March "sweeps," pinch-hitting for Feb., show 5 p.m. sweep for NBC5, 10 p.m. gains for CBS11, across-the-board losses for WFAA8
04/02/09 11:58 AM
By ED BARK
Winter's big ratings sweeps month is usually February. But that went by the wayside this year in deference to the scheduled Feb. 17th "digital conversion," which itself has now been delayed until June 12th.
So here we are with Nielsen Media Research's presumably one-time only March "sweeps," which began on March 5th and bled into spring before ending on April Fool's Day.
Otherwise no fooling. WFAA8 fared worst among D-FW's four major local news providers, with significant March-to-March audience losses at 6 a.m. and 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
Worse yet, the ABC station lost at 5 p.m. in a ratings sweeps period for the first time in at least 22 years, with NBC5 finishing first in total viewers and tying for the top spot with Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. NBC5 also jumped from third to first at 6 a.m. while WFAA8 fell from a close second to a distant third in a year's time.
Meanwhile, CBS11 moved to within striking distance at 10 p.m., finishing just three-tenths of a rating point behind No. 1 WFAA8 in the total viewer Nielsens. Four of CBS11's weekday 10 p.m. newscasts were substantially delayed by NCAA basketball coverage, and aren't counted in the March sweeps mix. But the station might have done even better at 10 p.m. with its usual Thursday and Friday "lead-ins" from CBS' Eleventh Hour and Numb3rs, both of which have been doing better in D-FW than basketball did.
CBS11 also continues to enjoy a significant 9:45 to 10 p.m. lead-in advantage over its opponents, thanks to the overall dominance of its network's 9 p.m. programming. But the station also has been doing a better job of retaining that lead-in, even though WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscast continues to be the only one to improve on the audience inherited from its network.
Here are the 10 p.m., 6 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. Nielsen ratings, with the percentages of year-to-year increases/decreases in parentheses:
10 P.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
WFAA8 -- 292,292 (-14%)
CBS11 -- 272,363 (+28%)
NBC5 -- 179,361 (-16%)
Fox4 -- 146,146 (-15%)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
WFAA8 -- 127,483 (-12%)
CBS11 -- 103,200 (+26%)
Fox4 -- 84,988 (-7%)
NBC5 -- 78,918 (-28%)
6 A.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
NBC5/Fox4 -- 119,574 each (+29% and +6% respectively)
WFAA8 -- 73,073 (-31%)
CBS11 -- 53,144 (even)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
NBC5 -- 84,988 (+33%)
Fox4 -- 75,883 (-4%)
WFAA8 -- 45,530 (-32%)
CBS11 -- 36,424 (+9%)
5 P.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
NBC5 -- 126,217 (even)
WFAA8 -- 119,574 (-25%)
Fox4 -- 112,931 (-15%)
CBS11 -- 79,716 (-20%)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
Fox4/NBC5 -- 57,671 each (respectively +6% and +12%)
WFAA8 -- 48,565 (-27%)
CBS11 -- 27,318 (-10%)
6 P.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
WFAA8 -- 172,718 (-16%)
NBC5 -- 126,217 (-5%)
CBS11 -- 112,931 (-26%)
Fox4 -- 106,288 (even)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
WFAA8 -- 60,706 (-31%)
Fox4/NBC5 -- 54,635 each (respectively even and +6%)
CBS11 -- 33,388 (-15%)
They'll get to do it all over again soon. The May "sweeps" begin on April 23rd and run through May 20th.
Winter's big ratings sweeps month is usually February. But that went by the wayside this year in deference to the scheduled Feb. 17th "digital conversion," which itself has now been delayed until June 12th.
So here we are with Nielsen Media Research's presumably one-time only March "sweeps," which began on March 5th and bled into spring before ending on April Fool's Day.
Otherwise no fooling. WFAA8 fared worst among D-FW's four major local news providers, with significant March-to-March audience losses at 6 a.m. and 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
Worse yet, the ABC station lost at 5 p.m. in a ratings sweeps period for the first time in at least 22 years, with NBC5 finishing first in total viewers and tying for the top spot with Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. NBC5 also jumped from third to first at 6 a.m. while WFAA8 fell from a close second to a distant third in a year's time.
Meanwhile, CBS11 moved to within striking distance at 10 p.m., finishing just three-tenths of a rating point behind No. 1 WFAA8 in the total viewer Nielsens. Four of CBS11's weekday 10 p.m. newscasts were substantially delayed by NCAA basketball coverage, and aren't counted in the March sweeps mix. But the station might have done even better at 10 p.m. with its usual Thursday and Friday "lead-ins" from CBS' Eleventh Hour and Numb3rs, both of which have been doing better in D-FW than basketball did.
CBS11 also continues to enjoy a significant 9:45 to 10 p.m. lead-in advantage over its opponents, thanks to the overall dominance of its network's 9 p.m. programming. But the station also has been doing a better job of retaining that lead-in, even though WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscast continues to be the only one to improve on the audience inherited from its network.
Here are the 10 p.m., 6 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. Nielsen ratings, with the percentages of year-to-year increases/decreases in parentheses:
10 P.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
WFAA8 -- 292,292 (-14%)
CBS11 -- 272,363 (+28%)
NBC5 -- 179,361 (-16%)
Fox4 -- 146,146 (-15%)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
WFAA8 -- 127,483 (-12%)
CBS11 -- 103,200 (+26%)
Fox4 -- 84,988 (-7%)
NBC5 -- 78,918 (-28%)
6 A.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
NBC5/Fox4 -- 119,574 each (+29% and +6% respectively)
WFAA8 -- 73,073 (-31%)
CBS11 -- 53,144 (even)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
NBC5 -- 84,988 (+33%)
Fox4 -- 75,883 (-4%)
WFAA8 -- 45,530 (-32%)
CBS11 -- 36,424 (+9%)
5 P.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
NBC5 -- 126,217 (even)
WFAA8 -- 119,574 (-25%)
Fox4 -- 112,931 (-15%)
CBS11 -- 79,716 (-20%)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
Fox4/NBC5 -- 57,671 each (respectively +6% and +12%)
WFAA8 -- 48,565 (-27%)
CBS11 -- 27,318 (-10%)
6 P.M.
TOTAL VIEWERS
WFAA8 -- 172,718 (-16%)
NBC5 -- 126,217 (-5%)
CBS11 -- 112,931 (-26%)
Fox4 -- 106,288 (even)
25-to-54-YEAR-OLDS
WFAA8 -- 60,706 (-31%)
Fox4/NBC5 -- 54,635 each (respectively even and +6%)
CBS11 -- 33,388 (-15%)
They'll get to do it all over again soon. The May "sweeps" begin on April 23rd and run through May 20th.