Insights and Rochelle Brown are now out of sight at Fox4
07/02/09 05:01 PM
Rochelle Brown, formerly of Fox4
By ED BARK
Rochelle Brown and the minority-targeted program Insights are no more at Fox4.
Insights, which endured for 29 years on the Dallas-based station, had its last telecast on June 21st.
Brown, the show's first host and in later years its executive producer, was let go on the following day after more than 31 years at Fox4. She joined the station in January 1978, pre-dating even anchor Clarice Tinsley, who arrived later that year from a Milwaukee station.
"It's been amazing. A lot of people don't know we're gone yet," Brown said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I've been getting lots of calls from the community. People are still calling, pitching stories. And I have to say, 'Wait a minute.' "
Brown said she wasn't told specifically why Insights was canceled, but "I sort of expected it. The industry is in flux right now. It's crazy. I'm not sure what the station's rationale was exactly, but I guess it is sort of an end of an era."
Fox4 news director Maria Barrs has not answered an email inquiry asking for comment. The station, like many, generally does not talk publicly about personnel matters, except when hiring people.
The ongoing tough economy has led to cutbacks at all of D-FW's major TV news providers. Earlier this year, WFAA8 dropped Young Street and its staff. The "young adult lifestyles" magazine program had replaced La Vida and Metro, which respectively were aimed at Hispanic and African-American audiences.
Brown said that Insights initially "was put together with the premise that we would be a place for the average person to go tell a story. It was primarily an African-American program, but as the makeup of the city changed, we changed, too, to include Hispanics, Asians and other nationalities."
Brown joked that she plans to "start a companion blog, and I'm going to call it auntierose.com." But in reality, "I'm not sure what I'm going to do," she said. "I think this is a great opportunity to explore some other things that I've been interested in, so we'll see what happens."
Insights, scheduled at 8:30 a.m. Sundays on Fox4, was hosted by veteran reporter Shaun Rabb until its cancellation. Brown remained the executive producer and occasionally filled in as host. Rabb remains at Fox4.
The final June 21st Insights drew 13,286 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research numbers. On the following Sunday, the infomercial that replaced it had 3,986 viewers.
In other Fox4 developments . . . Sources say the station has interviewed at least two applicants from outside the station for the Good Day co-anchor position. But the lid on this process is tighter than Joan Rivers' face.
Fox4 has been rotating in-house Good Day anchors since Megan Henderson left the show in late February to join KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. Good Day currently is running second in the early morning ratings behind NBC5.
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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 1) -- Rangers swing for fences, outscore Angels and all four 10 pm. newscasts
07/02/09 10:57 AM
By ED BARK
The Texas Rangers' walk-off home run win -- after blowing a late-inning 7-1 lead over the Angels -- jacked their ratings to new highs late Wednesday night.
Telecast on Fox Sports Southwest and ending a few minutes shy of 10:30 p.m., Rangers-Angels drew 245,791 D-FW viewers opposite the four local 10 p.m. newscasts. That easily beat top draw NBC5's news, which had 159,432 viewers.
The Rangers, now back within a half-game of first place, also ran first from 10 to 10:30 p.m. among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds and 25-to-54-year-olds, with the latter measurement the key target audience for news programming.
Women 25-to-54 are far more important to local stations' sales departments, though, and the Rangers still pretty much flunked that test. Here's the gender breakdown within that age group during the 10 to 10:30 p.m. slot:
Men 25-to-54
Rangers-Angels -- 87,660
NBC5 news -- 46,137
WFAA8 news -- 24,606
CBS11 news -- 16,917
Fox4 news -- 15,379
Women 25-to-54
WFAA8 -- 53,906
Fox4 -- 44,922
CBS11 -- 35,938
NBC5 -- 34,440
Rangers-Angels -- 23,958
The entire Rangers-Angels game averaged 166,075 total viewers of all ages. Only NBC's America's Got Talent drew more viewers in prime-time (252,434 in the 8 p.m. hour).
Those are dizzying heights for the North Texas Nine, especially on a cable network. Get used to it. The Rangers' next scheduled game on free-for-all MY27 isn't until Sept. 5th against the Orioles.
In other ratings results, the frenzied, vomit-worthy coverage of Michael Jackson on the three 6:30 p.m. rag mags is being dominated -- ratings-wise -- by Entertainment Tonight on WFAA8. ET averaged 159,432 total viewers Wednesday, compared to Extra's 126,217 on NBC5 and Access Hollywood's 106,288 on Fox4. Poor Wheel of Fortune, which used to dominate at 6:30 p.m., doesn't have a chance against this onslaught. Wednesday's edition drew just 73,073 viewers on CBS11 and also was crunched in the 18-to-49 demographic.
NBC5's previously cited total viewers win in the 10 p.m. newscast competition went nicely with its first place finish among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock also again swept the 6 a.m. ratings while WFAA8 did likewise at 6 p.m.
NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for first in total viewers at 5 p.m., but Fox4 took the gold among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Texas Rangers' walk-off home run win -- after blowing a late-inning 7-1 lead over the Angels -- jacked their ratings to new highs late Wednesday night.
Telecast on Fox Sports Southwest and ending a few minutes shy of 10:30 p.m., Rangers-Angels drew 245,791 D-FW viewers opposite the four local 10 p.m. newscasts. That easily beat top draw NBC5's news, which had 159,432 viewers.
The Rangers, now back within a half-game of first place, also ran first from 10 to 10:30 p.m. among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds and 25-to-54-year-olds, with the latter measurement the key target audience for news programming.
Women 25-to-54 are far more important to local stations' sales departments, though, and the Rangers still pretty much flunked that test. Here's the gender breakdown within that age group during the 10 to 10:30 p.m. slot:
Men 25-to-54
Rangers-Angels -- 87,660
NBC5 news -- 46,137
WFAA8 news -- 24,606
CBS11 news -- 16,917
Fox4 news -- 15,379
Women 25-to-54
WFAA8 -- 53,906
Fox4 -- 44,922
CBS11 -- 35,938
NBC5 -- 34,440
Rangers-Angels -- 23,958
The entire Rangers-Angels game averaged 166,075 total viewers of all ages. Only NBC's America's Got Talent drew more viewers in prime-time (252,434 in the 8 p.m. hour).
Those are dizzying heights for the North Texas Nine, especially on a cable network. Get used to it. The Rangers' next scheduled game on free-for-all MY27 isn't until Sept. 5th against the Orioles.
In other ratings results, the frenzied, vomit-worthy coverage of Michael Jackson on the three 6:30 p.m. rag mags is being dominated -- ratings-wise -- by Entertainment Tonight on WFAA8. ET averaged 159,432 total viewers Wednesday, compared to Extra's 126,217 on NBC5 and Access Hollywood's 106,288 on Fox4. Poor Wheel of Fortune, which used to dominate at 6:30 p.m., doesn't have a chance against this onslaught. Wednesday's edition drew just 73,073 viewers on CBS11 and also was crunched in the 18-to-49 demographic.
NBC5's previously cited total viewers win in the 10 p.m. newscast competition went nicely with its first place finish among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock also again swept the 6 a.m. ratings while WFAA8 did likewise at 6 p.m.
NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for first in total viewers at 5 p.m., but Fox4 took the gold among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Subtract Sandra Hernandez from "The 33" news team
07/01/09 02:46 PM
By ED BARK
Reporter Sandra Hernandez has departed KDAF-TV ("The 33") after being hired in late 2006.
Her picture and biography already have been removed from the KDAF website.
Hernandez previously worked at Dallas-based Fox4 as co-anchor of the station's 5 to 6 a.m. portion of Good Day. She then freelanced in Los Angeles before returning to D-FW. A picture was not immediately available. Efforts to reach Hernandez have so far been unsuccessful.
Hernandez joins a host of anchors and reporters who have left the station under news director David Duitch, who took that position a year ago after an earlier stint as news director at WFAA8 in Dallas.
Duitch also has made a number of his own hires, including former NBC5 meteorologist Rebecca Miller and two "backpack journalists" who were laid off earlier this year by The Dallas Morning News.
KDAF, which has a nightly 9 p.m. local newscast, recently joined in a content-sharing arrangement with Fox4 and NBC5. The station plans to debut a 5:30 p.m. newscast sometime this fall.
Reporter Sandra Hernandez has departed KDAF-TV ("The 33") after being hired in late 2006.
Her picture and biography already have been removed from the KDAF website.
Hernandez previously worked at Dallas-based Fox4 as co-anchor of the station's 5 to 6 a.m. portion of Good Day. She then freelanced in Los Angeles before returning to D-FW. A picture was not immediately available. Efforts to reach Hernandez have so far been unsuccessful.
Hernandez joins a host of anchors and reporters who have left the station under news director David Duitch, who took that position a year ago after an earlier stint as news director at WFAA8 in Dallas.
Duitch also has made a number of his own hires, including former NBC5 meteorologist Rebecca Miller and two "backpack journalists" who were laid off earlier this year by The Dallas Morning News.
KDAF, which has a nightly 9 p.m. local newscast, recently joined in a content-sharing arrangement with Fox4 and NBC5. The station plans to debut a 5:30 p.m. newscast sometime this fall.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., June 30) -- Rangers/Angels outdraw three of four 10 p.m. newscasts
07/01/09 12:15 PM
By ED BARK
The Texas Rangers capped an otherwise dismal June with a crucial home win over the Angels Tuesday night.
Fox Sports Southwest's telecast averaged a nice-sized and symmetrical 146,146 D-FW viewers, with 159,432 watching the closing half-hour opposite local 10 p.m. newscasts. That was good enough to outscore everyone except WFAA8, which had 225,862 viewers in marking the heralded return of sports anchor Dale Hansen after a month's vacation.
On a decidedly lesser sports front, the second episode of ABC's The Superstars drew 86,359 viewers from 7 to 8:30, less than half the crowd for CBS' competing repeats of NCIS (212,576 viewers) and The Mentalist (186,004 viewers). Because of an injury to former tennis star Jennifer Capriati, the evicted marquee duo of Terrell Owens and model Joanna Krupa returned to brag again. They survived this time, in large part because an opening "Sand Dash" competition just happened to be tailor made for Owens' speed.
NBC's America's Got Talent again led all prime-time programming with 225,862 viewers in the 8 p.m. hour. But CBS' 9 p.m. edition of 48 Hrs. Mystery, subtitled "Michael Jackson: Picking Up the Pieces," attracted the most advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (90,754).
In other local news derby results, WFAA8 also overcame a skimpy lead-in from ABC's disagreeable Prime Time: Family Secrets to top the 10 p.m field among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again countered with twin wins at 6 a.m. and also ran the table at 5 p.m.
The 6 p.m. golds were split between WFAA8 in total viewers and NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds. It was feast or famine for WFAA8, which dropped to fourth place with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Pete 'n' Dale sideshow resumes; new campaign for Daybreak begins
07/01/09 01:56 AM
By ED BARK
WFAA8 sports anchor Dale Hansen returned from his month-long vacation Tuesday, also ending viewers' respite from the almost nightly 10 p.m. newscast hijinks between him and weathercaster Pete Delkus.
Big Pete could hardly wait to show an array of doctored pictures depicting "Dale's Summer Vacation," climaxing with the above shot of the two of 'em playing handsie in the sandsie. News anchors Gloria Campos and John McCaa also laughed it up while your friendly content provider wondered what more can be said that hasn't been already.
WFAA8 isn't about to cease and desist. On the contrary. So let 'em keep acting like goofballs, and we'll see where it all leads. Those who claim they're sick of their shtick should be smart enough to have switched stations at this point. Those who eagerly await their banter will be overjoyed to see Pete 'n' Dale together again. As the 10 p.m. ratings get ever closer, there's a lot riding on which side wins out.
WFAA8 also has launched a new promotional campaign for its early morning team, with the spotlight primarily on news anchors Cynthia Izaguirre and relative newcomer Chris Flanagan.
The station continues to run third in this key battleground, with NBC5 leading and Fox4 slipping to second while continuing to rotate a series of in-house co-anchors after the late February departure of Megan Henderson to KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.
Judging from the above visuals, Izaguirre and Flanagan are striving to be almost as fun-lovin' as Pete 'n' Dale. Wow, look at 'em do "The Bump" in that "Summer Survival Guide" logo featured on wfaa.com.
There's also the inventive tribute song performed in honor of Izaguirre by a smitten Granbury kindergarten teacher. Daybreak closed out a recent edition with it while she beamed and nodded to the beat. And frankly, after listening to it a time or three, it sure beats another "Rumble in the Plaza" with Hansen-Delkus. So have a look and a listen. And given the subject matter, don't pretend you could do any better.
NBC5 mgt. responds to criticism of homes-for-sale series
07/01/09 12:05 AM
By ED BARK
Susan Tully, vice president of content management for Fort Worth-based NBC5, says the station's recent tour of homes-for-sale was a valid news feature.
An earlier critique in these spaces derided reporter Lindsay Wilcox's 5-part series, shown during last week's 10 p.m. newscasts, as a thinly disguised advertisement modeled after the half-hour Sunday infomercial Hot On Homes. Wilcox began the series with a tour of three homes in the $150,000 price range and ended it with a look at a trio of $1 million mini-manses. Area realtors and Wilcox took turns praising the properties during the series, which ran in the middle of newscasts. Wilcox was assisted in selecting the homes by the DFW Metrotex Association of Realtors.
One commenter questioned whether NBC5 should be investigated by the FCC. Here is Tully's defense of the series, sent via email Tuesday:
"Home ownership among our viewers is 80% and in most cases is the single largest investment they make in their lives. The topic of home values does have news value. The real estate segment was sparked by how much we all enjoy clicking through the slide shows found on sites like cnbc.com and wsj.com about how much a certain price point gets you across the nation.
"As we know, $250,000 in Texas is very different than that price in California. With so many 'For Sale' signs up right now, we were curious if there was a huge difference in a price point throughout North Texas.
"What does $150,000 buy in Mansfield compared to Uptown? It was honestly that simple. We wanted to do a local version, TV style. One story turned into five because everyone working on it really enjoyed the story and we thought a Friday night would be a fun way to voyeuristically see inside a $1 million home.
"It's the slow summer news cycle, so we said, 'Why not?' It was just meant to be informative and entertaining for the 80% who own homes.
"What concerned me about the blog was how quickly some people are to accuse us of making a pay-for-play move. Trust me, sales wasn't even aware we were doing the series. If a few folks don't like our stories, we know we're not for everyone. But for them to accuse us of FCC violations is highly offensive and uncalled for."
Tully added that the "couponing we do" on NBC5's 4 p.m. newscasts "talks to the 4 p.m. audience, mostly homeowners trying to stretch a dollar during a difficult time. No sales influence, no motivation. We did it once and the response was so good we continued it to fill a viewer need."