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KTXD-TV (Ch. 47) cuts ties with ME-TV, forges ahead with more locally produced programming and a vastly different rerun lineup

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on
Looking to expand its own local programming and increase advertising revenues, Dallas-based KTXD-TV (Ch. 47) has ended its affiliation with ME-TV and its roster of oldies such as The Rifeman, Bonanza and Hogan’s Heroes. The two entities officially parted ways at midnight Thursday.

Station general manager Brian Joyce said in a statement that KTXD will now be “a true, independent station and call its own shots on what we air. Our audiences want more. Our advertisers want more. And with an expansion of our original local programs to additional stations throughout Texas, we’ll now have the flexibility to give them what they’re asking for.”

Phil, Hurley, chief operating officer for London Broadcasting Company (which owns KTXD and stations in six other Texas markets) said in a separate email response, “ME-TV likes to run their schedule in its entirety, and we just decided it was time not to do that. Most of our income comes from our own shows, not ME-TV programming. And we needed more inventory. We just agreed to go our separate ways.”

(KTXD also has a replacement roster of old network hits, which will be detailed below.)

The ME-TV/KTXD agreement originally took effect on Feb. 1, 2012. But since that time, KTXD has significantly expanded its menu of homegrown programming and its preemptions of ME-TV fare. The station’s flagship show, The Texas Daily, airs from 6 to 7 p.m. weekdays and is repeated at 9:30 p.m.

KTXD’s other weekday originals include The Broadcast (9 to11 a.m. weekdays) and a 7 to 8:30 a.m. simulcast of KSKY-AM’s Mark Davis in the Morning. A new 11 a.m. to noon cooking show is in development and KTXD also produces and airs five weekly shows -- Lone Star Roads, Bronco Roads, Troubadour, TX, DFW Sports Beat and Conversations with Scott Murray.

As previously posted, KTXD also will air the Dec. 9th Dallas Cowboys-Chicago Bears game, which is being carried nationally on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. And former WFAA8 anchor Tracy Rowlett, who until recently had been a regular contributor to The Texas Daily, will helm a 12-hour KTXD news special (from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) on the Nov. 22nd 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy.

The dissolution of KXTD’s partnership with ME-TV will have a sweeping and immediate impact on the station’s regular viewers. Here’s a look at what’s out and what’s in among syndicated weekday repeats of old TV series. Warning: biting the bullet in a big way is KTXD’s previous roster of old westerns.

Noon to 1 p.m. -- two episodes of Community will replace Gunsmoke.
1 to 2 p.m. -- Bonanza is out, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie are in.
2 to 3 p.m. -- The Big Valley gives way to Mad About You and Designing Women.
3 to 4 p.m. -- Dragnet and Adam 12 are replaced by Fantasy Island.
4 to 5 p.m. -- Emergency is out and Charlie’s Angels is in.
5 to 6 p.m. -- Back to back episodes of The Rifleman are replaced by Barney Miller and All in the Family.
7 to 8 p.m. -- A pair of Gilligan’s Island repeats give way to Starsky & Hutch on every weekday but Thursday (when Lone Star Roads will air.
8 to 9:30 p.m. -- Out are Hogan’s Heroes, F Troop and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In are Hart to Hart and Married…With Children. (On Thursdays, Conversations with Scott Murray will precede Hart to Hart, with Married preempted.)
10:30 to 11:30 p.m. -- Perry Mason is replaced by Cold Case Files
11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. -- The Untouchables gives way to Police Story.

KTXD’s news release says that “demand from local businesses for advertising inventory has been higher than capacity under the ME-TV relationship.” Derek Beard, vice president of marketing and sales for the Credit Union of Texas, is quoted as saying of the station, “We appreciate their Texas roots and the opportunities that their original programming offers to reach our target demographic. We are proud to have been on this journey with them, almost from the ground up, and to have our name associated with such quality programming as Lone Star Roads and The Broadcast.

But as noted a number of times in these spaces, KTXD’s locally produced programs have yet to reach the level of viewership for ME-TV oldies. In Wednesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings, KTXD’s most-watched program, a 7:30 p.m. rerun of Gilligan’s Island, drew 32,666 viewers. That audience was almost matched by a 4 p.m. episode of Emergency, with 31,246 viewers.

In contrast, The Broadcast had 710 viewers for its 9 to 11 a.m. telecast, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The 6 p.m. edition of The Texas Daily drew 8,522 viewers while the 9:30 p.m. Texas Daily repeat had 10,651 before the following Perry Mason doubled that audience with 21,304 viewers.

KTXD, however, can sell all of the advertising time for its own locally produced programming. That’s not the case with ME-TV reruns, in which the network gets a big chunk of revenues.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 30) -- CBS takes two out of three vs Game 6 of Series

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s concluding Game 6 of the World Series got off to a slow start Wednesday, even if Boston didn’t.

The Red Sox had a 6-0 lead after four innings en route to closing out the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1. The one-sided outcome didn’t help, with CBS’ Survivor: Blood and Water and Criminal Minds taking advantage from 7 to 9 p.m.

Survivor drew 269,849 D-FW viewers in beating the first hour of the Series (241,442 viewers). Criminal Minds then edged Hour 2 by a score of 333,761 viewers to 326,660.

The Series, which ended at 10:23 p.m. with Boston’s celebration in Fenway Park, averaged 333,761 viewers the rest of way. The closest competing attraction, CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, had 248,546 viewers. The closing minutes of Game 6 hit a peak audience of 418,977 to drub competing 10 p.m. local newscasts on NBC5, WFAA8 and CBS11.

Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, both Survivor and ABC’s 7 to 7:30 p.m. episode of The Middle out-scored Game 6, which then ran first for the rest of the night.

It was a different story in the national Nielsens, where the Series dominated from start to stop in both ratings measurements. Hear the echoes: D-FW is not a baseball town, not a baseball town, not a baseball town . . .

Over on Fox Sports Southwest, the Dallas Mavericks’ season-opening win against the Atlanta Hawks averaged 120,722 total viewers.

Wednesday’s local news derby results marked the eve of the annual November “sweeps” ratings period, which begins on Halloween. Here’s how it looked:

WFAA8 won a downsized three-way 10 p.m. race in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station also ran the table at 5 p.m. and added a 6 p.m. first in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Fox4 won by wide margins at 6 a.m. in both measurements, with NBC5, WFAA8 and CBS11 bunched in a pair of second-place ties.

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 29) -- NBC is mostly golden

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC rolled Tuesday night while the World Series took a one-day break.

CBS stopped a clean sweep in prime-time with its 7 p.m. new episode of NCIS, which had overall biggest crowd of 418,977 D-FW viewers opposite NBC’s The Biggest Loser (198,836) and the first hour of Fox’s The X Factor (177,533).

The Peacock then took over from 8 to 10 p.m. with The Voice (312,457 viewers), which also won its time slot among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. NBC also celebrated an 18-to-49 victory by The Biggest Loser, which nipped The X Factor in the 7 p.m. hour.

A 7 p.m. repeat of ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. offered proof positive that this series won’t repeat well. It ran a distant fourth in total viewers (42,608) and sunk to fifth with 18-to-49-year-olds behind The CW’s The Originals.

In Tuesday local news derby results, CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions while the 5 p.m. firsts went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.; Fox4 and WFAA8 tied for the top spot among 25-to-54-year-olds.

LOCAL TV NEWS NOTE

Former Fox4 reporter Rebecca Aguilar will make a “tryout” appearance as one of The Texas Daily’s rotating commentators on this week’s Thursday edition, which airs at 6 p.m. on KTXD-TV (Ch. 47) and is repeated at 9:30 p.m.

The one-hour program, aimed at a baby-boomer audience, is hosted by former WFAA8 anchor/reporter Jeff Brady and includes contributions from a number of prominent journalists who used to work in local TV news rooms. Aguilar will be the first Hispanic woman in the mix.

Aguilar made local and national news when Fox4 suspended her in October 2007 after her controversial exclusive interview with 70-year-old West Dallas salvage yard owner James Walton, who had shot and killed two alleged burglars within three weeks time.

All four major D-FW television news providers were in hot pursuit of the interview. But Aguilar was sharply criticized by some viewers for her aggressive approach in a shopping center parking lot after Walton had just bought a new shotgun. She subsequently sued Fox4 for wrongful termination, but a Dallas jury unanimously decided in favor of the station in December 2010.

The case was covered from start to finish by unclebarky.com. An account of the trial’s last day can be found here.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Oct. 28) -- viewers choose singing/dancing over Series

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Monday night’s pivotal Game 5 of the World Series on Fox took two knockdown pitches from competing talent competition shows. And that hurts.

After seemingly building momentum over the weekend, the Red Sox and Cardinals came up third from 7 to 9 p.m. opposite NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Voice led with 340,862 D-FW viewers, Dancing had 305,356 and the first two hours of Boston’s eventual 3-1 win limped in third with 248,546. CBS’ quartet of sitcoms trailed the field among the Big Four broadcast networks.

Game 5, which ended precisely at 10 p.m., drew 326,660 viewers in its final hour. That was just enough to slip past NBC’s competing The Blacklist (319,559 viewers) while ABC’s Castle (234,343) and CBS’ Hostages (156,229) ran well behind.

The Voice also led the way among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, with CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of How I Met Your Mother also outdrawing the first half-hour of the Series. Boston-St. Louis otherwise placed second from 7;30 to 9 p.m. in this key demographic before easily beating all competing programming from 9 to 10 p.m. You win some, you lose some and some are rained out.

Over on ESPN, the Monday Night Football matchup of Seattle and St. Louis averaged 227,242 total viewers. It started at 7:40 p.m. and was outdrawn by the Series during the entire time they aired opposite one another.

In Monday’s local news derby results, NBC5 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. Fox4’s 10 p.m. edition wasn’t in the running after being pushed deeper into the night by Fox’s World Series post-game show.

Fox4 otherwise had a big day, running the table at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. while also winning at 6 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic. WFAA8 edged both Fox4 and CBS11 for the most total viewers at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Anchondo in place on Fox4

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter

Jenny Anchondo officially is on board as anchor of Fox4’s early morning weekend newscasts and reporter for the station’s weekday editions of Good Day.

She made her anchoring debut Saturday and already looked comfortably at home. Even a pair of non-stop yelping puppies didn’t seem to faze her, with meteorologist Jennifer Myers also weathering this little storm.

Unclebarky.com first reported in late August (at the end of a local ratings “snapshot”) that Anchondo had been interviewed by Fox4, although nothing officially had been decided yet. The station then announced her hiring on Sept. 23rd via a publicity release. The release didn’t make it to your friendly content provider despite previous assurances from Fox4’s New York-based corporate spokeswoman that all such hiring announcements would be sent to unclebarky.com among other media outlets. Still not on the list, though. Well, at least not that list.

Anchondo arrived from Fox affiliate WXIN-TV in Indianapolis and also has worked at KOLD-TV in Tucson and KNDU/KNDO-TV in Kennewick, Washington. Fox4 news director Robin Whitmeyer said in a statement that Anchondo’s “experience in breaking news, enterprise reporting -- specifically investigative consumer stories -- will provide further versatility to our team and enhance our news product.”

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Oct. 25-27) -- Cowboys unravel before another million-plus crowd; Game 4 of World Series nips Sunday Night Football

By Ed Bark
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Cowboys’ late game self-destruction at Detroit, ending in a near-miraculous 31-30 win by the Lions, at least ranked as this season’s biggest draw among the five games shown by Fox.

Stretching from noon to 3:28 p.m., Cowboys-Lions averaged 1,150,411 D-FW viewers with a peak crowd of 1,533,881 for the agonizing 3:15 to 3:30 p.m. segment. Fans watched Dallas implode while wide receiver Dez Bryant blew up on the sidelines. Passion or immaturity? Whatever your perception, the video already has gone viral on sports shows across the nation.

The 4-4 Cowboys now have played half of their 16-game regular season. Here’s the top-to-bottom look at how those games have fared in the D-FW Nielsens:

Sept. 8th vs New York Giants on NBC -- 1,542,061 total viewers
Oct. 13th vs Washington Redskins on NBC -- 1,540,982
Oct. 6th vs Denver Broncos on CBS -- 1,299,538
Oct. 27th vs Detroit Lions on Fox -- 1,150,411
Sept. 29th vs San Diego Chargers on Fox -- 1,093,600
Oct. 20th vs Philadelphia Eagles on Fox -- 1,058,094
Sept. 15th vs Kansas City Chiefs on Fox -- 1,011,977
Sept. 22nd vs. St. Louis Rams on Fox -- 943,135

Fox had a massive day sports-wise, with Sunday’s following Denver Broncos-Washington Redskins game drawing 745,637 viewers. Then it was on to Game 4 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Ending at 10:52 p.m., the 4-2 win by Boston averaged 362,166 viewers. That was just good enough to knock off NBC’s Sunday Night Football clash between the valiant Green Bay Packers and hapless Minnesota Vikings. It drew 355,065 viewers before grinding to an end at 10:25 p.m.

Game 4 of the Series also surprisingly beat Sunday Night Football among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. But in a highly impressive show of might, the 8 to 9 p.m. portions of the games fell to AMC’s The Walking Dead, which had 205,172 viewers in this key demographic compared to baseball’s 188,889 and football’s 166,092.

The NFL’s biggest loser Sunday, CBS’ mid-afternoon telecast of the Raiders-Steelers game, barely registered with 85,216 total viewers.

On Saturday, the rain/lightning-delayed Oklahoma-Texas A&M game ran until 6:30 p.m. on Fox before being shifted over to Fox News Channel in deference to the World Series pre-game show on Fox. The Oklahoma win, in a tight battle, averaged 291,153 total viewers for the Fox portion of the game. The remainder on Fox News Channel drew 149,127 viewers. Despite the drop-off, this was a mega-windfall for Fox News Channel, which had 4,261 viewers for the 6:15 to 6:30 segment of The Fox Report before football kicked in.

Saturday’s Game 3 of the World Series, which ended on a bizarre obstruction call that allowed the Cards to score the winning run, ran all the way until 11:04 p.m. on Fox. It averaged 284,052 viewers, with a high of 397,673 for the 10:30 to 10:45 p.m. segment. The controversial finishing minutes came close to equaling that crowd with 362,166 tuned in.

Otherwise nothing else came close to Game 3 in prime-time or late night; NBC’s Saturday Night Live fared the best with 142,026 viewers.

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks’ final pre-season game, against the Indiana Pacers, averaged 49,709 viewers on TXA21. The night’s top draw, CBS’ Blue Bloods, had 284,052 viewers in the 9 p.m. hour. But ABC’s 8 p.m. episode of Shark Tank as usual ranked highest Friday among 18-to-49-year-olds.

NBC opened weak with Dracula, with the premiere episode running fourth at 9 p.m. in both ratings measurements. The Peacock’s Season 3 return of Grimm had even smaller audiences at 8 p.m.

Here are Friday’s local news derby results:

CBS11 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m., but WFAA8 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.

NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m. while the 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 age range.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 24) -- Game 2 of Series swings a bigger bat

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A much closer Game 2 of the World Series put Fox on the winning side of the ratings scorecard for most of Thursday night.

CBS opened with a bang -- The Big Bang Theory -- and routed the first half-hour of Cardinals-Red Sox by a score of 433,179 D-FW viewers to 163,330. But the Series then took over, with CBS’ The Millers plunging to 198,836 viewers while Game 2 perked up to 223,691.

The 4-2 win by St. Louis ended at 10:15 p.m. and averaged 248,546 viewers overall. That’s a bit of an uptick from the 234,343 viewers for Boston’s Game 1 rout of the Cardinals. But on Wednesday night, the Series was outdrawn by CBS’ entire prime-time lineup. Game 2 lost only to Big Bang, which also was the only competing program to beat the Series among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.

ABC’s new Once Upon a Time in Wonderland had the smallest audience from 7 to 8 p.m. among the Big Four broadcast networks, drawing 120,722 total viewers. NBC then sank to the bottom from 8 to 10 p.m. with Sean Saves the World (99,481 viewers), The Michael J. Fox Show (78,114) and Parenthood (134,925).

In Thursday’s local news derby results, WFAA8 and CBS11 tied for first place at 10 p.m. in total viewers while WFAA8 won outright among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. It was a downsized three-way race, with Fox4’s late nighter delayed to 10:30 p.m. by the World Series and Fox’s post-game show.

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 demographic. Fox4, WFAA8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 5 p.m. Fox4 and WFAA8 shared the lead at that hour among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 23) -- CBS scores against Game 1 of World Series

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Not a baseball town -- the sequel.

OK, Game 1 of the World Series on Fox admittedly wasn’t a spellbinder. The Boston Red Sox went ahead 5-0 early against the bumbling St. Louis Cardinals en route to an 8-1 spanking that stopped at 10:26 p.m.

Still, the Series managed to beat all competing programming in the national Nielsen ratings. But in D-FW? Nuh uh.

CBS’ regular Wednesday night lineup of Survivor: Blood and Water (305,356 viewers), Criminal Minds (369,268) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (305,356 for its 300th episode) comfortably outdrew the Series in every hour from 7 to 10 p.m. Game 1 did manage to beat all other competing programming with an overall average of 234,343 viewers. It then tied CBS11’s 10 p.m. newscast for the top spot during the final innings of play.

Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the Series lost to Survivor from 7 to 8 p.m. and to both ABC’s Modern Family and the first half-hour of Criminal Minds from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Game 1 then rallied to beat all competing programming in this key demographic from 8:30 p.m. until the last pitch.

All in all, that’s considerably better than Fox usually does on Wednesday nights in D-FW. But the national numbers were several cuts above.

Prime-time’s biggest loser, NBC, ran fourth from start to stop among 18-to-49-year-olds with a first-run lineup of Revolution, Law & Order: SVU and the now officially canceled Ironside.

In Wednesday’s local news derby results, CBS11 won a downsized 10 p.m. competition in total viewers while WFAA8 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 reclaimed the 6 a.m. top spots with twin wins and also took the 5 and 6 p.m. golds in the 25-to-54 demographic. The respective 5 and 6 p.m. winners in total viewers were WFAA8 and CBS11.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 22) -- more shrinkage for ABC

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Although it’s been given a full-season order, ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues its downward trend as the network’s Tuesday night lead-off hitter.

It’s one thing to lose to CBS’ NCIS, as any show would. But also losing to NBC’s competing The Biggest Loser means you’re not carrying your weight. Sorry.

The latest episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. was the least-watched to date in D-FW, drawing 134,925 viewers opposite NCIS (433,179) and Biggest Loser (220,140). Fox’s sitcom combo of Dads (106,520) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (92,317) as usual came in fourth, although the gap is slowly narrowing.

S.H.I.E.L.D. also ran third among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, but came close to beating NCIS for the runner-up spot. Amazingly, Biggest Loser easily won at 7 p.m. in this key demographic.

NBC’s 8 p.m. edition of The Voice won in both ratings measurements before CBS’ Person of Interest did likewise in the 9 p.m. hour.

ABC’s first-year comedy The Goldbergs ran third at 8 p.m. in total viewers, edging Fox’s New Girl, before Trophy Wife fell to a third-place tie with Fox’s The Mindy Project. Trophy Wife dipped to fourth from 8:30 to 9 p.m. with 18-to-49-year-olds; Goldbergs finished third, ahead of the first half-hour of CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles but behind both The Voice and New Girl.

ABC’s plug-in repeat of Shark Tank (the new Lucky 7 was dumped after just two episodes) took the bronze in both ratings competitions, beating only Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast by small margins.

In Tuesday’s local news derby results, CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 placed first in a very tight four-way race among 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 and WFAA8 tied for the 6 a.m. top spot in total viewers but WFAA8 won by a paper-thin margin in the 25-to-54 demographic.

NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and WFAA8 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Oct 21) -- NBC stays in charge

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Peacock programming executives would love to bottle Sundays and Mondays -- and then call it quits for the week.

After more bounteous ratings for Sunday Night Football, NBC scored again Monday with its dominating lineup of The Voice and The Blacklist.

From 7 to 9 p.m., The Voice averaged 433,179 D-FW viewers to rank as prime-time’s No. 1 draw before Blacklist rolled up the night’s second biggest audience with 333,761 viewers. ESPN’s Monday Night Football, starring the inept offenses of the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, ran third overall with 312,457 viewers although its 9 to 10 p.m. portion barely beat Blacklist.

The Voice also ruled the night among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds before Blacklist dominated its Big Four broadcast network rivals but again was bested from 9 to 10 p.m. by football.

ABC’s latest two-hour Dancing with the Stars continued to skew old with a distant third place finish in the key 18-to-49 demographic. CBS’ Hostages also continued to struggle at 9 p.m., running fourth in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds while Fox4’s local newscast slid to fifth place in both measurements following a little seen Sleepy Hollow rerun.

In Monday’s local news derby results, WFAA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

At 6 a.m., WFAA8 showed some possible momentum heading into the November “sweeps” (which begin on Halloween) by beating the usual front-running Fox4 for the second straight day in both ratings measurements.

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. while NBC5 led with 25-to-54-year-olds. Fox4, NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for first in total viewers at 5 p.m., with Fox4 alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

National Geographic Channel's Killing Kennedy revisits site of Oswald's capture for first screening

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Chilling double bill: National Geographic Channel’s world premiere screening of Killing Kennedy had an oddly appropriate marquee mate Friday evening at the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff. Photos: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Again in character. The venerable Oak Cliff venue where police apprehended Lee Harvey Oswald almost 50 years ago relived its inescapable past Friday night with the inaugural screening of National Geographic Channel’s Killing Kennedy.

And that’s not all. The actor playing Oswald, Will Rothhaar, attended the event, watched himself being arrested on the Texas Theatre’s big screen, took a few questions and then agreeably posed for pictures with new fans.

In prepping for the role, “I was overcome with this wave of compassion and sadness for the guy,” said Rothhaar, who co-starred last fall in ABC’s short-lived Last Resort drama series. Unlike Oswald, the actor said he was “lucky to grow up in a house that was filled with love all the time.”

Director Nelson McCormick and screenwriter Kelly Masterson joined Rothhaar onstage for a Q&A session after Killing Kennedy generated applause by a good number of the invited guests. The film also stars Rob Lowe as John F. Kennedy; Ginnifer Goodwin (currently playing Snow White in ABC’s Once Upon A Time) as Jacqueline Kennedy; and Michele Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gossip Girl) as Oswald’s wife, Marina. Adapted from the same-named Bill O’Reilly/Martin Dugard bestseller, the film is set for a Nov. 10th premiere on National Geographic.

McCormick said he first noticed Rothhaar during his unsuccessful audition for a recurring role on Fox’s Touch, the Kiefer Sutherland series that since has been canceled. “For some reason” the part went to a British actor, McCormick said. But he remembered Rothhaar’s work after being hired to helm Killing Kennedy.

Rothhaar, who in effect steals the film with an arresting performance, said he didn’t hesitate when offered the part. “Am I not an actor?” he asked rhetorically. “You’re going to pay me to do this?”

He visited the site of the Nov. 22, 1963 assassination with his family “several times as a child,” but hadn’t been back to Dallas since, Rothhaar said. Killing Kennedy didn’t require him to revisit the scene of his character’s crimes. It was made entirely in Richmond, VA, McCormick said, contending that “time and money wouldn’t allow” for on location filming in Dallas.

Killing Kennedy took just 18 days to make. Its back-and-forth tracking of JFK and Oswald begins four years before the two men were indelibly intertwined. McCormick said he modeled the overall approach after the feature films Taxi Driver and Argo.

In that context, Killing Kennedy eerily shared the Texas Theatre marquee Friday evening with Mean Streets, director Martin Scorsese’s breakthrough feature film before he made Taxi Driver three years later in 1976.
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Rothhaar segues from playing Oswald to posing with fans.

Killing Kennedy will be part of an avalanche of TV programming marking the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas.

CBS News has just announced its plans, which include former WFAA8 reporter Scott Pelley anchoring the CBS Evening News from Dallas on Nov. 22nd.

Bob Schieffer, a reporter with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram 50 years ago, also will be in Dallas for the Sunday, Nov. 17th edition of his Face the Nation. And on Saturday, Nov. 16th, CBS will air a prime-time special titled As It Happened: John F. Kennedy 50 Years. Schieffer also will anchor that one-hour program.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Oct. 18-20) -- Cowboys fly high but numbers don't soar

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Noon-starting games, even when the Cowboys win big, have a way of depressing the D-FW Nielsen ratings.

Which means that Sunday’s 17-3 thrashing of the Eagles on Fox inched past the one million mark while also registering as the least-watched Cowboys game since their Sept. 22nd dismantling of the Rams in another noon-starter.

The win over the Eagles, which ran until 3:26 p.m. and put 4-3 Dallas alone atop the NFC East, averaged 1,058,094 viewers compared to 1,540,982 for the previous Sunday’s prime-time win over Washington. Cowboys-Rams, the only game to dip below one million viewers this season, had 943,135 viewers.

Sunday’s football festivities also included the much-hyped Colts-Broncos matchup on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The Colts’ upset win, underscored by Peyton Manning’s return to Indy, averaged 717,231 viewers despite its later than usual 11:15 p.m. end. That easily made it the most-watched, non-Cowboys SNF game of the season in D-FW.

AMC again had prime-time’s second most-watched attraction Sunday, with its 8 p.m. episode of The Walking Dead drawing 319,559 viewers. The ratings especially came to life among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, with 201,915 tuning in.

Saturday’s college football parade was led by Auburn’s win over A&M on CBS. The game averaged 276,951 viewers, with A&M’s Johnny “Football” Manziel falling short of a last-second comeback after returning from a shoulder injury.

Friday’s prime-time ratings were paced by the usual suspects. CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods had the most total viewers -- 284,052 -- while ABC’s 8 p.m. hour of Shark Tank lured the most 18-to-49-year-olds (84,674).

Here are Friday’s four-way local news derby numbers:

CBS11 topped the 10 p.m. field in total viewers but WFAA8 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

WFAA8 also toppled the usual 6 a.m. frontrunner, Fox4, in both ratings measurements.

CBS11 won at both 5 and 6 p.m. in total viewers; Fox4 took the golds at those hours in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 17) -- comedy a knockout on CBS, not pretty on NBC

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Quartets of comedies, five of them new ones, again clashed from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday on CBS and NBC. The people have spoken at this point. The Peacock is plucked.

Here’s last night’s total viewers breakdown in D-FW, with the national Nielsens also reflecting these disparities.

7 to 7:30 p.m.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) -- 433,179
Parks and Recreation (NBC) -- 56,810

7:30 to 8 p.m.
The Millers (new/CBS) -- 269,849
Welcome to the Family (new/NBC) -- 49,709

8 to8:30 p.m.
The Crazy Ones (new/CBS) -- 241,444
Sean Saves the World (new/NBC) -- 71,013

8:30 to 9 p.m.
Two and a Half Men (CBS) -- 255,647
The Michael J. Fox Show (new/NBC) -- 49,709

The CBS comedies likewise thrashed NBC’s among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. Worse yet for the Peacock, Parks and Recreation and Welcome to the Family also trailed The CW’s The Vampire Diaries in both ratings measurements before the first episode of Reign fell off a cliff from 8 to 9 p.m. with only 21,309 loyal subjects and 13,027 in the 18-to-49 age range.

NBC’s 9 p.m. entry, Parenthood, had the network’s biggest overall audience of the night with 85,216 total viewers. But it still ran fourth across the board.

Fox continued to improve its baseball fortunes with Game 5 of the American League Championship Series between Boston and Detroit. The 9 to 10 p.m. portion of the elongated game, which didn’t ended until 10:54 p.m., tied CBS’ competing Elementary for first place in total viewers while winning outright (against ABC’s potent Scandal) among 18-to-49-year-olds.

The entire Game 5, won 4-3 by the Red Sox, averaged a respectable 177,533 total viewers and beat all competing programming in both ratings measurements from 9 p.m. until its conclusion.

ABC’s 7 p.m. episode of the new Once Upon a Time in Wonderland had 106,520 viewers to finish third in both audience measurements.

Over on the NFL Network, Seattle’s thrashing of Arizona drew 149,127 total viewers.

Here are Thursday’s local news derby results:

WFAA8 won a downsized three-way competition at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and added 5 and 6 p.m. firsts among 25-to-54-year-olds.

The total viewer golds at 5 and 6 p.m. respectively went to WFAA8 and CBS11.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 16) -- baseball starts swinging a bit bigger bat

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s Game 4 of the Detroit Tigers-Boston Red Sox American League Championship Series began hitting more than ratings popups Wednesday in the last hour of prime-time and opposite late night local newscasts.

It was still over-matched in D-FW’s total viewer Nielsens. But in the key, advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic, Tigers-Red Sox outdrew competing programming on ABC, CBS and NBC from 9 to 10 p.m. while running a close second to FX’s second episode of American Horror Story: Coven. The ballgame then beat everything from 10 to 10:45 p.m.

In Wednesday’s total viewer Nielsen numbers, CBS’ regular lineup of Survivor: Blood and Water (319,559), Criminal Minds (298,255) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (255,647) ran the table from 7 to 10 p.m. against all competing broadcast and cable network programming.

Survivor likewise won its time slot with 18-to-49-year-olds before ABC’s Modern Family ran first from 8 to 8:30 p.m. The second half-hour of Criminal Minds beat Fox’s runner-up ALCS game from 8:30 to 9 p.m. before American Horror Story narrowly led the 9 p.m. hour.

ABC’s 7 p.m. Toy Story of Terror special, which pinch-hit for The Middle, ran a solid second in both ratings measurements. Prime-time’s biggest loser, NBC, trailed CBS, NBC and Fox in total viewers with a lineup of Revolution, Law & Order: SVU and the new Ironside. It was the same story among 18-to-49-year-olds, save for Revolution’s third place finish ahead of the first hour of Fox’s baseball.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results:

WFAA8 won a downsized three-way competition at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 notched another pair of wins at 6 a.m. WFAA8 led at 5 p.m. in total viewers and at 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds. CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. while Fox4 ran first at 5 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 15) -- ABC's and Fox's sinking new sitcoms

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS’ all-powerful NCIS again led all prime-time programming in total D-FW viewers while ABC’s pair of freshman sitcoms continued their slides after falsely optimistic starts last month.

NCIS drew 497,091 viewers in the 7 p.m. hour while also barely nipping NBC’s season premiere of The Biggest Loser for a time slot win among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.

NBC’s The Voice then shifted the 8 p.m. balance of power with first place finishes in both ratings measurements. CBS rebounded back on top in total viewers at 9 p.m. with Person of Interest but Fox4’s local newscast won among 18-to-49-year-olds ahead of NBC’s runner-up Chicago Fire.

ABC’s 8 to 9 p.m. entries, The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife, ran a very weak-kneed fifth in the key 18-to-49 demographic, with The CW’s Supernatural taking fourth place at that hour behind The Voice, CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles and Fox’s New Girl and The Mindy Project. In the total viewers measurement, Trophy Wife ran fourth from 8:30 to 9 p.m. while The Goldbergs edged New Girl to take the bronze.

CW’s new The Originals took fourth place among 18-to-49-year-olds in the 7 p.m. hour, beating Fox’s likewise struggling freshman comedy duo of Dads and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The first half-hour of The Originals also slightly outdrew Dads in total viewers. For CW, anything other than a fifth-place prime-time finish is almost cause for a ticker tape parade.

ABC also continued to have serious problems at 9 p.m., where its plug-in repeat of Scandal (which last week replaced the canceled Lucky 7) again ran distant fourths in total viewers and with 18-to-49-year-olds.

In Tuesday’s local news derby results, CBS11 had he most viewers at 10 p.m. but WFAA8 finished first among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 and NBC5 tied for No. 1 in total viewers at 6 a.m., with Fox4 comfortably alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.

An American League Championship Series over-run rubbed out Fox4’s 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. NBC5 capitalized big-time, sweeping the downsized three-way competitions at both hours.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Oct. 14) -- NBC again takes full charge

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Peacock continued to strut Monday after rolling up the usual big numbers for Sunday Night Football both locally and nationally.

NBC’s lineup of The Voice drew a commanding 482,884 D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. before the network’s The Blacklist mopped up with 312,457.

Both NBC attractions also routed the Big Four 4 broadcast network competition among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of the already renewed Sleepy Hollow drew the third most 18-to-49-year-olds Monday night, save for Monday Night Football on ESPN. The Chargers-Colts matchup ended up beating everything from 9 to 10 p.m. in both audience measurements but couldn’t outdraw The Voice.

CBS remained in a rare ratings depression on Monday nights, with its 8:30 to 10 p.m. pairing of newcomers Mom and Hostages running fifth in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds behind NBC, ABC, Fox/Fox4 and ESPN.

On TXA21, the Dallas Mavericks’ pre-season matchup against the Orlando Mavericks drew 42,608 total viewers.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results.

NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for the 10 p.m. lead in total viewers, with WFAA8 alone on top among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. while WFAA8 did likewise at 5 p.m. In the 6 p.m. face-offs, WFAA8 and CBS11 tied for the most viewers but WFAA8 again ran first in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs.-Sun., Oct. 10-13) -- Cowboys fall just shy of season high

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The injury-ravaged Dallas Cowboys gut-it-out win over arch rival Washington ended up as the season’s second most-watched regular season game to date.

The 31-16 victory on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which ran from 7:31 to 10:38 p.m., averaged 1,540,982 D-FW viewers. That put it within a chip-shot field goal of the Sept. 8th opener, also on NBC’s main prime time stage. Dallas’ home win over the New York Giants, who remain winless, averaged 1,542,061 viewers.

Sunday’s Cowboys-Redskins game benefited from some Nielsen ratings inflation. A rating point was worth 68,842 viewers on Sept. 8th. Revised estimates for the new fall season have increased that estimate to 71,013 viewers. The third most-watched game now is the three-ring 51-48 home loss to Denver, which drew 1,299,538 viewers on Oct. 6th. The Cowboys are now 3-3, good enough for a first-place tie with the Eagles in the wobbly NFC East.

Sunday night’s second most-watched attraction was the return of AMC’s The Walking Dead, which had 305,356 viewers at 8 p.m. An eye-popping 221,456 of those viewers were within the advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-old motherlode. The Cowboys were no slouches either, averaging 742,528 viewers in this key demographic. Still, Walking Dead had a substantially higher percentage.

Left for dead was the dramatic Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Fox. Airing opposite Cowboys-Redskins, it averaged 113,621 total viewers.

Saturday’s big-ticket attraction, the annual Texas-Oklahoma matchup at Fair Park, fired up in hangover territory at 11 a.m. on ABC. The Longhorns’ 36-20 upset of the Sooners, which ended at 2:35 p.m., averaged 468,686 total viewers, with 201,915 within the 18-to-49 age range. Deduction: a lot of older alumni were watching.

Fox’s Baylor-Kansas State game averaged 170,431 total viewers following Texas-OU. It was slightly outdrawn by CBS’ competing Florida-LSU game (184,634 viewers).

Friday’s overall prime-time winners again were CBS’ Blue Bloods in total viewers (262,748) and ABC’s Shark Tank in the 18-to-49 Nielsens (71,647).

On Thursday night, CBS led wire-to-wire in total viewers with a lineup of The Big Bang Theory (390,572); The Millers (284,052); The Crazy Ones (276,951); Two and a Half Men (234,343) and Elementary (227,242).

Fox’s Glee, which aired its farewell to the late actor Cory Monteith, ran second in the 8 p.m. hour with 142,026 viewers. NBC’s 8 to 9 p.m. new pairing of Sean Hayes’ Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show lagged badly in fourth place with 71,013 and 63,912 viewers respectively.

Led by Big Bang Theory, CBS also swept Thursday night’s 18-to-49 ratings.

Here are the four-way local news derby results for Thursday and Friday.

THURSDAY
WFAA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 likewise swept the 6 a.m. competitions. The station added a 5 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds and tied WFAA8 for first in that measurement at 6 p.m.

The 5 and 6 p.m. golds in total viewers respectively went to NBC5 and WFAA8.

FRIDAY
WFAA8 stayed strong at 10 p.m. with another sweep while Fox4 again ran the table at 6 a.m.

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m., but Fox4 and WFAA8 tied for the top spot among 25-to-54-year-olds.

NBC5 nipped Fox4 for first at 5 p.m. in total viewers, but Fox4 edged the Peacock for the 25-to-54 win at that hour.

Email comments or questions to; unclebarky@verizon.net

Peacock crows over new palace for NBC5/Telemundo39

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NBC5 vice president of news Susan Tully & president-general manager Tom Ehlmann outside the Media Operations Center within the brand new, 75,000 square foot Studios at DFW. Photos: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
In TV terms, NBC5 staffers soon will be the Jeffersons movin’ on up or the Clampetts loadin’ up the truck for a move to Beverly -- Hills, that is.

Left behind: the only home the station has ever known at 3900 Barnett St. in Fort Worth. The outmoded property has housed WBAP/KXAS/NBC5 since the 1948 sign-on. It will be deeded back to the city after NBC5, sister station Telemundo39 and a variety of other NBC Universal-owned businesses relocate to The Studios at DFW. The 75,000 square foot, state-of-the-art complex is located five minutes from the south entrance to DFW International Airport on 4805 Amon Carter Boulevard.

“It’s light years ahead of it,” vice president of news Susan Tully says of the new home compared to the old, creaky homestead.

“They’re dead,” vice president of programming and research Brian Hocker volunteers when a group of high-level tour guides is asked whether rival stations will be technological “dinosaurs” in comparison. “This is really the first facility built for the technology of today,” he says.

Last week’s preview tour begins with NBC5 president-general manager Tom Ehlmann saying modestly, “We’re pretty proud to show this thing off.”

For competitive reasons, no pictures are allowed of the new news sets for NBC5 and Telemundo39, each of which is 2,600 square feet. But The Studios at DFW otherwise are fair game, whether it’s the Peacock Cafe, a physical fitness center with private showers or conference rooms named after Amon Carter and two evergreen news personalities, meteorologist Harold Taft and entertainment reporter Bobbie Wygant, who’s still a contributor.

The first newscasts from the new emporium are scheduled for late October or early November. Ehlmann says the goal from the start of this four-year walkup to the main event has been to be fully operative no later than 90 days before the first day of NBC’s Winter Olympics telecasts, which begin on Feb. 7th
DSCN4073

The newsroom has 108 work stations & a wealth of monitors.

Matt Varney, vice president of technology for NBC5/Telemundo39, says the new building “at its core is a big empty box.” This allows for continual reconfiguring and revamping to keep pace with whatever new technology breezes in.

“Our No. 1 success metric is, ‘Is it faster? Is it easier to do your job?’ “ Varney says.

The relocation also will bring an end to NBC’s Dallas offices, with the entire operation to be consolidated under one roof within 17 miles of both the Dallas and Fort Worth downtowns. Unlike competitor WFAA8’s Victory Park Studios, there will be no opportunities for adjacent outdoor shots featuring prospective viewers and community groups. That’s because The Studios at DFW are located in a noisy flight path, Ehlmann says. But employees within the sound-proofed facility “will never hear an airplane,” Tully adds.

Crystal clear high-definition monitors are seemingly everywhere, prompting Varney to note, “Boy, do we like monitors. Every shape and size.”

But a staple of old-school TV -- the venerable “green screen” used during weather reports -- will remain in place even though Ehlmann says the technology exists to phase it out.

“Weather is what we do. And the viewer’s best experience with weather is still the green screen,” Tully says.

Consultants for all of D-FW’s news stations also say that climate ups and downs continue to be viewer catnip. Once relegated to regular weather segments, forecasts of heavy drizzles now regularly lead the news. It’s another reason why designers “wanted to focus on weather and build a news set around that,” Tully says. “So this is our tribute to David Finfrock” (Taft’s hand-picked successor, who has announced he’ll be retiring in May 2018).

Employees were asked for their input throughout the design process, executives emphasize. The in-house fitness center is one of the tangible results. There’s also a spacious but homey cafe and offices with glass fronts to somewhat level the playing field between management and minions.

“There’s no hiding behind walls,” Varney says.

The cost of all this is steep but not for public consumption. “I’d prefer not to talk about that,” Ehlmann says affably.

Ideally, the spanking new look will pay off with bigger audiences for both NBC5 and Telemundo39. For now, though, the long-anticipated move from Shanty Town to Shangri-La is a big lift for all concerned. Here are a few more pictures of what’s in store:
DSCN4067

One conference room is in honor of famed meteorologist Harold Taft.

DSCN4066

And another honors entertainment reporter Bobbie Wygant.

DSCN4071

An on-site fitness center is part of the new package.


Email comments or questions to: unclebaky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 9) -- Survivor still making big splash

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
“Reality” competition shows come and go, but Survivor may never go away.

The CBS’ pathfinder’s 27th edition, Survivor: Blood and Water, again dominated its 7 p.m. time slot Wednesday, drawing 276,951 D-FW viewers with 136,781 of them within the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range. That easily bested the first hour of Fox’s competing The X Factor, which had 177,533 total viewers and 81,418 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

CBS also won at 8 and 9 p.m. in total viewers with Criminal Minds (312,457) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (227,242). The second half of Criminal Minds topped the 18-to-49 measurement, but ABC’s Modern Family won at 8 p.m. while Fox4’s local newscast ran first from 9 to 10 p.m..

NBC’s new 9 p.m. episode of Ironside cratered with fourth place finishes in both measurements. ABC’s two freshman sitcoms, Back In the Game and Super Fun Night also had tough nights. Game ran fourth across the board in its 7:30 to 8 p.m. slot while Super Fun ranked fourth in total viewers and third with 18-to-49-year-olds (ahead of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU from 8:30 to 9 p.m.

The CW’s 8 p.m. premiere of The Tomorrow People was barely present with 49,709 total viewers and 16,284 within the 18-to-49 motherlode.The network’s 7 p.m. Season 2 premiere of Arrow did little better with respective totals of 56,810 and 22,797 viewers.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby tallies:

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while WFAA8 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

At 6 a.m., WFAA8 handed Fox4 its first defeats since Sept. 9th by winning in both ratings measurements.

Fox4 swept the 5 p.m. competitions. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Showman George Schlatter eminently qualified to receive Dallas VideoFest's Kovacs Award

george-schlatter-at-desk-01 sammy-davis-jr-60th-anniversary-celebration-137a6

George Schlatter enjoys his Emmys but took more joy in honoring others, including Sammy Davis Jr. Schlatter’s the latest recipient of Dallas VideoFest’s Kovacs Award, which has been revived this year.

By ED BARK
Producer George Schlatter rightly is best known as the architect of Laugh-In, the innovative, frenetically paced joke-a-thon that introduced American audiences to the likes of Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn and the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate Award.

It ran from 1968-’73 on NBC, ranked as prime-time’s No. 1 show in its first two seasons and is the principal reason Schlatter, 80, will be presented with the Dallas VideoFest’s Kovacs Award on Friday, Oct. 11th. Revived this year, the honor also has gone to Joel Hodgson, Terry Gilliam, Robert Smigel, Paul Reubens, Martin Mull and Mike Judge.

Schlatter’s behind-the-scenes artistry, and his ability to both recognize and gather talent, go well beyond Laugh-In, though. And never more so than on the night of Feb. 4, 1990, when ABC telecast Sammy Davis Jr.’s 60th Anniversary Celebration. The three-hour show aired less than three-and-a-half months before Davis’ death from throat cancer on May 16 of that year. But he was front and center on that night, witnessing the greatest outpouring of show biz luminaries in the long history of TV specials. It rightly won an Emmy in the “Oustanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special” category.

I reviewed the show at the time and re-watched it recently. Eleven of the participants, including Davis, are now deceased. And that roster alone is beyond imposing. Frank Sinatra opened the show and Ella Fitzgerald closed it. Michael Jackson performed and Gregory Hines, in the night’s most enduring segment, coaxed Davis onstage for a little tap dance competition. Dean Martin, Gregory Peck, Richard Pryor, Bob Hope, Whitney Houston and Nell Carter likewise are no longer among us. But all were very much there for Sammy Davis, Jr.

Eddie Murphy, then at the top of his game, hosted the program, which also included onstage appearances by Bill Cosby, Clint Eastwood, Shirley MacLaine, Goldie Hawn, Stevie Wonder, Magic Johnson, Dionne Warwick, Quincy Jones, Debbie Allen, Diahann Carroll, Anita Baker, Mike Tyson and Tony Danza. Joined by his wife, Altovise, Davis couldn’t have looked happier or more touched. And it was principally George Schlatter who brought this constellation together. I can’t think of one living, able-bodied person who absolutely should have been there, but wasn’t. Schlatter gathered one and all. And we’ve seen nothing like it since.

Schlatter also produced the first seven Grammy Awards telecasts, the first one back in 1964 on NBC. He launched the long-lasting American Comedy Awards, which had a TV home for 15 years, and the short-lived Comedy Hall of Fame specials, which ran for just two years.

Besides the stellar special for Sammy Davis Jr., Schlatter has produced anniversary tributes to Sinatra (on his 75th birthday) and Muhammad Ali (on his 50th and 60th birthdays). Add A Party for Richard Pryor (in 1991 on CBS) and American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement salutes to Dustin Hoffman and Harrison Ford (1999 and 2000). For better or worse, he also produced NBC’s Real People, a long-running trailblazer in the “reality” show genre.

Despite all this, Schlatter still awaits induction into the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, which has now snubbed him for 22 years. That’s not a criminal offense, but it’s certainly an embarrassing oversight that needs to be remedied.
george_schlatter_2003_12_08 KOVACS-3-articleLarge

Jolene Brand with George Schlatter & on The Ernie Kovacs Show.

Schlatter will be re-appreciated on Friday night, however. And he has a direct link to Ernie Kovacs via his wife, Jolene Brand. She regularly appeared on early episodes of The Ernie Kovacs Show, which had two incarnations in the 1950s on CBS and then NBC.

Schlatter and Brand have been married since 1956, with their union pre-dating his first television credit in 1960 as “Talent Coordinator” on The Dinah Shore Show. Three years later he was producing the first five episodes of The Judy Garland Show before helming Jonathan Winters’ first TV special in 1964.

All these years later, few if any have a richer TV history than George Schlatter. Laugh-In was his motherlode. But the befores and afters also were something to behold.

We’ll close with two clips. One is the extraordinary last tap between Sammy Davis Jr. and Gregory Hines. The other is Jolene Brand cooing a weather report on The Ernie Kovacs Show. And I hope to see you at the George Schlatter tribute.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 8) -- CBS/NBC control prime-time terrain

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Crime again paid for CBS in D-FW’s total viewer Nielsens but NBC skimmed the profits with Tuesday’s No. 1 lineup among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds.

The CBS trio of NCIS (404,774 total viewers), NCIS: Los Angeles (291,153) and Person of Interest (276,951) all won their time slots. NBC countered with an 18-to-49 sweep via a two-hour edition of The Voice (127,011 viewers in this key demographic) and Chicago Fire (84,674).

ABC’s third episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ran third at 7 p.m. in both ratings measurements, but in each case had a slightly larger audience than the previous week.

Fox’s 7 to 9 p.m. quartet of comedies again had a miserable out-of-the-money night, with Andy Samberg’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine continuing to slowly deep six itself with just 56,810 total viewers at 7:30 p.m. The preceding new Dads was the most-watched of the Fox foursome with 92,317 viewers.

ABC’s cancellation of Lucky 7 after just two episodes did not improve the network’s 9 p.m. standing. A repeat of Scandal did far worse in both ratings measurements and had a total viewer haul of just 42,619.

On KERA13, the powerful Frontline documentary League of Denial averaged 35,507 total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. It probed the NFL’s look-the-other-way stance on the brain-damaging aftereffects of concussions. ESPN, which has a long-term contract with the NFL, belatedly backed out of its partnership with PBS and Frontline. The film is based on the just-released, same-named book by two ESPN reporters.

In Tuesday’s local news derby results, CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but NBC5 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

At 6 a.m., juggernaut Fox4 slipped into a rare first place tie in total viewers with NBC5 and WFAA8. Fox4 and WFAA8 shared the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.

WFAA8 ran the table at 6 p.m. The 5 p.m. wins went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Oct. 7) -- NBC still a powerhouse while CBS has another outage

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
No. 1-rated CBS generally looks forward to reading the daily morning Nielsen ratings reports. Except on Tuesdays, when the latest returns for its slumping Monday night lineup arrive.

Meanwhile, NBC can’t wait to rise and shine. It already has a dominant power player in Sunday Night Football. And now Mondays are golden, too, with a combo of The Voice and TV’s biggest new drama hit, The Blacklist.

The Voice averaged 369,268 D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m., easily outdrawing ABC’s runner-up two-hour edition of Dancing with the Stars (255,647 viewers). CBS’ How I Met Your Mother managed to beat the first half-hour of Fox’s Bones before the network’s new We Are Men fell to fourth place with just 113,621 viewers.

From 8 to 9 p.m., Fox’s Sleepy Hollow (already renewed for a second season) finished third with 213,039 viewers among the Big Four broadcast networks. CBS’ comedy combo of 2 Broke Girls (142,026 viewers) and the freshman series Mom (127,823 viewers) continued to lag far behind.

NBC also dominated at 9 p.m. with The Blacklist, which has been given a full-season order. It drew 340,862 viewers to whip ABC’s Castle (241,442), Fox4’s local newscast (142,026) and CBS’ new Hostages (134,925 viewers). The latter series actually improved on its meager lead-in from Mom while slowly building audience in each 15-minute increment. Still, the cancellation bell may soon be tolling.

Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, The Voice and The Blacklist both piled up big wins in the Big 4 broadcast network arena. CBS perked up a bit here, with How I Met Your Mother and We Are Men running second in the 7 p.m. hour. 2 Broke Girls and Mom then fell to third before Hostages bottomed out in fourth place. ABC’s DWTS continued to “skew old” with fourth place finishes across the board in this key audience demographic.

Over on ESPN, Monday Night Football’s down-to-the-wire New York Jets-Atlanta Falcons game averaged 298,255 total viewers, with 143,295 within the 18-to-49 motherlode. That was strong enough to outdraw everything except NBC’s lineup in Nielsen’s total viewers measurement.

OK, let’s look at a few daytime numbers.

The new syndicated Queen Latifah, airing from 2 to 3 p.m. on CBS11, has not been doing well at all. Monday’s edition had a paltry 14,203 total viewers compared to 78,114 for the time slot winner, NBC5’s syndicated Steve Harvey.

Fox4’s syndicated Bethenny is an even bigger bomb in the 11 a.m. hour, with just 7,101 viewers Monday. In comparison, CBS11’s half-hour 11 a.m. local newscast led the way with 92,317 viewers before the second half of ABC’s The Chew won from 11:30 a.m. to noon with 63,912 viewers.

Monday afternoon’s biggest overall attraction, WFAA8’s one-hour noon newscast, had 99,418 viewers.

Here are the four-way local news derby results:

WFAA8 ran first at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 as usual rolled to another pair of twin wins at 6 a.m., where it hasn’t lost in either measurement since Monday, Sept. 9th (when WFAA8 had the most total viewers).

WFAA8 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. and tied Fox4 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds. The 5 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

LOCAL TV NEWS NOTE

Fox4 has hired Neeha Curtis as a freelance reporter to shore up its lately depleted news staff. She’s a Syracuse University grad who previously worked for ABC affiliate WVLA-TV in Baton Rouge. Her husband already is based in Dallas, and Curtis tweeted Monday, “Had an absolutely wonderful first day at work! AND I got to come home to my husband and dog -- so surreal. I feel like a real human!

As previously posted, Fox4 reporters Lynn Kawano and Emily Lopez recently have left the station.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Oct. 4-6) -- Cowboys lasso big ratings before getting bucked by Broncos

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos put a Wild West show Sunday before Tony Romo’s record-shattering passing performance got outgunned by what he invariably does during “winning time.”

Denver’s 51-48 win on CBS roped in 1,299,538 D-FW viewers with a peak crowd of 1,540,982 from 6:15 to 6:30 p.m. Of the Cowboys’ five regular season games, it was second only to the Sept. 8th opening win against the New York Giants on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. That one averaged 1,542,061 viewers from start to finish, with a high point of 1,679,745.

For the record, Romo threw a late-game interception, which allowed Peyton Manning’s still unbeaten Broncos to move into position for the winning field goal. But Romo also went where no Cowboys QB had gone before, passing for over 500 yards and ending with 506. Still, the Cowboys fell to a 2-3 record, good enough for a first-place tie with the Philadelphia Eagles in the so far stinko NFC East.

The most-watched attraction opposite Cowboys-Broncos, Fox4’s 5 p.m. local newscast, had 71,013 viewers.

Viewers then switched to San Francisco’s dismantling of the suddenly woeful Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. The game averaged 440,281 viewers to rank as prime-time’s most-watched attraction.

Saturday’s college football parade was led by Fox’s TCU-Oklahoma face-off, which averaged 170,431 viewers in prime-time to best ABC’s competing Ohio State-Northwestern game (113,621 viewers). NBC’s Notre Dame-Arizona State game from Jerry’s Palace picked up steam down the stretch but still ran third overall behind Fox and ABC.

Friday’s prime-time ratings were paced by CBS’ Blue Bloods, which had 262,748 viewers in the 9 p.m. hour. But ABC’s 8 p.m. episode of Shark Tank ranked No. 1 with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 91,188.

In Friday’s local news derby results, WFAA8 had a big day with sweeps of the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions and a 10 p.m. win among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 as usual ran the table at 6 a.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 3) -- tough night for 3 of 4 premieres

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The CW’s newest drain-in-the-neck arrived DOA while NBC’s two new sitcoms also ran into hard times Thursday night.

Only CBS’ The Millers had a fairly firm pulse among the quartet of series premieres. But it had the advantage of a big lead-in from The Big Bang Theory and dropped a big chunk of it.

Big Bang as usual was D-FW’s top draw, with 376,369 viewers at 7 p.m. The Millers then fell to 227,242 viewers but still won its time slot. Both series also led from 7 to 8 p.m. among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.

NBC’s 7:30 p.m. newcomer, Welcome to the Family improved on its starvation audience feed from Parks and Recreation. But it still ran fifth in its time slot with just 85,216 viewers while moving up to fourth place among 18-to-49-year-olds against the second half of ABC’s Scandal repeat.

NBC’s 8 p.m. series premiere, Sean Saves the World, drew 120,722 total viewers. That was good enough to beat the first half of Fox’s Glee, which retaliated by thumping the Sean Hayes sitcom in the 18-to-49 demographic. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy led the hour in both ratings measurements.

CW’s 8 p.m. offering, a spinoff of The Vampire Diaries called The Originals, lost more than half the audience it inherited from the blood-sucking mothership. That left Originals with a sub-paltry 42,608 total viewers. It also took a drubbing among 18-to-49-year-olds, where the fall-off from Vampire Diaries was even steeper.

CBS’ Elementary had the most total viewers at 9 p.m. (248,546) but ABC’s season premiere of Scandal comfortably led at that hour with 18-to-49-year-olds.

Thursday’s two marquee sitcom stars, Robin Williams and Michael J. Fox, had mixed results in their second weeks. CBS’ The Crazy Ones ran a solid second from 8 to 8:30 p.m. with 255,647 total viewers but was crunched by Grey’s Anatomy in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Still, it improved on its total viewers lead-in from The Millers while drawing the same number of 18-to-49-year-olds.

NBC’s The Michael J. Fox Show had just 113,621 total viewers, outdrawing only the second half of Glee among the Big Four broadcast networks. It tied Glee for third place among 18-to-49-year-olds, but more than doubled its audience in this measurement over the paltry lead-in from Sean Saves the World.

Here are Thursday’s local news derby numbers.

WFAA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions, winning in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 again rolled to twin wins at 6 a.m. while also running first at 5 and 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 and NBC5 tied for first in total viewers at 5 p.m. while the Peacock and CBS11 shared the total viewers lead at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 2) -- Ironside short on calcium, Super Fun Night falters

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Another pair of network newcomers tried to hit the ground running Wednesday night. But they didn’t.

ABC’s heavily-hyped Super Fun Night dug a post-Modern Family hole for itself while NBC’s Ironside likewise faltered.

CBS swept the night in total D-FW viewers with its returning lineup of Survivor: Blood and Water (333,761), Criminal Minds (340,862) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (284,052).

Survivor likewise won easily among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds before ABC’s Modern Family nipped the first half-hour of Criminal Minds, which recovered to win from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast was tops at that hour in this key demographic, with CSI second.

Super Fun Night, which followed Modern Family, ran fourth in total viewers with 113,621 while occupying the same spot with 18-to-49-year-olds. Ironside managed a third place finish at 9 p.m. in total viewers, beating ABC’s Nashville by a score of 177,533 to 113,621. But the Blair Underwood re-do of the old cop show hit slid to fourth place among 18-to-49-year-olds.

Fox4 and CBS11 split all the spoils in Wednesday’s local news derby results.

CBS11 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers, swept the 5 p.m. competitions and added a 6 p.m. gold in total viewers.

Fox4 again ran the table at 6 a.m. and had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 and 10 p.m.

LOCAL TV NEWS NEWS NOTE

Former CBS11 reporter Jane Slater is returning to the station as a freelance contributor to the sports department. She’s scheduled to start on Wednesday of next week and also will contribute to sister station TXA21.

Slater, who also briefly did early evening traffic reports for WFAA8, recently was dropped, along with co-host Mark Elfenbein, by KRLD-FM (105.3 “The Fan”). They had co-hosted the station’s weekday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. sports show.

A spot for Slater at CBS11 opened after veteran sports anchor/reporter Gina Miller resigned to pursue other, so far undisclosed opportunities. Miller had hosted TXA21’s The Fan from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. weeknights.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 1) -- S.H.I.E.L.D. slides, CBS/NBC shine

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ABC’s all-new Tuesday night lineup, led by Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., took a big hit opposite established hits on CBS and NBC.

S.H.I.E.L.D. sustained the biggest dent, with its second episode drawing just 149,127 D-FW viewers in the 7 p.m. hour to finish far behind CBS’ NCIS (518,395) and the first hour of NBC’s The Voice (291,153). That’s sharply down from the 261,600 viewers for last week’s S.H.I.E.L.D. premiere. And the falloff would have been worse without Nielsen ratings inflation that went into effect on Saturday and upped the value of each D-FW rating point from 68,842 to 71,013 viewers.

Fox’s third episode of Andy Samberg’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine also hit a ratings gulch at 7:30 p.m., luring only 63,912 viewers.The network’s preceding Dads had 92,317 viewers.

NBC’s second hour of The Voice won at 8 p.m. with 397,673 viewers while CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles ran a solid second with 347,964. ABC’s freshman comedy combo of The Goldbergs and Trophy wife respectively drew 99,443 and 85,216 viewers while Fox ran out of the money with New Girl (85,216) and The Mindy Project (63,912).

CBS took the 9 p.m. gold with Person of Interest (298,255 viewers), followed by NBC’s Chicago Fire 198,836), Fox4’s local news (191,735) and ABC’s new Lucky 7 (85,216). Although running fourth, Lucky 7 basically held its audience from Week 1 while the other three ABC newbies all took bigger falls. And Fox4’s news at least merits a purple heart for pole-vaulting to an audience that was three times larger than its Fox network lead-in.

In Tuesday’s Nielsens among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, NCIS tied the first hour of The Voice for first place from 7 to 8 p.m. before the Peacock swept the 8 to 10 p.m. results.

Over on TBS, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ post-season Wild Card “play-in” win over the Cincinnati Reds was a ratings bunt with 49,709 total viewers.

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results:

CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but Fox4 prevailed with 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 notched another pair of 6 a.m. wins and also swept the 5 p.m. Nielsens.

The 6 p.m. firsts went to CBS11 in total viewers and WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Sports anchor-reporter Gina Miller leaving CBS11/TXA21 to chart new path

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Gina Miller in CBS11/TXA21 newsroom, circa 2009. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Veteran sports anchor-reporter Gina Miller is leaving CBS11/TXA21 after an eight-year run to “pursue new entrepreneurial projects that I will share with you in the near future.”

Miller announced her intentions Tuesday on her Facebook page, adding that “I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent working with the dedicated, talented and passionate team at CBS11 & TXA21.”

Miller, who has already left the stations, has been hosting TXA21’s The Fan, which airs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. weeknights. She also has anchored the pre- and post-game shows for the station’s Friday night Texas Rangers games.

“Covering sports in Dallas/Fort Worth was my childhood dream and is perhaps one of the greatest jobs in the world,” Miller said in her Facebook post. “Being a part of your lives every day was an absolute honor. I am living proof that you can do what you love and have fun in the process. I am as much a fan of our DFW sports teams and personalities today as I was as a 14-year-old cheering for them in my living room.”

Miller joined CBS11/TXA21 in 2005 after a three-year stint as a sports reporter for rival WFAA8. “I’d been without a contract for a year and I think I just kind of got lost in the shuffle at Channel 8,” Miller said in an extended 2009 profile posted on unclebarky.com. “I didn’t see any room for growth there.”

Miller since has married and had her first child, a daughter, in October 2011.

CBS11/TXA21 director of communications Lori Conrad, who was out of the office Tuesday, said Wednesday that The Fan will be hosted on a rotating basis by CBS11/TXA21 sports personnel until a full-time replacement is named.

“I hope to return to a TV near you soon,” Miller said in Tuesday’s Facebook message.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Sept. 30) -- Monday Night Football vs nighty night for Rangers

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Baseball town -- for a night. The Texas Rangers’ last gasp on TBS had enough punch to outdraw the New Orleans Saints’ rout of the Dolphins on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Tampa Bay’s 5-2 win over the North Texas Nine in a do-or-die Game 163 of the regular season averaged 461,585 D-FW viewers while MNF pulled in 312,457. Rangers-Rays outdrew Saints-Dolphins in every quarter hour they went against each other. Texas’ season ended at 10:16 p.m. while the Saints continued to maul the Dolphins until 10:49 p.m. Baseball also started a half-hour earlier than football.

It was a closer score among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. Baseball averaged 227,969 viewers in this key demographic and football had 172,605. But Rangers-Rays again won every quarter-hour of the head-to-head competition with Saints-Dolphins.

It also was an eventful night on the Big Four broadcast networks, with NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of The Voice ranking as the biggest draw with 362,166 total viewers. That comfortably beat ABC’s competing two-hour Dancing with the Stars (269,849 viewers).

Fox’s 7 to 9 p.m. lineup of Bones (134,925 viewers) and the third episode of Sleepy Hollow (205,938) took the bronze opposite CBS’ sagging lineup of sitcoms. How I Met My Mother led off with 134,925 viewers (running a bit behind the first half-hour of Bones) before the premiere of We Are Men dipped to 113,621 viewers. 2 Broke Girls pulled in 156,229 viewers and the second episode of Mom had 170,431.

The Voice crushed all comers in the 18-to-49 competition. How I Met Your Mother beat the first half-hour of Bones to place third from 7 to 7:30 p.m. The orders of finish otherwise remained the same, with the second hour of Dancing with the Stars having just enough oomph to nip Sleepy Hollow for the silver.

NBC made it a sweep for the night with 284,052 total viewers for its 9 p.m. second episode of The Blacklist. ABC’s Castle placed a solid second with 255,647 viewers while CBS’ Hostages fell to 149,127 viewers. Blacklist also edged Castle for the 18-to-49 crown, with Hostages tying Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast. Blacklist benefited in both cases from a big lead-in advantage from the last 15 minutes of The Voice.

In Monday’s local news derby results, NBC5 held on at 10 p.m. to win narrowly in both total viewers (over WFAA8) and 25-to-54-year-olds (over Fox4), the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 rolled to another pair of dominant wins at 6 a.m. and also swept the 5 p.m. competitions. NBC5 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m. and Fox4 was alone atop the 25-to-54 heap.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net