions is titled "Tony Romo Not Happy With Me." Stinchfield says he asked the Dallas Cowboys QB, "nicely I may add," about Jessica Simpson during a recent NBC5 Sports Extra program.
"He seemed to get annoyed," Stinchfield wrote. "Tony needs to realize the majority of viewers, not sports fans, want to know about Jessica. And the sports fans simply want to know if she is a distraction . . . Tony needs to learn how to just deal with it. He is a 'celebrity' quarterback, whether he likes it or not. I'm sorry for asking, but when you do an interview with Tony, it is the one question that has to be asked. If you don't ask it, the reporter looks like an idiot."
This particular post drew three comments, the first one being, "Leave his private life alone, stupid reporters!!!!!" Ya gotta love this blogging biz. But at least Stinchfield puts a little bite in his rants. In another one, he began, "I have long contended that many politicians are misguided fools."
Fellow NBC5 reporter Randy McIlwain -- "Big Man Bloggin' " is his title -- mixes it up with long and sometimes very dicey observations on subjects ranging from the "N-word" (which he prints in full as you'll see) to "The Pee-Pee man Cometh," a discourse on Mavericks' forward Josh Howard facing possible drug-testing after admitting to off-season marijuana use.
His n-word commentary emphasizes that "context" is key whenever that word is dropped. "Can you ever call me a Nigger?" McIlwain writes. "Yes, depending again on context, if you walk up to me, call me a Nigger and suddenly lose consciousness, sorry, you used it in the wrong context."
McIlwain, who signs off most of his posts with "It's a big man's world, it's a big man blogging," notes that he could never have a racially charged discussion like this on TV. Even on his blog it's gone relatively unnoticed, with no comments to date.
Other NBC5 bloggers aren't exactly hellraisers.
Anchor Mike Snyder to date has had six posts devoted to his ongoing efforts to lose -- dare it be said -- a considerable amount of weight. His desk partner, Jane McGarry, recently wrote about her diet, too.
Anchor/reporter Brian Curtis' latest dispatch -- on "The Sausage Factory" -- is about the ongoing renovations to his kitchen, including a picture.
Reporter Melissa Newton apologized for calling in sick for the first time in a July 16th post titled "I Love Our Viewers!" But her most recent dispatch is about the sometimes harsh realities of covering a police manhunt.
Veteran Ken Kalthoff ("On the Fence") sticks mostly to hard news updates, including his latest post on an early morning drive-by shooting, complete with two pictures.
Reporter Omar Villafranca ("What did Omar Say?") uses lots of pictures, too. His most recent post, on July 22, jokes about a possible Elvis sighting in Aledo, TX, which he visited last week. Not exactly a keeper, Omar.
Night Ranger Scott Gordon hasn't refreshed his "Gordon Gabs" blog since July 10th. But it was a helluva long post with pictures on "How the Great Cookie Caper Crumbled." He also got 11 reader comments, which is about 11 times as many as most of NBC5's bloggers are getting.
Reporter/anchor Scott Friedman, who's really been slacking off lately, has attracted just one comment for his last 10 posts. And he hasn't blogged since July 1st.
Then again, Friedman's on-air work continues to be mostly first-rate. You've got to make time for that, too, even at the risk of getting into a blog jam.
Meanwhile, maybe this will drive some traffic to these blogs. Any comments?
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 22)
07/23/08 10:42 AM
By ED BARK
NBC's America's Got Talent and ABC's Wipeout continued their summertime ratings rolls Tuesday.
Talent had prime-time's biggest overall audience, with 165,621 D-FW homes tuned in.
Wipeout dominated the ratings among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 126,136 of 'em.
At 9 p.m., Fox4's local newscast ran a competitive second to ABC News' Primetime: Family Secrets in both total homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Post- prime time, though, WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscast had Tuesday's biggest audience hauls in total homes, 18-to-49-year-olds and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. Its total homes Nielsens (202,155) easily more than doubled those for CBS' first-run episode of Big Brother 10 (73,068 homes).
But WFAA8 slumped to a weak third in the 6 a.m. news competition, won comfortably by NBC5 for the second straight weekday in both total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Then it was WFAA8's turn again. The ABC station ran the table at both 5 and 6 p.m., making it 22 straight weekdays in the later hour.
Fox4 interviews decidedly different forecaster for possible spot on weather team
07/22/08 09:58 AM
By ED BARK
Seemingly brainy, undeniably pretty and best known on youtube for a "yogacast" and other comedy weather spots, 37-year-old meteorologist Katrina Voss might be ready to take Dallas-Fort Worth by storm.
So far she's only been flown in for an interview at Fox4, which is still looking for a replacement for weathercaster Maria Sotolongo. Several informed sources say that Voss met with management Monday afternoon at the station's downtown Dallas offices.
Fox4, like most stations in D-FW and elsewhere, has a policy of not commenting on personnel it might hire. Voss likely would be a controversial newcomer, at least at first. But these are different times in TV news, and Voss also seems to have attributes beyond the merely physical and/or comical.
Her website says she's a native of Durham, NC with college degrees in Spanish literature, geosciences and meteorology. She lived in Spain for seven years, writing a column for women titled "The Venusisan Chronicles."
After returning to the United States, Voss worked for The Weather Channel from 1999 to 2003 before joining AccuWeather.com. Her website says she also can be seen on "numerous" English- and Spanish-speaking stations. Some of her accompanying photos might have tongues wagging in a variety of languages.
Voss's yogacast (below), which you'll have to see to believe, could be a big chill for weather purists, let alone an incumbent Fox4 weather staff headed by comparative traditionalists Dan Henry and Evan Andrews. But WFAA8 medical reporter Janet St. James joined in some on-air "tree yoga" a little while back, so there's something of a precedent.
For your edification or mortification, here's the yogacast:
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 21)
07/22/08 09:54 AM
By ED BARK
ABC's all-new Monday night reality lineup, particularly the new High School Musical: Get In the Picture, continued to scrape bottom while CBS and Fox set the pace with drama and comedy repeats.
Meanwhile, Arlington's Melissa Lawson entered the realm of Nashville Star's Final Four as the competition's ratings perked up a bit in these parts.
HSM: GITP, hosted by Nick Lachey, drew prime-time's smallest audience among the Big Four networks in both total homes and with advertiser-favored 18-to-49-year-olds. It just goes to show that a hit movie franchise can't be cheapened to the point where the "winner" merely gets to appear in a closing credits music video after High School Musical 3: Senior Year, scheduled to open in theaters on Oct. 24th.
NBC's Nashville Star (114,473 D-FW homes) drew a bit more than twice the overall audience for HSM: GITP while still finishing just third at 8 p.m. in both total homes and among 18-to-49-year-olds.
CBS owned the night in both measurements from 8 to 10 p.m. with reruns of Two and a Half Men (158,314 homes); Old Christine (153,443 homes) and prime-time's top vote-getter, CSI: Miami (187,541 home).
Fox's Bones reprise won at 7 p.m. in total homes but dipped to third among 18-to-49-year-olds, where CBS' do-overs of The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother were tops.
The Texas Rangers' road win over the White Sox had a respectable haul of 85,246 homes on MY27. Over in the cable world, TNT's firstrun combo of The Closer and Saving Grace held steady with 80,375 homes apiece.
The local news ratings had something for everybody, particularly CBS11 and NBC5.
CBS11 took a pair of firsts at 10 p.m., winning in total homes (172,928) and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the principal advertiser target audience for news programming.
The Peacock won a doubleheader at 6 a.m., with a particularly strong showing in the key 25-to-54 demo.
WFAA8 cruised to another pair of wins at 6 p.m., stretching its streak to an imposing 21 straight weekdays.
Fox4 got on the board with a total homes win at 5 p.m., but WFAA8 took the top spot among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Latest moves on Fox & Friends could affect future of D-FW's Megan Henderson
07/21/08 01:13 PM
By ED BARK
Changes on Fox News Channel's early morning Fox & Friends show could have some bearing on Fox4 anchor Megan Henderson's future plans.
The TV Newser web site reports that FNC has moved the show's news reader, Alisyn Camerota, from weekdays to weekends while at the same expanding the Monday-Friday edition from two hours to three.
"Where this leaves F & F weekend fill-ins Ainsley Earhardt (who was on the couch this past weekend), or Megan Henderson, of Fox's Dallas station, remains to be seen," TV Newser concluded.
For at least the short term, Camerota will co-host on weekends with incumbents Dave Briggs and Clayton Morris. Gretchen Carlson, formerly a weekend anchor and reporter for NBC5 in D-FW, will be the weekday F&F's news reader, says TV Newser.
Henderson, who co-anchors Fox4's 5 to 9 a.m. Good Day with Tim Ryan, politely declined to comment Monday after being reached by telephone. She has guest-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend twice this year, fueling speculation that FNC is grooming her for a national spot.
As previously reported, Henderson's contract with Fox4 expires at the end of February. She has been with Good Day since August 2003.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., July 18-20)
07/21/08 10:02 AM
By ED BARK
The climactic round of the British Open, featuring leader Greg Norman's collapse, couldn't out putt-putt Sunday's Rangers-Twins game in the D-FW Nielsens.
Neither was a blockbuster on a tepid weekend for TV viewing. ABC's mostly morning telecast of the Open averaged a smallish 73,068 total homes, the same as Saturday's third-round coverage. The Rangers' 1-0 road win over the Twins Sunday afternoon drew 80,375 homes on MY27 while Saturday's blowout loss to Minnesota, also on MY27, had 75,504 homes.
Dale Hansen's Sunday, 10:30 p.m. local sports special on WFAA8 fared better, leading all competitors with 102,295 homes. Newy Scruggs' NBC5 show ran second with 73,068 homes while Babe Laufenberg trailed on CBS11 with 48,712. Earlier at 10 p.m., Mike Doocy's Fox4 sports show had 60,890 D-FW homes.
In prime-time Sunday, ABC mega-bombed with the premiere of High School Musical: Get In the Picture, hosted by Nick Lachey. It dug a Death Valley at 7 p.m. drawing a piddling 51,148 homes between episodes of the network's American's Funniest Home Videos (94,988 homes) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (119,344 homes), both of which were repeats.
Get In the Picture fared even worse among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, where it ran sixth overall with just 18,920 viewers in that age group. Even TXA21's competing local newscast (25,227 viewers) drew a bigger crowd in this key demo.
On Friday night, the second episode of CBS' made-in-Canada Flashpoint cop series held pretty steady in the total homes Nielsens but drooped in the 18-to-49-year-old ratings.
Flashpoint pulled in 126,651 homes to win at 9 p.m. after drawing 148,572 with the previous Friday's premiere episode. But it ran fourth in the 18-to-49 demo behind Fox4's frontrunning 9 p.m. local newscast after topping the field in that measurement a week ago.
In Friday's four major local news combat zones, WFAA8 again set the pace at 10 p.m. with wins in total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 took first at 6 a.m. in total homes, with WFAA8 the gold medalist in the 25-to-54 demo.
The early evening Nielsens showed Fox4 running the table at 5 p.m. and WFAA doing likewise at 6 p.m. for its 20th straight set of weekday wins.
The climactic round of the British Open, featuring leader Greg Norman's collapse, couldn't out putt-putt Sunday's Rangers-Twins game in the D-FW Nielsens.
Neither was a blockbuster on a tepid weekend for TV viewing. ABC's mostly morning telecast of the Open averaged a smallish 73,068 total homes, the same as Saturday's third-round coverage. The Rangers' 1-0 road win over the Twins Sunday afternoon drew 80,375 homes on MY27 while Saturday's blowout loss to Minnesota, also on MY27, had 75,504 homes.
Dale Hansen's Sunday, 10:30 p.m. local sports special on WFAA8 fared better, leading all competitors with 102,295 homes. Newy Scruggs' NBC5 show ran second with 73,068 homes while Babe Laufenberg trailed on CBS11 with 48,712. Earlier at 10 p.m., Mike Doocy's Fox4 sports show had 60,890 D-FW homes.
In prime-time Sunday, ABC mega-bombed with the premiere of High School Musical: Get In the Picture, hosted by Nick Lachey. It dug a Death Valley at 7 p.m. drawing a piddling 51,148 homes between episodes of the network's American's Funniest Home Videos (94,988 homes) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (119,344 homes), both of which were repeats.
Get In the Picture fared even worse among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, where it ran sixth overall with just 18,920 viewers in that age group. Even TXA21's competing local newscast (25,227 viewers) drew a bigger crowd in this key demo.
On Friday night, the second episode of CBS' made-in-Canada Flashpoint cop series held pretty steady in the total homes Nielsens but drooped in the 18-to-49-year-old ratings.
Flashpoint pulled in 126,651 homes to win at 9 p.m. after drawing 148,572 with the previous Friday's premiere episode. But it ran fourth in the 18-to-49 demo behind Fox4's frontrunning 9 p.m. local newscast after topping the field in that measurement a week ago.
In Friday's four major local news combat zones, WFAA8 again set the pace at 10 p.m. with wins in total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 took first at 6 a.m. in total homes, with WFAA8 the gold medalist in the 25-to-54 demo.
The early evening Nielsens showed Fox4 running the table at 5 p.m. and WFAA doing likewise at 6 p.m. for its 20th straight set of weekday wins.
Pulling their own weight -- but who should be D-FW television's biggest loser?
07/18/08 01:35 PM
By ED BARK
WFAA8 sports anchor Dale Hansen regularly calls attention to his poundage, and recently dropped about 60 of 'em on a regimen of Slim-Fast shakes and bananas.
But now he seems to be ballooning back up again.
NBC5 anchor Mike Snyder, appalled at his latter day girth, keeps blogging on nbc5i.com about his ongoing efforts to slim down to 190 pounds from an all-time high of 256. So far he's dropped nine, he says.
We also live in the era of NBC's The Biggest Loser, which will be trolling for heavy-set Dallas couples on Saturday (July 19th).
So clearly this is a topic whose time has come. And Hansen and Snyder aren't the only D-FW television news people whose health and appearance might be improved by a sizable weight reduction.
Television is, after all, a cosmetic industry for the most part. Snyder, for one, admits to feeling the sting of viewer emails aimed at his increasingly fleshy countenance.
There are others in this boat.
WFAA8 anchor/reporter Debbie Denmon is definitely getting up there.
Street reporter Randy McIlwain and sports anchor Newy Scruggs, both of NBC5, are showing they have a lot to lose.
Veteran CBS11 correspondent Bud Gillett has gotten too big for his old britches. And over at Fox4, anchor dean Clarice Tinsley, reporter Shaun Rabb and weatherman Ron Jackson seem to be growing on us.
Back here at unclebarky.com central, your friendly content provider has dropped 15 pounds off of a 200-pound frame in recent months. Lots of ass-sitting at a computer can be hazardous to one's waist line and overall life span.
But unlike Snyder, Hansen et. al., I'm not up for public consumption on an unforgiving television screen. You don't have to be -- nor should you be -- a stick figure. But if the camera indeed adds 10 pounds, then it's far better to shape up than let yourself blow way out of proportion.
Who of the above, then, would benefit the most from a sensible but considerable weight loss? Or maybe you have other D-FW anchors or reporters in mind. That is, if you care one way or the other about such things.
NBC5's Snyder has drawn considerable attention to this touchy topic with his repeated, some might say obsessive, blog updates. Now it's your turn to weigh in with your comments.
Good Day sing-a-long, first chapter and verse
07/18/08 08:29 AM
By ED BARK
Return with us now to the original 2002 rendition of Fox4's Good Day theme song. Tim Ryan's co-anchor at the time, Julia Somers, left the station in 2003 and was replaced in August of that year by Megan Henderson.
By the way, Julia Somers is now Julie Summers, an anchor at South Florida's ABC affiliate, WPLG-TV, since Sept. 2004. Also of note: A big-grinning Tom Cruise played along in 2002, amiably asking Fox4 viewers, "Have you had a good day lately?" A lot's happened since then. Here's the one-minute, vintage Good Day theme song, performed by Chris Ivey:
Return with us now to the original 2002 rendition of Fox4's Good Day theme song. Tim Ryan's co-anchor at the time, Julia Somers, left the station in 2003 and was replaced in August of that year by Megan Henderson.
By the way, Julia Somers is now Julie Summers, an anchor at South Florida's ABC affiliate, WPLG-TV, since Sept. 2004. Also of note: A big-grinning Tom Cruise played along in 2002, amiably asking Fox4 viewers, "Have you had a good day lately?" A lot's happened since then. Here's the one-minute, vintage Good Day theme song, performed by Chris Ivey:
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., July 17)
07/18/08 08:29 AM
By ED BARK
ABC's Hopkins hospital series continues to cut up the competition.
Thursday's latest non-fiction episode easily ranked as prime-time's top attraction, drawing 194,848 D-FW homes and also dominating the field among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
In contrast, NBC's summertime horror anthology series, Fear Itself, drew a scarily scant 41,405 homes at 9 p.m. opposite Hopkins. CBS' Swingtown (92,553 homes) ran a distant third in the time slot behind Fox4's local news (133,958 homes).
At 7 p.m., the second episode of CBS' Greatest American Dog edged Fox's Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? in total homes. But the two shows traced places in the 18-to-49 demo.
It was the same story at 8 p.m. A repeat of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation whipped Fox's So You Think You Can Dance results hour in total homes, but slipped to second with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Helped by a healthy Hopkins lead-in, WFAA's 10 p.m. newscast cruised to easy wins in total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The early mornings remained up-and-down, with NBC5 taking first in total homes and WFAA8 tops with 25-to-54-year-olds. In a highly unusual occurrence, CBS11 nipped Fox4 for third place in the 25-to-54 demo.
Fox4 then saved a little face with twin wins at 5 p.m. And WFAA8 swept the 6 p.m. news competitions for an impressive 19th straight weekday.
ABC's Hopkins hospital series continues to cut up the competition.
Thursday's latest non-fiction episode easily ranked as prime-time's top attraction, drawing 194,848 D-FW homes and also dominating the field among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
In contrast, NBC's summertime horror anthology series, Fear Itself, drew a scarily scant 41,405 homes at 9 p.m. opposite Hopkins. CBS' Swingtown (92,553 homes) ran a distant third in the time slot behind Fox4's local news (133,958 homes).
At 7 p.m., the second episode of CBS' Greatest American Dog edged Fox's Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? in total homes. But the two shows traced places in the 18-to-49 demo.
It was the same story at 8 p.m. A repeat of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation whipped Fox's So You Think You Can Dance results hour in total homes, but slipped to second with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Helped by a healthy Hopkins lead-in, WFAA's 10 p.m. newscast cruised to easy wins in total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The early mornings remained up-and-down, with NBC5 taking first in total homes and WFAA8 tops with 25-to-54-year-olds. In a highly unusual occurrence, CBS11 nipped Fox4 for third place in the 25-to-54 demo.
Fox4 then saved a little face with twin wins at 5 p.m. And WFAA8 swept the 6 p.m. news competitions for an impressive 19th straight weekday.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 16)
07/17/08 11:02 AM
By ED BARK
CBS continues to do just fine with crime series repeats -- at least in the total homes ratings -- while rivals load up on reality hours.
The Eye network's Criminal Minds (158,314 homes) and CSI: NY (163,185) controlled the 8 to 10 p.m. slot Wednesday, with the first hour of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance winning at 7 p.m. with 110,211 homes.
Among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, Dance topped the 7 to 9 p.m. competition in that key demo before ABC's PrimeTime: Crime took over at 9 p.m. The latter hour's finale of NBC's Celebrity Circus tumbled into fourth place in both ratings measurements.
In the four-ring local news competitions, WFAA8 had win wins at 10 p.m. in total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the favored audience for news programming.
Fox4 took the golds at 6 a.m. and also tied WFAA8 for the total homes lead at 5 p.m.
WFAA8 won at 5 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demo and swept the 6 p.m. Nielsens for the 18th straight weekday.
CBS continues to do just fine with crime series repeats -- at least in the total homes ratings -- while rivals load up on reality hours.
The Eye network's Criminal Minds (158,314 homes) and CSI: NY (163,185) controlled the 8 to 10 p.m. slot Wednesday, with the first hour of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance winning at 7 p.m. with 110,211 homes.
Among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, Dance topped the 7 to 9 p.m. competition in that key demo before ABC's PrimeTime: Crime took over at 9 p.m. The latter hour's finale of NBC's Celebrity Circus tumbled into fourth place in both ratings measurements.
In the four-ring local news competitions, WFAA8 had win wins at 10 p.m. in total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the favored audience for news programming.
Fox4 took the golds at 6 a.m. and also tied WFAA8 for the total homes lead at 5 p.m.
WFAA8 won at 5 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demo and swept the 6 p.m. Nielsens for the 18th straight weekday.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 15, All-Star baseball edition)
07/16/08 09:20 AM
By ED BARK
Going, going, going and finally gone at 12:37 a.m. Wednesday, baseball's 79th annual All-Star game still managed to outscore all competing programming during its four hours and 50 minutes on Fox.
That's not even counting the elongated pre-game show. Pocket calculator technology at unclebarky.com central says that the game itself, which started at 7:47 p.m. Tuesday, averaged 199,719 D-FW homes overall from opening pitch to 15th inning slide across home plate.
Attendance peaked from 8:45 to 9 p.m., with 263,045 homes tuned in. And the game remained on in 126,652 homes when Rangers shortstop Michael Young drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.
Let's look at some of the night's other peak All-Star game audiences among viewers of varying ages, beginning with advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds:
18-to-49-year-old men -- 105,190 from 9 to 9:15 p.m.
18-to-49-year-old women -- 53,428 from 9 to 9:15 p.m.
55 years and up -- 161,600 from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m., and 8:45 to 9 p.m.
12-to-17-year-olds -- 48,140 from 10 to 10:15 p.m.
The All-Star game in fact ran fourth overall in prime-time among 18-to-49-year-old women, for whom NBC's America's Got Talent (80,905 viewers) and ABC's PrimeTime: Family Secrets (74,799 viewers) were the top draws.
Us hairy beasts of the same age group knew better, making the All-Star game our runaway first choice throughout the night and into Wednesday's opening wee hour.
There was a brief lapse, though, between 7 and 8 p.m., when another edition of ABC's fall down/go boom Wipeout lured 67,353 men in the 18-to-49 demo opposite what was mostly the All-Star pre-game buildup (67,118 viewers).
Fox also squeezed in at least 11 promos for its new fall series Fringe, although I may have missed one or two. Just before the midnight hour, play-by-play dude Joe Buck dutifully told viewers, "They have built an all-new world of intrigue and adventure that will blow your mind."
He wasn't talking about the game, but of Fringe, helmed by Lost creator J. J. Abrams. By the time of its Sept. 9th premiere, you're likely to have seen a gazillion or two teases for it.
In the three-way 10 p.m. local news derby, WFAA8 took the gold with 194,848 total homes and also won among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 rose up at 6 a.m. to win in both ratings measurements, with the usually potent WFAA8 barely holding off longtime pipsqueak CBS11 to take the bronzes.
WFAA8 then controlled the 5 and 6 p.m. news competitions, running its streak at the later hour to 17 straight weekdays.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 14)
07/15/08 11:00 AM
By ED BARK
Paul Bunyan drew quite a crowd Monday night.
In the person of Texas Rangers' outfielder Josh Hamilton, he hit a record-setting 28 home runs -- including 13 in a row -- during the first round of baseball's All Star Game festivities. D-FW took notice, with 168,056 homes zeroed in on ESPN. That was good enough to beat all competing programming from 8:30 to 9 p.m.
Even more homes -- 180,234 -- then watched a swing-weary Hamilton fizzle out in his final duel with the Twins' victorious Justin Morneau. Only the second half of CBS' CSI: Miami repeat did better Monday night, drawing 188,759 homes.
Monday also brought the season premieres of TNT's The Closer and Saving Grace. They respectively drew 80,375 and 70,632 homes from 8 to 10 p.m. That wasn't quite good enough to beat either Big Josh or any of the competing programming on the four major broadcast networks. Instead, a pair of Fox drama reruns led the free TV parade, with Bones luring 141,265 homes and House, 143,700.
In daytime hours, the premiere of Fox's The Wendy Williams Show (airing only in D-FW and three other markets), ran fifth in total homes at 11 a.m. with just 29,227. It fared better among advertiser-favored 18-to-49-year-olds, taking the bronze and slightly outpointing ABC's All My Children and a combination of the syndicated Jeopardy! and The Young and the Restless on CBS11.
The local news Nielsens gave CBS11 a total homes win at 10 p.m. and a first place tie with WFAA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 and NBC5 tied at 6 a.m. in total homes. But the Peacock dipped to third in the 25-to-54 demo, behind Fox4 and WFAA8.
Fox4 notched a win at 5 p.m. in total homes and tied WFAA8 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 maintained its hammerlock on the 6 p.m. news ratings, running the table for the 16th straight weekday.
Paul Bunyan drew quite a crowd Monday night.
In the person of Texas Rangers' outfielder Josh Hamilton, he hit a record-setting 28 home runs -- including 13 in a row -- during the first round of baseball's All Star Game festivities. D-FW took notice, with 168,056 homes zeroed in on ESPN. That was good enough to beat all competing programming from 8:30 to 9 p.m.
Even more homes -- 180,234 -- then watched a swing-weary Hamilton fizzle out in his final duel with the Twins' victorious Justin Morneau. Only the second half of CBS' CSI: Miami repeat did better Monday night, drawing 188,759 homes.
Monday also brought the season premieres of TNT's The Closer and Saving Grace. They respectively drew 80,375 and 70,632 homes from 8 to 10 p.m. That wasn't quite good enough to beat either Big Josh or any of the competing programming on the four major broadcast networks. Instead, a pair of Fox drama reruns led the free TV parade, with Bones luring 141,265 homes and House, 143,700.
In daytime hours, the premiere of Fox's The Wendy Williams Show (airing only in D-FW and three other markets), ran fifth in total homes at 11 a.m. with just 29,227. It fared better among advertiser-favored 18-to-49-year-olds, taking the bronze and slightly outpointing ABC's All My Children and a combination of the syndicated Jeopardy! and The Young and the Restless on CBS11.
The local news Nielsens gave CBS11 a total homes win at 10 p.m. and a first place tie with WFAA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 and NBC5 tied at 6 a.m. in total homes. But the Peacock dipped to third in the 25-to-54 demo, behind Fox4 and WFAA8.
Fox4 notched a win at 5 p.m. in total homes and tied WFAA8 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 maintained its hammerlock on the 6 p.m. news ratings, running the table for the 16th straight weekday.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., July 11-13)
07/14/08 09:18 AM
By ED BARK
Sunday's rare Fox4 telecast of a Texas Rangers game wound up as much more than a bunt in the D-FW Nielsens.
The marathon 12-11 win over the White Sox dominated all daytime programming before peaking at 141,265 homes from 6 to 6:15 p.m., when Rangers' reliever C.J. Wilson finally got the save after his usual dance with death.
The game's high point fell just a bit short of the first 15 minutes of CBS' 60 Minutes (160,750 homes), but clubbed the news magazine and everything else among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. That's an eye-opener for those who think that baseball mostly is for old-timers.
Later in prime-time, the premiere of CBS' Big Brother 10 managed just 75,504 homes from 7 to 8 p.m. in running third. It also took the bronze with 18-to-49-year-olds.
NBC's two-hour Miss Universe Pageant, in which top 10 finalist Miss USA (Crystle Stewart of Missouri City, TX) fell down during the evening gown competition, fell pretty flat itself with 94,988 homes from 8 to 10 p.m. It was pounded in the 9 p.m. hour by Fox4's local newscast, which drew 170,492 homes while also easily winning the time period with 18-to-49-year-olds.
In the battle of the 10:30 p.m. local sports specials, WFAA8's Dale Hansen was tops (73,068 homes), with NBC5's Newy Scruggs and CBS11's Babe Laufenberg tying for second (48,712 homes). But Fox4's Mike Doocy again drew a bigger audience by starting a half-hour earlier. His 10 p.m. sports special had a league-leading 87,682 homes. (Note to readers: I don't know how many if any of the stations' sports first-stringers actually did their shows, which nonetheless bear their names anyway.)
On Friday, the 9 p.m. premiere of CBS' made-in-Canada Flashpoint cop drama ran a robust first in total homes with 148,572. That made it D-FW's most-watched prime-time program, with Flashpoint also winning big in the 18-to-49 demo.
In the local news derby, Flashpoint's success helped CBS11 to win at 10 p.m. in total homes (143,700). But WFAA8 narrowly took the gold among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Wins again were split at 6 a.m., with Fox4 taking first in total homes and NBC5 tops among 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 ran the table at 5 and 6 p.m., notching its 15th straight weekday sweep in the later hour.
Anchor Tracy Rowlett's last newscast for CBS11 finished fourth at 5 p.m. in both ratings measurements. A total of 65,761 homes and 11,778 viewers in the 25-to-54 demographic watched co-anchor Karen Borta bid Rowlett a teary-eyed and heartfelt goodbye. There also were taped farewells from the likes of former WFAA8 weatherman Troy Dungan and current WFAA8 investigative reporter Byron Harris.
In contrast at 5 p.m., Rowlett's frontrunning old station, WFAA8, attracted 97,424 homes and 47,112 viewers in the 25-to-54 range.
Sunday's rare Fox4 telecast of a Texas Rangers game wound up as much more than a bunt in the D-FW Nielsens.
The marathon 12-11 win over the White Sox dominated all daytime programming before peaking at 141,265 homes from 6 to 6:15 p.m., when Rangers' reliever C.J. Wilson finally got the save after his usual dance with death.
The game's high point fell just a bit short of the first 15 minutes of CBS' 60 Minutes (160,750 homes), but clubbed the news magazine and everything else among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. That's an eye-opener for those who think that baseball mostly is for old-timers.
Later in prime-time, the premiere of CBS' Big Brother 10 managed just 75,504 homes from 7 to 8 p.m. in running third. It also took the bronze with 18-to-49-year-olds.
NBC's two-hour Miss Universe Pageant, in which top 10 finalist Miss USA (Crystle Stewart of Missouri City, TX) fell down during the evening gown competition, fell pretty flat itself with 94,988 homes from 8 to 10 p.m. It was pounded in the 9 p.m. hour by Fox4's local newscast, which drew 170,492 homes while also easily winning the time period with 18-to-49-year-olds.
In the battle of the 10:30 p.m. local sports specials, WFAA8's Dale Hansen was tops (73,068 homes), with NBC5's Newy Scruggs and CBS11's Babe Laufenberg tying for second (48,712 homes). But Fox4's Mike Doocy again drew a bigger audience by starting a half-hour earlier. His 10 p.m. sports special had a league-leading 87,682 homes. (Note to readers: I don't know how many if any of the stations' sports first-stringers actually did their shows, which nonetheless bear their names anyway.)
On Friday, the 9 p.m. premiere of CBS' made-in-Canada Flashpoint cop drama ran a robust first in total homes with 148,572. That made it D-FW's most-watched prime-time program, with Flashpoint also winning big in the 18-to-49 demo.
In the local news derby, Flashpoint's success helped CBS11 to win at 10 p.m. in total homes (143,700). But WFAA8 narrowly took the gold among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Wins again were split at 6 a.m., with Fox4 taking first in total homes and NBC5 tops among 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 ran the table at 5 and 6 p.m., notching its 15th straight weekday sweep in the later hour.
Anchor Tracy Rowlett's last newscast for CBS11 finished fourth at 5 p.m. in both ratings measurements. A total of 65,761 homes and 11,778 viewers in the 25-to-54 demographic watched co-anchor Karen Borta bid Rowlett a teary-eyed and heartfelt goodbye. There also were taped farewells from the likes of former WFAA8 weatherman Troy Dungan and current WFAA8 investigative reporter Byron Harris.
In contrast at 5 p.m., Rowlett's frontrunning old station, WFAA8, attracted 97,424 homes and 47,112 viewers in the 25-to-54 range.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., July 10)
07/11/08 09:52 AM
By ED BARK
Arf arf, yet another new summertime reality competition series entered the arena Thursday.
D-FW viewers threw CBS' Greatest American Dog a bone by making it the night's most-watched 7 p.m. attraction -- by a hair. Dog drew 133,958 D-FW homes to edge Fox's competing Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (131,522 homes).
Among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, though, Smarter easily licked Dog, which nipped NBC's Last Comic Standing for second place.
At 8 p.m., Fox's So You Think You Can Dance results show niftily tapped to the top with 18-to-49-year-olds but ran second in total homes behind a repeat of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
The results weren't so good for 20-year-old Comfort Fedoke of Dallas, who was eliminated. But Dancing's 10 finalists still include Joshua Allen of Fort Worth.
ABC's Hopkins then took over at 9 p.m. drawing the most total homes of the night (172,928) and also the biggest audience of 18-to-49-year-olds.
This helped propel WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscast to comfortable wins in both total homes (155,878) and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser audience for news programming.
Fox4 prevailed in total homes at 6 a.m., with WFAA8 running first in the 25-to-54 demo. The ABC station swept the 5 and 6 p.m. news competitions. That's 14 weekday wins in a row at the later hour.
Arf arf, yet another new summertime reality competition series entered the arena Thursday.
D-FW viewers threw CBS' Greatest American Dog a bone by making it the night's most-watched 7 p.m. attraction -- by a hair. Dog drew 133,958 D-FW homes to edge Fox's competing Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (131,522 homes).
Among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, though, Smarter easily licked Dog, which nipped NBC's Last Comic Standing for second place.
At 8 p.m., Fox's So You Think You Can Dance results show niftily tapped to the top with 18-to-49-year-olds but ran second in total homes behind a repeat of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
The results weren't so good for 20-year-old Comfort Fedoke of Dallas, who was eliminated. But Dancing's 10 finalists still include Joshua Allen of Fort Worth.
ABC's Hopkins then took over at 9 p.m. drawing the most total homes of the night (172,928) and also the biggest audience of 18-to-49-year-olds.
This helped propel WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscast to comfortable wins in both total homes (155,878) and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser audience for news programming.
Fox4 prevailed in total homes at 6 a.m., with WFAA8 running first in the 25-to-54 demo. The ABC station swept the 5 and 6 p.m. news competitions. That's 14 weekday wins in a row at the later hour.
WFAA8 will make Brad Hawkins its early morning co-pilot for at least the near future
07/10/08 04:12 PM
By ED BARK
WFAA8 veteran Brad Hawkins has won at least the short-term competition to succeed Justin Farmer as co-anchor of the station's early morning Daybreak program.
Informed sources at the station confirmed that Hawkins, a fixture on WFAA8's weekend newscasts, will join incumbent Cynthia Izaguirre when Farmer leaves for WSB-TV in Atlanta at the end of July. The job will be his for at least the rest of this year while management gauges both his performance and the program's ratings.
News director Michael Valentine declined to comment on Hawkins' status, although sources say that WFAA8 staffers have been informed of his impending move to the weekday early morning shift. Hawkins rejoined WFAA8 in January 2000 after an earlier stint as a production assistant in the station's Austin bureau.
Farmer has been a lame duck early morning anchor since January 4th, when he informed WFAA8 of his decision to leave for WSB-TV. Earlier that same day, Izaguirre made her debut as his co-anchor, replacing the departed Jackie Hyland.
Farmer since has been dealt out of Daybreak promotions while serving out his contract with WFAA8. His father, Don Farmer, was a star anchor at WSB and also a charter member of Atlanta-based CNN's anchor corps when the all-news network signed on in 1980.
Daybreak ranked No. 1 in the May ratings "sweeps" among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. And the program tied with Fox4's Good Day for the top spot in the total homes Nielsens.
Also of note: Former WFAA8 news director David Duitch has been named news director of Dallas-based KDAF-TV (CW 33). He's expected to start in mid-July.
Duitch replaces Mark Shepherd, who had helmed the station's 9 p.m. local newscasts on a shoestring budget compared to rival D-FW news operations. Duitch earlier had gone from Belo-owned WFAA8 to vice president of the corporation's Washington bureau in October 2004. But recent budget cuts put him on the street.
CW 33 is rumored to be expanding its local news operation, including the possible launch of a morning show by this fall. Previously owned by Tribune Corp. the station now is under the private ownership of notoriously outspoken Chicago billionaire Sam Zell.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 9)
07/10/08 09:25 AM
By ED BARK
Unscripted competitions and concoctions filled the Big Four networks' prime-time lineups Wednesday, with only CBS dissenting in part.
Fox's latest two-hour edition of So You Think You Can Dance had prime-time's highest ratings among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds. But a rerun of CBS' CSI: NY drew the biggest overall audience with 160,750 D-FW homes despite finishing fourth at 9 p.m. in the 18-to-49 demo.
A new episode of NBC's controversial Baby Borrowers ran fourth in total homes at 8 p.m., but moved up to the second spot in that time slot with 18-to-49-year-olds.
In the local news derby, WFAA8 notched another two wins at 10 p.m., prevailing in total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m., and WFAA8 did likewise in the 5 and 6 p.m. news competitions. Its twin wins at 6 p.m. extended the station's streak to 13 straight weekdays.
Unscripted competitions and concoctions filled the Big Four networks' prime-time lineups Wednesday, with only CBS dissenting in part.
Fox's latest two-hour edition of So You Think You Can Dance had prime-time's highest ratings among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds. But a rerun of CBS' CSI: NY drew the biggest overall audience with 160,750 D-FW homes despite finishing fourth at 9 p.m. in the 18-to-49 demo.
A new episode of NBC's controversial Baby Borrowers ran fourth in total homes at 8 p.m., but moved up to the second spot in that time slot with 18-to-49-year-olds.
In the local news derby, WFAA8 notched another two wins at 10 p.m., prevailing in total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m., and WFAA8 did likewise in the 5 and 6 p.m. news competitions. Its twin wins at 6 p.m. extended the station's streak to 13 straight weekdays.
Who, what, where, when -- WFAA8's "Why Guy" leaving D-FW
07/09/08 06:22 PM
By ED BARK
Mike Castellucci, best known as WFAA8's "Why Guy" since joining the station in spring 2003, has decided to leave Dallas-Fort Worth and move to San Diego with his wife.
News director Mike Valentine said Wednesday that Castellucci's last day at WFAA8 will be in late July.
The departure is "totally amicable," Valentine said.
Castellucci began as a roving Daybreak correspondent specializing in oddball stories spiced with his equally off-center sense of humor. He lately has been a featured correspondent on WFAA8's 5 p.m. newscasts. His most recent story, on July 8th, was on how Southfork Ranch remains a "hot property."
Castellucci previously worked at TV stations in Grand Junction, Colo., Colorado Springs, San Diego and Los Angeles before his Emmy Award-winning tenure at WFAA8.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 8)
07/09/08 09:58 AM
By ED BARK
Dare it be said that ABC's Wipeout is starting to emerge as summer's hottest new show in D-FW?
Tuesday night's third episode couldn't quite beat CBS' NCIS repeat in the 7 p.m. total homes ratings. But Wipeout ruled that hour among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the only audience that networks really care about.
In the total homes Nielsens, the incredibly resilient NCIS had Tuesday's biggest haul with 211,897. Wipeout was close behind (197,284) while dominating the 18-to-49 ratings. The ABC show drew 160,823 viewers in this age group, with NBC's Celebrity Family Feud (91,449) a distant runnerup during the 7 p.m. hour.
The Peacock's America's Got Talent took over at 8 p.m., matching Wipeout's numbers in both total homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds. At 9 p.m., ABC's PrimeTime: The Outsiders narrowly beat CBS' Without A Trace repeat in total homes. But NBC's Law & Order: SVU had the edge in the 18-to-49 demo.
Over on MY27, the rain-delayed Texas Rangers-Los Angeles Angels game made a nice splash in the late going. Texas' 3-2 win peaked at a good-sized 136,394 total homes between 10 and 10:15 p.m. That earned it a competitive No. 3 spot in total homes behind the opening 15 minutes of local newscasts on WFAA8 (185,106) and NBC5 (160,750).
Overall, WFAA8 averaged 177,799 homes for its 10 p.m. news. It also won among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 copped the gold at 6 a.m. in total homes, but WFAA8 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions and WFAA8 again did likewise at 6 p.m., stretching its winning streak at the later hour to 12 straight weekdays.
Dare it be said that ABC's Wipeout is starting to emerge as summer's hottest new show in D-FW?
Tuesday night's third episode couldn't quite beat CBS' NCIS repeat in the 7 p.m. total homes ratings. But Wipeout ruled that hour among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the only audience that networks really care about.
In the total homes Nielsens, the incredibly resilient NCIS had Tuesday's biggest haul with 211,897. Wipeout was close behind (197,284) while dominating the 18-to-49 ratings. The ABC show drew 160,823 viewers in this age group, with NBC's Celebrity Family Feud (91,449) a distant runnerup during the 7 p.m. hour.
The Peacock's America's Got Talent took over at 8 p.m., matching Wipeout's numbers in both total homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds. At 9 p.m., ABC's PrimeTime: The Outsiders narrowly beat CBS' Without A Trace repeat in total homes. But NBC's Law & Order: SVU had the edge in the 18-to-49 demo.
Over on MY27, the rain-delayed Texas Rangers-Los Angeles Angels game made a nice splash in the late going. Texas' 3-2 win peaked at a good-sized 136,394 total homes between 10 and 10:15 p.m. That earned it a competitive No. 3 spot in total homes behind the opening 15 minutes of local newscasts on WFAA8 (185,106) and NBC5 (160,750).
Overall, WFAA8 averaged 177,799 homes for its 10 p.m. news. It also won among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 copped the gold at 6 a.m. in total homes, but WFAA8 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions and WFAA8 again did likewise at 6 p.m., stretching its winning streak at the later hour to 12 straight weekdays.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 7)
07/08/08 11:29 AM
By ED BARK
ABC filled its entire prime-time schedule with The Bachelorette Monday, and got a three-hour run to the ratings roses.
The show's latest season finale drew 189,977 D-FW homes for its first two hours before closing with 182,670 in the closing 9 to 10 p.m. hour.
That gave ABC a big win in total homes from 7 to 9 p.m. before CBS' CSI: Miami repeat beat Bachelorette for the gold at 9 p.m. (207,027 homes). But ABC won across the board among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds.
NBC's Nashville Star continued to droop in the 8 p.m. hour despite the considerable presence of Arlington's Melissa Lawson, who survived to sing again. Star ran fourth in homes (just 90,117) and with 18-to-49-year-olds.
In the local news derby, WFAA8 won at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The ABC station slipped to third at 6 a.m. in both measurements, with Fox4 winning in total homes and NBC5 running first in the 25-to-54 demo.
ABC filled its entire prime-time schedule with The Bachelorette Monday, and got a three-hour run to the ratings roses.
The show's latest season finale drew 189,977 D-FW homes for its first two hours before closing with 182,670 in the closing 9 to 10 p.m. hour.
That gave ABC a big win in total homes from 7 to 9 p.m. before CBS' CSI: Miami repeat beat Bachelorette for the gold at 9 p.m. (207,027 homes). But ABC won across the board among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds.
NBC's Nashville Star continued to droop in the 8 p.m. hour despite the considerable presence of Arlington's Melissa Lawson, who survived to sing again. Star ran fourth in homes (just 90,117) and with 18-to-49-year-olds.
In the local news derby, WFAA8 won at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The ABC station slipped to third at 6 a.m. in both measurements, with Fox4 winning in total homes and NBC5 running first in the 25-to-54 demo.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs.-Sun., July 3-6)
07/07/08 09:15 AM
By ED BARK
Net gains.
NBC's coverage of Sunday's marathon Wimbledon men's final dominated the daytime ratings. But Saturday morning's faceoff between Venus and Serena Williams peaked with a slightly bigger crowd.
Rafael Nadal's spine-tingling termination of Roger Federer's five-year winning streak, interrupted repeatedly by rain, maxed at 126,651 D-FW homes between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m.
Venus Williams' fifth Wimbledon singles title, at the expense of her younger sister, peaked at 131,522 homes in Saturday's 9:15 to 9:30 a.m. segment.
Both matches dominated all competing programming.
On Fourth of July night, most D-FWians understandably had better things to do than veg in front of the tube. Ergo, the most-watched prime-time attraction, a repeat of CBS' Ghost Whisperer, drew a dinky 90,117 homes.
Two of the four 10 p.m. local newscasts did better than that, with WFAA8 taking the gold (133,958 homes) and also winning among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and also ran first at 5 p.m. in the total homes Nielsens. WFAA8 took the remaining competitions, with victories at 5 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds and in both measurements at 6 p.m., where its winning streak now stands at 10 straight weekdays.
Thursday's prime-time numbers were paced by Fox's So You Think You Can Dance results show, which weighed in with 129,087 homes and also called the tune among 18-to-49-year-olds, the main advertiser target for non-news programming.
WFAA8 took the 10 p.m. battles in both measurements and also swept the 5 and 6 p.m. races. Fox4 did likewise at 6 a.m.
Net gains.
NBC's coverage of Sunday's marathon Wimbledon men's final dominated the daytime ratings. But Saturday morning's faceoff between Venus and Serena Williams peaked with a slightly bigger crowd.
Rafael Nadal's spine-tingling termination of Roger Federer's five-year winning streak, interrupted repeatedly by rain, maxed at 126,651 D-FW homes between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m.
Venus Williams' fifth Wimbledon singles title, at the expense of her younger sister, peaked at 131,522 homes in Saturday's 9:15 to 9:30 a.m. segment.
Both matches dominated all competing programming.
On Fourth of July night, most D-FWians understandably had better things to do than veg in front of the tube. Ergo, the most-watched prime-time attraction, a repeat of CBS' Ghost Whisperer, drew a dinky 90,117 homes.
Two of the four 10 p.m. local newscasts did better than that, with WFAA8 taking the gold (133,958 homes) and also winning among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Fox4 notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and also ran first at 5 p.m. in the total homes Nielsens. WFAA8 took the remaining competitions, with victories at 5 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds and in both measurements at 6 p.m., where its winning streak now stands at 10 straight weekdays.
Thursday's prime-time numbers were paced by Fox's So You Think You Can Dance results show, which weighed in with 129,087 homes and also called the tune among 18-to-49-year-olds, the main advertiser target for non-news programming.
WFAA8 took the 10 p.m. battles in both measurements and also swept the 5 and 6 p.m. races. Fox4 did likewise at 6 a.m.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 2)
07/03/08 09:17 AM
By ED BARK
A 10 p.m. local newscast again ranked as the day's most-watched program while Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and NBC's The Baby Borrowers fought for attention in the 8 p.m. hour.
The second hour of Dance and summer's second episode of Borrowers tied in total D-FW homes with 138,829 apiece. But Dance edged Borrowers by one-tenth of a rating point (3,153 viewers) among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
Dance won Wednesday's opening 7 to 8 p.m. hour in both ratings measurements, with ABC's Wife Swap running second.
At 9 p.m., a repeat of CBS' CSI: NY ruled in total homes (177,799), but NBC's three-ring hokum, Celebrity Circus, nipped the coppers and Fox4's local newscast in the 18-to-49 demo.
Your local news derby Nielsens gave WFAA8's late nighter comfortable wins in total homes (192,412 for Wednesday's high) and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The 6 a.m. golds went to NBC5 in total homes and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock and Fox4 tied at 5 p.m. in total homes, with the usually potent WFAA8 sliding to fourth place. But the ABC station won at that hour with 25-to-54-year-olds and also swept the 6 p.m. ratings for the eighth straight weekday.
A 10 p.m. local newscast again ranked as the day's most-watched program while Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and NBC's The Baby Borrowers fought for attention in the 8 p.m. hour.
The second hour of Dance and summer's second episode of Borrowers tied in total D-FW homes with 138,829 apiece. But Dance edged Borrowers by one-tenth of a rating point (3,153 viewers) among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
Dance won Wednesday's opening 7 to 8 p.m. hour in both ratings measurements, with ABC's Wife Swap running second.
At 9 p.m., a repeat of CBS' CSI: NY ruled in total homes (177,799), but NBC's three-ring hokum, Celebrity Circus, nipped the coppers and Fox4's local newscast in the 18-to-49 demo.
Your local news derby Nielsens gave WFAA8's late nighter comfortable wins in total homes (192,412 for Wednesday's high) and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
The 6 a.m. golds went to NBC5 in total homes and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock and Fox4 tied at 5 p.m. in total homes, with the usually potent WFAA8 sliding to fourth place. But the ABC station won at that hour with 25-to-54-year-olds and also swept the 6 p.m. ratings for the eighth straight weekday.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 1)
07/02/08 10:06 AM
By ED BARK
NBC's two-hour America's Got Talent, which included auditions from Dallas, again commanded prime-time's biggest audience Tuesday.
A total of 185,106 D-FW homes tuned in, with NBC5's following 10 p.m. newscast matching that number to outdraw its three rivals.
Talent also had the night's highest concentration of advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds. In the preliminary 7 to 8 p.m. competition, CBS' NCIS repeat won in total homes (172,928) but Fox's The Moment of Truth sucked in the most 18-to-49-year-olds.
ABC's Wipeout sagged in its second outing, luring 114,473 homes compared to 163,185 on the previous Tuesday. That was still good enough for second place at 7 p.m., with Wipeout likewise taking the silver in the 18-to-49 demo. Also at that hour, a second week's dollop of NBC's Celebrity Family Feud ran fourth in total homes and third with 18-to-49-year-olds; NCIS dipped to fourth in the latter battle.
The Texas Rangers' second consecutive one-run win at Yankee Stadium put 65,761 homes in MY27's field of play.
News-wise, NBC5 also comfortably won at 10 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds, the preferred advertiser audience for news programming.
The Peacock added a first place finish at 6 a.m. in total homes, but Fox4 topped the 25-to-54 field.
At 5 p.m., Fox4 and WFAA8 tied in both ratings measurements. WFAA8 again swept the 6 p.m. Nielsens, running its weekday winning streak to seven.
NBC's two-hour America's Got Talent, which included auditions from Dallas, again commanded prime-time's biggest audience Tuesday.
A total of 185,106 D-FW homes tuned in, with NBC5's following 10 p.m. newscast matching that number to outdraw its three rivals.
Talent also had the night's highest concentration of advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds. In the preliminary 7 to 8 p.m. competition, CBS' NCIS repeat won in total homes (172,928) but Fox's The Moment of Truth sucked in the most 18-to-49-year-olds.
ABC's Wipeout sagged in its second outing, luring 114,473 homes compared to 163,185 on the previous Tuesday. That was still good enough for second place at 7 p.m., with Wipeout likewise taking the silver in the 18-to-49 demo. Also at that hour, a second week's dollop of NBC's Celebrity Family Feud ran fourth in total homes and third with 18-to-49-year-olds; NCIS dipped to fourth in the latter battle.
The Texas Rangers' second consecutive one-run win at Yankee Stadium put 65,761 homes in MY27's field of play.
News-wise, NBC5 also comfortably won at 10 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds, the preferred advertiser audience for news programming.
The Peacock added a first place finish at 6 a.m. in total homes, but Fox4 topped the 25-to-54 field.
At 5 p.m., Fox4 and WFAA8 tied in both ratings measurements. WFAA8 again swept the 6 p.m. Nielsens, running its weekday winning streak to seven.
Local vocalist: News anchor Tracy Kornet can carry tunes, too
07/01/08 11:05 AM
By ED BARK
News anchor by night, lead singer by later night, Tracy Kornet has decided to abide by a song she regularly covers -- Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy."
"I was a little concerned about being judged really harshly," she says during a break outside Sambuca's in Addison, where Kornet and the Eleven21 band are mixing it up on a Friday night. "There are going to be those people who say, 'She's no journalist. Why is she doing that?' And I just think, 'You know what, it makes me really happy.' And it allows me to use a gift that was implanted in me as a little kid. It's a way to honor my family's legacy, and I need to do it."
Kornet's center stage occupation is co-anchoring TXA21's prime-time weeknight newscasts. Until recently she'd pushed her singing aside while polishing a TV career that began in Lexington, KY. The Chicago native had been raised in a music-driven family by parents who mastered several instruments, including the old-school accordion.
As a young adult, Kornet vocalized with the Japanese pop star Anri on two world tours. She also performed with The Pointer Sisters and Donny Osmond among others. But life on the road neither suited nor anchored her.
"I got those dreams out of my mind really early," Kornet says. "And at age 21, I knew I wasn't gonna do this as a career."
She instead hopped on the mommy track after marrying former Milwaukee Bucks forward Frank Kornet, who lasted two years in the NBA after starring from 1985 to '89 at Vanderbilt University. They've been married nearly 18 years and have three children, John, 17, Nicole, 14, and Luke, who turns 13 this month. Not surprisingly, they're all basketball players.
"I hadn't sung professionally since I started in television, really," says Kornet. "I have been the primary breadwinner of my family for the last 14 years, and my husband has been the dedicated, stay-at-home father. So TV is my bread and butter and my livelihood. And I have absolutely no intention of leaving it behind."
A window opened late last year, though. Kornet had missed her inner singer. And her co-workers at TXA21 and sister station CBS11 just happened to include an array of seasoned musicians.
Tommy Hiett, who keeps the stations' computers on track, also is an accomplished lead guitarist who's played with the likes of Elton John and Huey Lewis and the News. Gary Schneider, senior vice president and station manager for CBS11/TXA21, is a drummer and ex-member of a Rolling Stones tribute band called The Stoneleighs. Saxophonist Richard Frish, general sales manager for Cumulus Radio, has worked with Lee Ann Rimes, The Dixie Chicks and The Gatlin Brothers among others. And so on.
They decided to perform at last year's company Christmas party, with guitarists Dan Dobbs and David Chavez, keyboardist True Tidwell and vocalist Diane Chavez also joining what became the eight-member Eleven21 band.
"It was a sheer joy to rehearse," Kornet says. "Tears were streaming down my face and my heart was beating a million miles per hour. Wow, I didn't realize how much I missed it."
The Christmas party performance led to a wedding booking. And a few private parties. And now regular engagements at both the Sambuca and Sullivan's nightclub/restaurants.
On this Friday, Kornet co-anchors TXA21's 7 to 9 p.m. newscast from the station's Forth Worth studios. Then she changes into a gold-trimmed white ensemble the way Supergirl might transfer from a business suit to leotards and cape. By 10:15 she joins Eleven21 in progress, belting "Chain of Fools" for starters.
"Every set has a different feel," says Kornet, with the band shifting from hard rock to R&B to "jazzy/mellow" and back again. They cover artists ranging from The Doors to Kool & The Gang to Carrie Underwood to Billy Idol to Santana.
"It's taken me quite a while to loosen up to where I'm comfortable in anything but a suit," Kornet says. "The hardest part has been the clothes and trying to feel comfortable in my own skin."
Drummer Schneider, the designated leader, has a game plan of "not going anywhere where we're playing to empty chairs and ashtrays," Kornet says. "I'm good with that."
There's a history in D-FW of singing TV newsies. NBC5 reporter Nigel Wheeler decided to leave the station last year to concentrate on touring full-time with his band Egress, where he performs as Kali Green. Former Fox4 anchor Ashleigh Banfield moonlighted as a lead singer for a rock band during her time in Dallas.
"I kind of know about the Ashleigh Banfield era," Kornet says. "I think I read about her in an inflight magazine. And I thought, 'That kind of gives me permission to explore a hobby and not worry so much about what everybody thinks.'
"I don't want to take myself so darned seriously anymore. I spent so many years being so self-conscious. Guys in this industry can go out and play golf and so whatever they want (off-camera). Music is my hobby, so why can't I sing? Why can't I go out there and have fun? It feels like a team out there when you have a bunch of other musicians that you have to depend on to create a great sound. I realized it was just a little part of me that I found again. And I'm very blessed that our station allows this and supports our band."
Otherwise she wouldn't be singing anew onstage. "I can't do anything that makes me fear for my job. Period. I can't," Kornet says. "And so I pray that this never becomes that."
She'll be 40 years old in October. And it clearly thrills her to hear a young woman exclaim, "You guys rock!" while an interviewer records her spoken words.
It bears repeating, though. Kornet has no interest in re-becoming what she was nearly 20 years ago -- a full-time singer with a road map that wouldn't quit.
"I wish I could give you that story, but that is so not on my radar," she says. "This is not a mid-life crisis thing. I promise."
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., June 30)
07/01/08 10:06 AM
By ED BARK
CBS11 ended June with a hot night for its 10 p.m. newscast, which cruised to a rare runaway doubleheader win.
Drawing 175,363 D-FW homes, CBS11 thumped NBC5 (129,087), WFAA8 (124,216) and Fox4 (75,504) while also winning comfortably among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
It helps, of course, to have a nice-sized lead-in from CBS' CSI: Miami repeat (189,977 homes overall). The runnerup program at 9 p.m., Fox4's local newscast, managed 119,344 homes on a night when six hours of firstrun reality competitions on ABC and NBC had up-and-down ratings performances against reruns on CBS and Fox.
ABC's The Bachelorette and Fox's Bones repeat tied at 7 p.m. with 119,344 homes apiece. But the Peacock's American Gladiators had the edge among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds.
CBS won in both measurements from 8 to 8:30 p.m. with a Two and a Half Men reprise. At 8:30 p.m., a second half-hour of another Bachelorette had the edge in total homes while Fox's House repeat hauled in the most 18-to-49-year-olds. CSI: Miami then burned everybody in both measurements.
ABC's The Mole again played dead with a double dose of fourth-place finishes at 9 p.m. NBC's two-hour Nashville Star lagged in third with 104,731 homes from 8 to 10 p.m. despite now having three Texas-tied contestants among the competition's Final Eight. They include Melissa Lawson of Arlington.
In the other local news battles, Fox4 won at 6 a.m. in total homes, with WFAA8 tops among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 had a better day at 5 p.m., taking first in both ratings measurements. WFAA8 again ran the table at 6 p.m. for its sixth consecutive pair of weekday wins.
CBS11 ended June with a hot night for its 10 p.m. newscast, which cruised to a rare runaway doubleheader win.
Drawing 175,363 D-FW homes, CBS11 thumped NBC5 (129,087), WFAA8 (124,216) and Fox4 (75,504) while also winning comfortably among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
It helps, of course, to have a nice-sized lead-in from CBS' CSI: Miami repeat (189,977 homes overall). The runnerup program at 9 p.m., Fox4's local newscast, managed 119,344 homes on a night when six hours of firstrun reality competitions on ABC and NBC had up-and-down ratings performances against reruns on CBS and Fox.
ABC's The Bachelorette and Fox's Bones repeat tied at 7 p.m. with 119,344 homes apiece. But the Peacock's American Gladiators had the edge among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds.
CBS won in both measurements from 8 to 8:30 p.m. with a Two and a Half Men reprise. At 8:30 p.m., a second half-hour of another Bachelorette had the edge in total homes while Fox's House repeat hauled in the most 18-to-49-year-olds. CSI: Miami then burned everybody in both measurements.
ABC's The Mole again played dead with a double dose of fourth-place finishes at 9 p.m. NBC's two-hour Nashville Star lagged in third with 104,731 homes from 8 to 10 p.m. despite now having three Texas-tied contestants among the competition's Final Eight. They include Melissa Lawson of Arlington.
In the other local news battles, Fox4 won at 6 a.m. in total homes, with WFAA8 tops among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 had a better day at 5 p.m., taking first in both ratings measurements. WFAA8 again ran the table at 6 p.m. for its sixth consecutive pair of weekday wins.
"We're hitting the streets everyday to find solutions"
07/01/08 01:38 AM