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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 7) -- CBS11 again takes it to the house with 10 p.m. newscast while Fox4 prospers in other local news slots

By ED BARK
CBS11 lately is maximizing the lead-in advantage it enjoys from its network's 9 p.m. programming. For the third straight weekday it swept the 10 p.m. Nielsens in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the principal advertiser target audience for news programming.

The station's 10 p.m. edition drew 298,935 total viewers Wednesday after inheriting a dominant 378,651 viewers from the last 15 minutes of CBS' CSI: NY. Runnerup NBC5 ran far back with 172,718 viewers after the last segment of the Peacock's Jay Leno Show lured a larger than usual 159,432 viewers.

CBS11 likewise won comfortably among 25-to-54-year-olds, drawing 121,412 in beating silver medalist NBC5 (91,059).

The twin CBS11 victories again underscored the importance of lead-in programming, even in a remote control universe where the hardly taxing press of a button takes viewers to new venues. News teases are key in these circumstances. It only takes one to embed the hook.

Fox4, last at 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements, otherwise prospered in the other four-way local news competitions.

It tied NBC5 for first in total viewers at 6 a.m. and won outright among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 then swept the 6 p.m. faceoffs while also winning at 5 p.m. in total viewers. NBC5 took Wednesday's other gold with a 5 p.m. win among 25-to-54-year-olds. WFAA8 had an especially dismal day, finishing no better than third in any of the four major local news war zones.

In prime-time results, Fox's So You Think You Can Dance won at 7 p.m. in both total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming.

CBS11 dominated the 8 to 10 p.m. slots with Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.

ABC struggled with its Wednesday night lineup of five freshman series.

Kelsey Grammer's Hank and Patricia Heaton's The Middle ran a dispiriting fifth in both measurements, with The CW's America's Next Top Model 7 also besting it.

ABC's followup comedy pairing of Modern Family and Cougar Town ran fourth in total viewers. But both shows improved to No. 2 among 18-to-49-year-olds, outdrawing both Fox's Glee and NBC's Law & Order: SVU.

In the 9 p.m. hour, ABC's Eastwick fell back to fourth in both measurements while Leno performed better than usual by taking the runnerup spots.

The 33's little-watched 9 p.m. local newscast (46,501 total viewers) nonetheless outdrew both hours of TXA21's 7 to 9 p.m. news (26,572 and 33,215 viewers).

In the cable universe, TBS' coverage of three opening round post-season baseball series had smallish audiences throughout the day and night. The peak interest came during the concluding Dodgers-Cardinals game, which had 132,860 D-FW viewers from 9:45 to 10 p.m.

At the opposite end of the teeter totter, the Phillies-Rockies game registered "hashmarks" (no measurable audience) from 1:45 to 2 p.m.
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