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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun, May 11-13) -- Idol gets it on

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The blockbuster ratings of yore are no longer achievable. Still, ABC’s American Idol reboot has been a fairly steady plodder, without ever completely winning its time slot either on Sunday nights or directly opposite NBC’s The Voice on Mondays.

Sunday’s live two-hour Idol, in which the show’s three finalists were selected, ranked as prime-time’s most-watched attraction in D-FW among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds with 74,894 of ‘em. But the Boston Celtics’ afternoon rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals had Sunday’s biggest haul, pulling in 90,497 for the ABC telecast.

Idol’s 199,419 total viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. outdrew Celtics-Cavs but lost the 8 p.m. hour to CBS’ competing NCIS: Los Angeles (220,795 viewers).

In Friday’s prime-time festivities, CBS’ 9 p.m episode of Blue Bloods again drew the most total viewers (270,640) while ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. nipped the Tom Selleck copper for the night’s top showing among 18-to-49-year-olds (23,092). Yeah, that’s pretty damned paltry in a market of 3.12 million viewers in this key demographic.

Here are Friday’s local news derby results for the 12th weekday of the 20-day May ratings “sweeps.”

CBS11 continued to make noise at 10 p.m. with its fifth win in six weekdays in total viewers. A first-place finish at 10 p.m. in this measurement would be a major plus for the struggling station, which still relies heavily on the kindness of its CBS network lead-ins. A win’s a win, though, and CBS11 definitely is very much in the race as it nears the home stretch. CBS11 also recorded a rare victory among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming), but has no shot to win the “sweeps” in this demographic.

Fox4 cruised to two more wins at 6 a.m., where it’s already locked things up. But the station’s recent decision to start Good Day at 4 a.m., a half-hour ahead of its local competitors, so far has been a turnoff. Friday’s 4 to 4:30 p.m. portion of Good Day drew 2,137 total viewers and had “hashmarks” (no measurable audience) among 25-to-54-year-olds. That put it fourth in total viewers behind network news half-hours from ABC, CBS and NBC. Even with no audience among 25-to-54-year-olds, Good Day “improved” to a third place tie with CBS in that measurement.

At 6 p.m., TEGNA8 won in total viewers and Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds. The 5 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net