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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Tues., Feb. 16-17) -- ABC takes a bad beating

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The CBS lineup of NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans and Person of Interest as usual swept Tuesday’s total viewer ratings in D-FW.

Advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds mostly went elsewhere, though, with Fox’s Masterchef Junior winning the 7 p.m. hour before NBC’s Marry Me ran first from 8 to 8:30 p.m. The second half of NCIS: New Orleans then drew the most 18-to-49-year-olds in the 8:30 to 9 p.m. slot. But the Peacock took over again at 9 p.m. with Chicago Fire.

That left ABC in serious disrepair throughout prime-time. Fresh Off the Boat and the premiere of Repeat After Me managed third place finishes from 7 to 8 p.m. in total viewers by beating NBC’s competing pair of Parks and Recreation episodes in that show’s nearly concluded final season. But the two ABC shows fell to fifth place among 18-to-49-year-olds (trailing Fox, CBS, NBC and CW’s The Flash).

ABC’s Marvel’s Agent Carter ran fifth in its first half-hour before nipping NBC’s all but canceled About A Boy to place fourth with 18-to-49-year-olds from 8:30 to 9 p.m. ABC’s Countdown to the Oscars: 15 Movies That Changed American Cinema then dragged bottom with fourth place finishes in both ratings measurements.

The expensive Agent Carter drew just 12,615 viewers in the key 18-to-49 demographic. In comparison, CBS11’s syndicated 6:30 p.m. edition of Wheel of Fortune, oft-ridiculed for skewing north of Forest Lawn, had 34,692 viewers in the 18-to-49 age range. In total viewers, Agent Carter was obliterated in its 8 p.m. slot by the front-running NCIS: New Orleans. The score was 362,648 viewers to 55,792.

In Monday’s prime-time Nielsens, CBS won the first hour in total viewers with 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly. CBS also took the total viewers gold with its first hour of a salute to Stevie Wonder before ABC’s Castle edged Stevie’s second hour.

ABC’s The Bachelor and NBC’s season finale of The Celebrity Apprentice fought a spirited battle for 7 to 9 p.m. supremacy among 18-to-49-year-olds. The Bachelor prevailed with 78,845 viewers to Celebrity Apprentice’s 72,537. AMC’s third episode of Better Call Saul won at 9 p.m. with 63,076 viewers in the 18-to-49 range That’s a very impressive percentage of its 83,688 total viewers.

Here are the local news derby results for the 13th and 14th weekdays of the February “sweeps.”

Monday -- Fox4 and CBS11 curiously took holiday exemptions on President’s Day, rubbing out the results for their 6 a.m. and 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts. And NBC5 counted only its 10 p.m. news in the official sweeps results.

That gave Gannett8 uncontested wins at 6 a.m. and at 5 and 6 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station also knocked off NBC5 in both measurements at 10 p.m.

Let’s look at what might have been, though. CBS11, in a tight fight with Gannett8 at 6 a.m. for third place with 25-to-54-year-olds, coughed up a strong performance in that demographic. Had it played for keeps on Monday, CBS11 would have beaten Gannett8 by a score of 38,524 to 26,671 viewers. Perhaps they’ve already held the management meeting on that one.

CBS11 also gave away wins in total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. And NBC5 would have been the first place station at 5 and 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds. But no.

It’s not as if many potential viewers are out vacationing or partying on President’s Day. Quite the opposite. Many more of them are at home. So the decisions by Fox4, NBC5 and CBS11 remain puzzling. From this perspective at least.

Tuesday -- Gannett8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but Gannett8 was alone in first with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions. And in the 25-to-54 demographic, Gannett8 had 32,597 viewers to CBS11’s 26,671 (11,583 short of CBS11’s President’s Day total).

The 6 p.m. golds were split between CBS11 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Gannett8 had the most total viewers at 5 p.m., but Fox4 and CBS11 tied for the top spot in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net