Dec 2006
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Dec. 28)
12/29/06 12:32 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Score it as perfect timing for the Dallas Mavericks. Opposite nothing but reruns on all four major networks, the Mavs played and narrowly won a spine-tingling game against the visiting Phoenix Suns and Steve Nash. Net results in Thursday's D-FW Nielsens? Not bad.
Channel 21's telecast of the game (which ran from 7:15 to 9:49 p.m.) drew 133,280 homes. TNT cable's coverage pulled in an additional 59,500 homes locally, landing the Mavs just a bit shy of 200,000 homes for the night. Thursday's most-watched network attraction, a repeat of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, was seen in 209,400 homes.
Here's a sideline report. Nielsen numbers say that twice as many 18-to-49-year-old men watched the Mavs as women in that advertiser-targeted age group. On the other hand, almost five times as many women than men were viewing ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 8 to 9 p.m. That's the way the ball bounces gender-wise.
The daily local newscast derby found Belo8 faring the best. The ABC station tied NBC5 at 10 p.m. in total homes and placed first outright with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser demographic for news programming.
Belo8 also won at 5 p.m. in both measurements and was first at 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds.
CBS11 had the top spot in total homes at 6 p.m. while NBC5 again cruised to a pair of comfortable wins at 6 a.m.
Also of note: Fox4's 9 p.m. local newscast beat everything except the Mavs in total homes. Network competition at that hour was reruns of ER, Shark and Men in Trees.
Score it as perfect timing for the Dallas Mavericks. Opposite nothing but reruns on all four major networks, the Mavs played and narrowly won a spine-tingling game against the visiting Phoenix Suns and Steve Nash. Net results in Thursday's D-FW Nielsens? Not bad.
Channel 21's telecast of the game (which ran from 7:15 to 9:49 p.m.) drew 133,280 homes. TNT cable's coverage pulled in an additional 59,500 homes locally, landing the Mavs just a bit shy of 200,000 homes for the night. Thursday's most-watched network attraction, a repeat of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, was seen in 209,400 homes.
Here's a sideline report. Nielsen numbers say that twice as many 18-to-49-year-old men watched the Mavs as women in that advertiser-targeted age group. On the other hand, almost five times as many women than men were viewing ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 8 to 9 p.m. That's the way the ball bounces gender-wise.
The daily local newscast derby found Belo8 faring the best. The ABC station tied NBC5 at 10 p.m. in total homes and placed first outright with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser demographic for news programming.
Belo8 also won at 5 p.m. in both measurements and was first at 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds.
CBS11 had the top spot in total homes at 6 p.m. while NBC5 again cruised to a pair of comfortable wins at 6 a.m.
Also of note: Fox4's 9 p.m. local newscast beat everything except the Mavs in total homes. Network competition at that hour was reruns of ER, Shark and Men in Trees.
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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Dec. 27)
12/28/06 09:39 AM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
NBC's efforts on behalf of Friday Night Lights have been yeoman of late. The Peacock has been running extended promotional spots touting the critically acclaimed, Austin-made drama series as a family show that just happens to mix in a little football action.
"It's about life," says NBC in touting Lights' move to Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10. That said, a three-hour marathon of Lights repeats played dead in D-FW Wednesday night. They lured an average of 61,880 homes from 7 to 10 p.m. against lineups of reruns on rival stations. That's not a good sign, considering that most viewers have never seen Lights in the first place.
Oh well, the reruns gave the fledgling and very slowly growing TXA21 newscast a better chance to get sampled in prime-time. It averaged 36,890 homes from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, compared to a 26,180-homes average in the four-week November "sweeps." Channel 33's nightly local newscast at 9 p.m. drew 45,220 homes while Fox4's news at the same hour had 109,480 homes.
Wednesday's 10 p.m. crown went to Belo8, which won in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming.
NBC5 placed first in homes at 6 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., but couldn't prevail with 25-to-54-year-olds in any of those slots. Instead Fox4 won at 6 a.m. while Belo8 was tops in that demo at 5 and 6 p.m.
NBC's efforts on behalf of Friday Night Lights have been yeoman of late. The Peacock has been running extended promotional spots touting the critically acclaimed, Austin-made drama series as a family show that just happens to mix in a little football action.
"It's about life," says NBC in touting Lights' move to Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10. That said, a three-hour marathon of Lights repeats played dead in D-FW Wednesday night. They lured an average of 61,880 homes from 7 to 10 p.m. against lineups of reruns on rival stations. That's not a good sign, considering that most viewers have never seen Lights in the first place.
Oh well, the reruns gave the fledgling and very slowly growing TXA21 newscast a better chance to get sampled in prime-time. It averaged 36,890 homes from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, compared to a 26,180-homes average in the four-week November "sweeps." Channel 33's nightly local newscast at 9 p.m. drew 45,220 homes while Fox4's news at the same hour had 109,480 homes.
Wednesday's 10 p.m. crown went to Belo8, which won in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming.
NBC5 placed first in homes at 6 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., but couldn't prevail with 25-to-54-year-olds in any of those slots. Instead Fox4 won at 6 a.m. while Belo8 was tops in that demo at 5 and 6 p.m.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Tues., Dec.
25-26)
12/27/06 01:27 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Christmas Day's Grinch-like Cowboys-Eagles game on NBC had a 28.7 Nielsen rating (683,060 D-FW homes), again obliterating all in its path. That was 1.6 ratings points and 38,080 homes better than the Thanksgiving Day outing against the Buccaneers, which had a far happier outcome.
NBC's subsequent, expanded Christmas night edition of Deal or No Deal feasted on the game's big lead-in audience, averaging 328,440 homes for its two hours.
Another big-money game show, 1 vs. 100, then slipped to 211,820 homes, still good enough to easily win its time period against the concluding hour of Pirates of the Caribbean on ABC. NBC5's 10 p.m. newscast retained that audience in cruising to an easy win in homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming.
On Tuesday night, CBS' two-hour Kennedy Center Honors special controlled the 8 to 10 p.m. slot with an average of 142,800 homes. The program came and went without Jessica's Simpson's bungled rendition of "Nine to Five" on behalf of honoree Dolly Parton. Simpson asked that it be snipped from the televised presentation, and CBS obliged her.
Belo8 took Tuesday's 10 p.m. news battle in total homes but was nipped by NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock scored twin wins at 6 a.m., with viewing levels well below normal. Fox4 won with 25-to-54-year-olds at both 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Total homes victories at those hours respectively went to NBC5 and Belo8.
Christmas Day's Grinch-like Cowboys-Eagles game on NBC had a 28.7 Nielsen rating (683,060 D-FW homes), again obliterating all in its path. That was 1.6 ratings points and 38,080 homes better than the Thanksgiving Day outing against the Buccaneers, which had a far happier outcome.
NBC's subsequent, expanded Christmas night edition of Deal or No Deal feasted on the game's big lead-in audience, averaging 328,440 homes for its two hours.
Another big-money game show, 1 vs. 100, then slipped to 211,820 homes, still good enough to easily win its time period against the concluding hour of Pirates of the Caribbean on ABC. NBC5's 10 p.m. newscast retained that audience in cruising to an easy win in homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming.
On Tuesday night, CBS' two-hour Kennedy Center Honors special controlled the 8 to 10 p.m. slot with an average of 142,800 homes. The program came and went without Jessica's Simpson's bungled rendition of "Nine to Five" on behalf of honoree Dolly Parton. Simpson asked that it be snipped from the televised presentation, and CBS obliged her.
Belo8 took Tuesday's 10 p.m. news battle in total homes but was nipped by NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Peacock scored twin wins at 6 a.m., with viewing levels well below normal. Fox4 won with 25-to-54-year-olds at both 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Total homes victories at those hours respectively went to NBC5 and Belo8.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Dec. 21)
12/22/06 10:56 AM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
D-FW viewers apparently just don't like Katie Couric, even when her CBS Evening News has a big hometown angle.
Couric's exclusive interview with Dallasite Karen James, widow of Mt. Hood climber Kelly James, fell flat in the local Nielsens Thursday. It placed a distant fourth at 5:30 p.m., even though the anchor blew in and out of Dallas that morning and devoted the entire second half of her newscast to the James interview. Here's a telescoped look:
NBC Nightly News -- 149,940 homes
Fox4 local news -- 130,900 homes
ABC World News -- 116,620 homes
CBS Evening News -- 73,780 homes
Thursday's Evening News also finished fourth with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target audience for non-entertainment programming. And it ran fifth with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Contrastingly, CBS' second seasonal telecast of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lit up up the local Nielsens. Rudy took first place from 7 to 8 p.m. in homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, 18-to-49-year-olds and 18-to-34-year-olds.
In the local newscast wars, NBC5 again rang up twin wins at 10 p.m. in both total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds. The Peacock also won at 5 p.m. in both measurements.
At 6 a.m., NBC5 had a commanding lead in homes and tied with Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demo. Fox4 also had a first place finish at 6 p.m., where it won in homes but fell short of first-place Belo8 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
D-FW viewers apparently just don't like Katie Couric, even when her CBS Evening News has a big hometown angle.
Couric's exclusive interview with Dallasite Karen James, widow of Mt. Hood climber Kelly James, fell flat in the local Nielsens Thursday. It placed a distant fourth at 5:30 p.m., even though the anchor blew in and out of Dallas that morning and devoted the entire second half of her newscast to the James interview. Here's a telescoped look:
NBC Nightly News -- 149,940 homes
Fox4 local news -- 130,900 homes
ABC World News -- 116,620 homes
CBS Evening News -- 73,780 homes
Thursday's Evening News also finished fourth with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target audience for non-entertainment programming. And it ran fifth with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Contrastingly, CBS' second seasonal telecast of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lit up up the local Nielsens. Rudy took first place from 7 to 8 p.m. in homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, 18-to-49-year-olds and 18-to-34-year-olds.
In the local newscast wars, NBC5 again rang up twin wins at 10 p.m. in both total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds. The Peacock also won at 5 p.m. in both measurements.
At 6 a.m., NBC5 had a commanding lead in homes and tied with Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demo. Fox4 also had a first place finish at 6 p.m., where it won in homes but fell short of first-place Belo8 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Dec. 20)
12/21/06 01:38 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
So how did Wednesday's late night Dallas Mavericks game do on a day dominated by reruns and low holiday season viewing levels?
Well, the Mavs and Seattle Supersonics on Ch. 21 beat everything in sight from 11 p.m. to midnight. But the first 90 minutes of the game, which started at 9:30 p.m., couldn't outdraw any of D-FW's quartet of 10 p.m. newscasts or the first halves of NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno and CBS' Late Show with David Letterman.
The game overall had a not-bad 4.6 Nielsen rating (109,480 homes). That's about one-eighth the audience for a typical Dallas Cowboys game, but a blockbuster compared to the TV turnout for Wednesday night's Dallas Stars-Mighty Ducks contest on Ch. 27. It averaged an ice-cold 0.2 rating (4,760 homes) from 9 to 11:30 p.m. What's worse, the last hour of the game had "hashmarks" (no measurable audience) in the Nielsen printouts. That's a disastrously bad showing for a sport that increasingly is having a hard time getting any TV exposure at all. Webcasts here we come.
On the local news front, each of the four major providers got at least one candy cane.
CBS11's 10 p.m. newscast edged NBC5's by one-tenth of a point in total homes. But the Peacock won comfortably at that hour with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 also notched a commanding total homes win at 6 a.m., but Belo8's Daybreak nipped it for first place in the 25-54 demo.
The Peacock won in homes at 5 and 6 p.m. Fox4 took the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. while Belo8 won in that demo at 5 p.m.
On its third night, the new NBC game show Identity rebounded from a mediocre Tuesday to claim first place from 7 to 8 p.m. in homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds, the main advertiser target for entertainment programming.
So how did Wednesday's late night Dallas Mavericks game do on a day dominated by reruns and low holiday season viewing levels?
Well, the Mavs and Seattle Supersonics on Ch. 21 beat everything in sight from 11 p.m. to midnight. But the first 90 minutes of the game, which started at 9:30 p.m., couldn't outdraw any of D-FW's quartet of 10 p.m. newscasts or the first halves of NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno and CBS' Late Show with David Letterman.
The game overall had a not-bad 4.6 Nielsen rating (109,480 homes). That's about one-eighth the audience for a typical Dallas Cowboys game, but a blockbuster compared to the TV turnout for Wednesday night's Dallas Stars-Mighty Ducks contest on Ch. 27. It averaged an ice-cold 0.2 rating (4,760 homes) from 9 to 11:30 p.m. What's worse, the last hour of the game had "hashmarks" (no measurable audience) in the Nielsen printouts. That's a disastrously bad showing for a sport that increasingly is having a hard time getting any TV exposure at all. Webcasts here we come.
On the local news front, each of the four major providers got at least one candy cane.
CBS11's 10 p.m. newscast edged NBC5's by one-tenth of a point in total homes. But the Peacock won comfortably at that hour with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 also notched a commanding total homes win at 6 a.m., but Belo8's Daybreak nipped it for first place in the 25-54 demo.
The Peacock won in homes at 5 and 6 p.m. Fox4 took the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. while Belo8 won in that demo at 5 p.m.
On its third night, the new NBC game show Identity rebounded from a mediocre Tuesday to claim first place from 7 to 8 p.m. in homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds, the main advertiser target for entertainment programming.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Dec. 19)
12/20/06 04:07 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
D-FW's Fox4 news loves it when competing networks hit rerun cycles. It inflates audiences for the station's homegrown 9 p.m. newscast, which had a big night on Tuesday.
Opposite repeats of CSI: NY, Law & Order: SVU and Boston Legal, Fox4 romped to a first place finish in total homes and with the two key advertiser demographics, 25-to-54-year-olds for news and 18-to-49-year-olds for entertainment programming. That just doesn't happen when CBS, NBC and ABC have original episodes of those series.
The big showing by Fox4's 9 p.m. news (190,400 homes) helped put its 10 p.m. newscast in a stronger position than usual. It placed a close third in both homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, easily outpointing CBS11 in both measurements.
Belo8 won the 10 p.m. competition in homes, but lost to NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds. It was the opposite outcome at 6 a.m., with the Peacock prevailing in homes but Belo8 taking first in the 25-to-54-year-old subset.
NBC5 also was tops at 6 p.m. in homes, with Fox4 taking the 25-to-54 race. At 5 p.m., Belo8 won in total homes and tied for first with NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
On the entertainment front, NBC's latest big-money game show, Identity, drooped from its strong Monday night premiere. It finished third in homes and second among 18-to-49-year-olds. NBC is running Identity all this week, with illusionist Penn Jillette as ringmaster.
D-FW's Fox4 news loves it when competing networks hit rerun cycles. It inflates audiences for the station's homegrown 9 p.m. newscast, which had a big night on Tuesday.
Opposite repeats of CSI: NY, Law & Order: SVU and Boston Legal, Fox4 romped to a first place finish in total homes and with the two key advertiser demographics, 25-to-54-year-olds for news and 18-to-49-year-olds for entertainment programming. That just doesn't happen when CBS, NBC and ABC have original episodes of those series.
The big showing by Fox4's 9 p.m. news (190,400 homes) helped put its 10 p.m. newscast in a stronger position than usual. It placed a close third in both homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, easily outpointing CBS11 in both measurements.
Belo8 won the 10 p.m. competition in homes, but lost to NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds. It was the opposite outcome at 6 a.m., with the Peacock prevailing in homes but Belo8 taking first in the 25-to-54-year-old subset.
NBC5 also was tops at 6 p.m. in homes, with Fox4 taking the 25-to-54 race. At 5 p.m., Belo8 won in total homes and tied for first with NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
On the entertainment front, NBC's latest big-money game show, Identity, drooped from its strong Monday night premiere. It finished third in homes and second among 18-to-49-year-olds. NBC is running Identity all this week, with illusionist Penn Jillette as ringmaster.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Dec. 18)
12/19/06 04:12 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Holiday season or not, it's rare for a station to run the table in D-FW's four major local news battlegrounds.
NBC5 did it Monday, though, winning in total homes and with advertiser-preferred 25-to-54-year-olds at 10 p.m., 6 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. So if the office Christmas party happens to be on a Tuesday, well, good timing.
The Peacock did it the hard way at 10 p.m., inheriting a Scrooge-like 69,020 homes from NBC's 9 p.m. repeat of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. CBS11 got close to three times that many homes (199,920) from the last 15 minutes of CSI: Miami. But its 10 p.m. newscast dipped to 130,900 in finishing second to NBC5's 138,040.
Also of note: Fox4's 9 p.m. news attracted 159,460 homes to finish a strong second for that hour. The station's homegrown newscast generally fares very well against network repeats. And Fox4 gets to collect all the ad revenues, thank you very much.
On the entertainment front, the first night of NBC's Penn Jillette-hosted Identity opened well, winning its 8 to 9 p.m. time slot with 190,400 homes. The big money game show also took the No. 1 spot with 18-to-49-year-olds, the prime advertiser target for non-news programming.
Holiday season or not, it's rare for a station to run the table in D-FW's four major local news battlegrounds.
NBC5 did it Monday, though, winning in total homes and with advertiser-preferred 25-to-54-year-olds at 10 p.m., 6 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. So if the office Christmas party happens to be on a Tuesday, well, good timing.
The Peacock did it the hard way at 10 p.m., inheriting a Scrooge-like 69,020 homes from NBC's 9 p.m. repeat of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. CBS11 got close to three times that many homes (199,920) from the last 15 minutes of CSI: Miami. But its 10 p.m. newscast dipped to 130,900 in finishing second to NBC5's 138,040.
Also of note: Fox4's 9 p.m. news attracted 159,460 homes to finish a strong second for that hour. The station's homegrown newscast generally fares very well against network repeats. And Fox4 gets to collect all the ad revenues, thank you very much.
On the entertainment front, the first night of NBC's Penn Jillette-hosted Identity opened well, winning its 8 to 9 p.m. time slot with 190,400 homes. The big money game show also took the No. 1 spot with 18-to-49-year-olds, the prime advertiser target for non-news programming.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Dec.
15-17)
12/18/06 03:28 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Saturday night's Cowboys-Falcons game expectedly dominated a pair of competing Christmas movies, but didn't roll up the score compared to recent telecasts.
Viewers without access to the NFL network, which isn't carried on area Time Warner cable systems, got the simulcast on Ch. 21, where the game had a preliminary 21.5 Nielsen rating (511,700 homes). That's a big number, although the Cowboys are accustomed to much bigger. Last Sunday's game against the Saints on NBC had a 37.3 rating (887,740 homes). The Dec. 3rd game against the Giants also registered in that range.
NBC's Saturday night reprise of It's A Wonderful Life from 7 to 10 p.m. drew 71,400 homes in D-FW. CBS' presentation of Elf (7 to 9 p.m.) attracted 54,740 homes. Both were outdrawn by Fox4's combo of Cops (84,490 homes), America's Most Wanted: America Strikes Back (109,480 homes) and the 9 p.m. local newscast (76,160 homes).
In Friday's local news festivities, Belo8 took the top spots in total homes at 10 p.m., 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. NBC notched another win at 6 a.m.
Ratings for 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming, were not immediately available Monday.
Saturday night's Cowboys-Falcons game expectedly dominated a pair of competing Christmas movies, but didn't roll up the score compared to recent telecasts.
Viewers without access to the NFL network, which isn't carried on area Time Warner cable systems, got the simulcast on Ch. 21, where the game had a preliminary 21.5 Nielsen rating (511,700 homes). That's a big number, although the Cowboys are accustomed to much bigger. Last Sunday's game against the Saints on NBC had a 37.3 rating (887,740 homes). The Dec. 3rd game against the Giants also registered in that range.
NBC's Saturday night reprise of It's A Wonderful Life from 7 to 10 p.m. drew 71,400 homes in D-FW. CBS' presentation of Elf (7 to 9 p.m.) attracted 54,740 homes. Both were outdrawn by Fox4's combo of Cops (84,490 homes), America's Most Wanted: America Strikes Back (109,480 homes) and the 9 p.m. local newscast (76,160 homes).
In Friday's local news festivities, Belo8 took the top spots in total homes at 10 p.m., 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. NBC notched another win at 6 a.m.
Ratings for 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming, were not immediately available Monday.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Dec. 14)
12/15/06 02:10 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
It's that most wonderful time of the year, although not for television-watching.
Reruns dominate prime-time, but even first-run programming doesn't do so hot. People rightfully are out and about, shopping, partying and pretty much giving the tube the old heave ho-ho-ho. Not even The Office's new one-hour Christmas special drew much of a crowd in D-FW Thursday night. It ran third in the 7 to 8 p.m. slot in both homes and with advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
No prime-time show came close to a double-digit Nielsen rating. In fact, NBC5's 10 p.m. newscast, with an 8.9 mark (211,820 homes), easily was the most-watched program of the day.
NBC5 lately has re-established itself at 10 p.m. after Belo8 had a strong run during the past three weeks. The ABC station endured one of its lowest draws ever at 10 p.m., reaching just 104,720 homes. That put it third in that measurement, and fourth with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime advertiser demographic for non-entertainment programming.
Fox4's Good Day finally perked up a bit, prevailing at 6 a.m. in total homes. But NBC5, which lately has been dominating the early morning throwdowns, again placed first with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Belo8 claimed most of the day's other spoils, winning in both ratings measurements at 5 and 6 p.m. (with NBC5 tying for first with 25-to-54-year-olds in the latter hour).
Still, it's not a particularly good day for Belo8 when both early evening newscasts attract larger audiences than the station's marquee 10 p.m. show. That's an extreme rarity. Then again, it's Christmastime.
It's that most wonderful time of the year, although not for television-watching.
Reruns dominate prime-time, but even first-run programming doesn't do so hot. People rightfully are out and about, shopping, partying and pretty much giving the tube the old heave ho-ho-ho. Not even The Office's new one-hour Christmas special drew much of a crowd in D-FW Thursday night. It ran third in the 7 to 8 p.m. slot in both homes and with advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds.
No prime-time show came close to a double-digit Nielsen rating. In fact, NBC5's 10 p.m. newscast, with an 8.9 mark (211,820 homes), easily was the most-watched program of the day.
NBC5 lately has re-established itself at 10 p.m. after Belo8 had a strong run during the past three weeks. The ABC station endured one of its lowest draws ever at 10 p.m., reaching just 104,720 homes. That put it third in that measurement, and fourth with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime advertiser demographic for non-entertainment programming.
Fox4's Good Day finally perked up a bit, prevailing at 6 a.m. in total homes. But NBC5, which lately has been dominating the early morning throwdowns, again placed first with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Belo8 claimed most of the day's other spoils, winning in both ratings measurements at 5 and 6 p.m. (with NBC5 tying for first with 25-to-54-year-olds in the latter hour).
Still, it's not a particularly good day for Belo8 when both early evening newscasts attract larger audiences than the station's marquee 10 p.m. show. That's an extreme rarity. Then again, it's Christmastime.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Dec. 13)
12/14/06 03:31 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Here's how poorly ABC's Lost replacement, Day Break, is doing in the D-FW Nielsens.
On Wednesday, Belo8's homegrown 6 to 7 a.m. portion of Daybreak had a larger audience.
Day Break, a Groundhog Day-ish action-drama starring Taye Diggs as a framed police detective, lured just 64,260 homes from 8 to 9 p.m. That was bad enough for fourth in the time period.
Daybreak drew 66,640 homes in finishing third from 6 to 7 a.m.
The Diggs show now is scheduled to be yanked off the air earlier than ABC had planned. No new episodes are scheduled beyond Dec. 27. Of all the season's new serial dramas, Day Break easily has fared the worst.
In the local news arena, Belo8 has hit a mini-slump this week. Its 10 p.m. newscast couldn't overcome a dinky lead-in from ABC's Prime Time Live, finishing a rare third in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime advertiser demographic for non-entertainment programming. NBC5 took the top spots in both measurements, with CBS11 second by virtue of a healthy lead-in from CSI: NY.
NBC5 had two more easy wins at 6 a.m. It also topped Belo8 at 5 p.m. in total homes. The ABC station countered with two wins at 6 p.m., although just two-tenths of a rating point (4,760 homes) separated it from fourth-place CBS11. Belo8 also placed first at 5 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Here's how poorly ABC's Lost replacement, Day Break, is doing in the D-FW Nielsens.
On Wednesday, Belo8's homegrown 6 to 7 a.m. portion of Daybreak had a larger audience.
Day Break, a Groundhog Day-ish action-drama starring Taye Diggs as a framed police detective, lured just 64,260 homes from 8 to 9 p.m. That was bad enough for fourth in the time period.
Daybreak drew 66,640 homes in finishing third from 6 to 7 a.m.
The Diggs show now is scheduled to be yanked off the air earlier than ABC had planned. No new episodes are scheduled beyond Dec. 27. Of all the season's new serial dramas, Day Break easily has fared the worst.
In the local news arena, Belo8 has hit a mini-slump this week. Its 10 p.m. newscast couldn't overcome a dinky lead-in from ABC's Prime Time Live, finishing a rare third in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime advertiser demographic for non-entertainment programming. NBC5 took the top spots in both measurements, with CBS11 second by virtue of a healthy lead-in from CSI: NY.
NBC5 had two more easy wins at 6 a.m. It also topped Belo8 at 5 p.m. in total homes. The ABC station countered with two wins at 6 p.m., although just two-tenths of a rating point (4,760 homes) separated it from fourth-place CBS11. Belo8 also placed first at 5 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Happy Holidays -- um, you're fired
12/13/06 03:24 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
Reporter Andrea Burnett, who joined NBC5 only last January, is the latest casualty of corporate-mandated downsizing. She's being let go at the end of the year.
Burnett came to NBC5 from KDFX-TV in Wichita Falls. She joins NBC5's Richard "Cash" Sirois, Ramona Logan and Loriana Hernandez in the station's recent or soon-to-be unemployed ranks.
Ed Bark
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Dec. 12)
12/13/06 02:30 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
The Grinch again gave back Christmas Tuesday night, but maybe it stole Belo8's newscast ratings as compensation.
The ABC station had uncommonly poor performances at 6 and 10 p.m., with NBC5 and CBS11 instead setting the pace.
First, though, to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which again held up well on ABC as Tuesday night's leadoff hitter. Grinch finished second to CBS' competing NCIS in total homes, but took the No. 1 spot with 18-to-49-year-olds, the prime advertiser target for entertainment programming. Alas, an original episode of NBC's Friday Night Lights again got sacked by D-FW viewers. The made-in-Austin high school football saga placed a distant third in homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds.
NBC has given Lights a full-season order and will move it to Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in January. But a lamentable lack of viewer interest, both locally and nationally, is making it very tough for the network to go any further.
Barbara Walters otherwise scored again at 9 p.m. with her yearly compilation of the world's 10 Most Fascinating People. Babs gave Belo8's late night newscast a running start by drawing 180,880 homes in her special's closing 15 minutes. But the 10 p.m. news slipped to 157,080 homes. That let NBC5 snatch victory with 168,980 homes despite a lead-in of only 121,380 homes from the Peacock's Law & Order: SVU.
Belo8 also drooped at 6 p.m., finishing a rare third in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target audience for news programming. CBS11 whistled merry Christmas carols Wednesday after taking first place in both ratings measurements.
NBC5 continued to dominate the early morning ratings with twin victories at 6 a.m. The station's team of Brendan Higgins, Deborah Ferguson, Rebecca Miller and Tammy Dombeck has been running very strong of late while Fox4 suddenly finds itself in a fight with Belo8 for second place.
Belo8 as usual won the 5 p.m. news ratings in both measurements.
The Grinch again gave back Christmas Tuesday night, but maybe it stole Belo8's newscast ratings as compensation.
The ABC station had uncommonly poor performances at 6 and 10 p.m., with NBC5 and CBS11 instead setting the pace.
First, though, to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which again held up well on ABC as Tuesday night's leadoff hitter. Grinch finished second to CBS' competing NCIS in total homes, but took the No. 1 spot with 18-to-49-year-olds, the prime advertiser target for entertainment programming. Alas, an original episode of NBC's Friday Night Lights again got sacked by D-FW viewers. The made-in-Austin high school football saga placed a distant third in homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds.
NBC has given Lights a full-season order and will move it to Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in January. But a lamentable lack of viewer interest, both locally and nationally, is making it very tough for the network to go any further.
Barbara Walters otherwise scored again at 9 p.m. with her yearly compilation of the world's 10 Most Fascinating People. Babs gave Belo8's late night newscast a running start by drawing 180,880 homes in her special's closing 15 minutes. But the 10 p.m. news slipped to 157,080 homes. That let NBC5 snatch victory with 168,980 homes despite a lead-in of only 121,380 homes from the Peacock's Law & Order: SVU.
Belo8 also drooped at 6 p.m., finishing a rare third in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target audience for news programming. CBS11 whistled merry Christmas carols Wednesday after taking first place in both ratings measurements.
NBC5 continued to dominate the early morning ratings with twin victories at 6 a.m. The station's team of Brendan Higgins, Deborah Ferguson, Rebecca Miller and Tammy Dombeck has been running very strong of late while Fox4 suddenly finds itself in a fight with Belo8 for second place.
Belo8 as usual won the 5 p.m. news ratings in both measurements.
Emmitt's the beau of the ball at big Dallas charity
event
12/12/06 10:39 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
His dance partner, Cheryl Burke, canceled at the last minute due to illness. But Emmitt Smith showed up and played the perfect host Tuesday night on behalf of his charitable foundation.
"The pleasure's all mine. All mine," he could be heard saying on more than one occasion to well-heeled potential bidders. The night's grand prize, a private dance lesson from reigning Dancing with the Stars champs Smith and Burke, eventually went to three couples who parted with a total of $80 grand. Another $20,000-plus was raised separately, Smith said.
An invited crowd mingled in close quarters at the Plaza at Turtle Creek with Smith, his wife, Pat, pro football Hall of Famers Marcus Allen and Ronnie Lott, and possible future honorees Michael Irvin and Tim Brown.
Smith's triumphant green dancing costume and shoes were framed for the occasion, and party-goers also could pet the Dancing with the Stars mirror ball trophy. Late in the game, Allen held it aloft and proclaimed, "I want you guys to realize this is gonna be me next year. No way. Just kiddin'."
Maybe Allen should reconsider. Smith, in an interview, said his transformation from bruising running back to Dancing's teddy bear "has opened up a new world of possibilities."
Endorsement-wise, "It's totally shifted the dynamics," he said. "I've wanted to be in this position, and I thought football would do it for me. But in the world of entertainment, you've got a lot more women actively engaged in watching. I guess you could say the phone's been ringing off the hook with opportunities. Now I just have to sit back, make the right decisions and capitalize on it."
All proceeds from Tuesday's event, co-sponsored by Park Place Maserati, went to Emmitt Smith Charities, which currently is helping fund college educations for 19 disadvantaged students. Those who kicked in the big bucks also won a private dinner at The Mansion, an accompanying bottle of Dom Perignon and a night's stay. Allen urged a hard sell when Smith initially went a little easy on potential bidders.
"It's like church, dude," he said. "You've gotta put all the people on the spot. Wash away all your sins."
Amen to that.
Postscript: Shannon Hughes of Mesquite also was at Tuesday night's charity event, where she modeled Stanley Korshak jewelry. In early winter 2005, she placed second in NBC's "reality" show search for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Should've won. But here's the punchline.
Shannon caught the eye of then Dallas Cowboys' third string quarterback Tony Romo, who asked a sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News to inquire about her availability. The sportswriter than lateraled the ball to me, because I'd interviewed her about the show. Did I think she'd go out with Romo? No, I said, she's engaged and they're already planning the wedding.
I hadn't seen Shannon since, so she'd never heard the story.
"Nope, I was taken," she said, laughing, upon learning what might have been.
Romo since has become one of America's hottest bachelors and Shannon indeed married her high school sweetheart, who's now on his medical residency in Galveston.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Dec. 11)
12/12/06 12:56 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
NBC's original Christmas movie, The Year Without a Santa Claus,, went a night without many viewers in D-FW.
The two-hour presentation, starring John Goodman, attracted just 128,520 ho-ho-homes Monday, finishing third from 8 to 10 p.m. behind CBS and ABC. The Peacock's preceding Deal or No Deal, hosted by Ho-Ho-Howie Mandel, drew 226,100 homes to rank as prime-time's most-watched show of the night.
News-wise, NBC5 scored twin wins at 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime target audience for advertisers. Belo8 won in both measurements at 5 and 6 p.m.
In the battle among late night entertainment shows, Ch. 33's 11 p.m. to midnight repeats of Friends and Sex & the City again beat the big-monied network talk shows in homes and among 18-to-49-year-olds, the preferred advertiser audience for non-news programming.
At 11:30 p.m., Sex & the City drew 80,920 homes and 54,000 viewers in the 18-to-49-demo, handily beating the first half-hour of NBC's runnerup Late Night with Conan O'Brien (45,220 and 43,500).
NBC's original Christmas movie, The Year Without a Santa Claus,, went a night without many viewers in D-FW.
The two-hour presentation, starring John Goodman, attracted just 128,520 ho-ho-homes Monday, finishing third from 8 to 10 p.m. behind CBS and ABC. The Peacock's preceding Deal or No Deal, hosted by Ho-Ho-Howie Mandel, drew 226,100 homes to rank as prime-time's most-watched show of the night.
News-wise, NBC5 scored twin wins at 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the prime target audience for advertisers. Belo8 won in both measurements at 5 and 6 p.m.
In the battle among late night entertainment shows, Ch. 33's 11 p.m. to midnight repeats of Friends and Sex & the City again beat the big-monied network talk shows in homes and among 18-to-49-year-olds, the preferred advertiser audience for non-news programming.
At 11:30 p.m., Sex & the City drew 80,920 homes and 54,000 viewers in the 18-to-49-demo, handily beating the first half-hour of NBC's runnerup Late Night with Conan O'Brien (45,220 and 43,500).
NBC5 ends Logan's run
12/12/06 09:52 AM Ed Bark |Permalink
NBC5 veteran Ramona Logan, who both anchored and reported for the station, is another casualty of the Peacock's corporate-mandated downsizing. Logan, who joined NBC5 in 1985 from KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City, was let go late last month.
As previously reported, weekend anchor Loriana Hernandez and sports reporter/anchor Richard "Cash" Sirois also are looking for new jobs. And Belo8's longtime Washington correspondent, Jim Fry, likewise is without work in the heart of the holidays. He was laid off last week.
Ed Bark
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Dec. 8-10)
12/11/06 02:35 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
We love to watch, even when the Cowboys are getting hammered.
Sunday night's game on NBC averaged 887,740 homes from kickoff to final tick, peaking at 994,840 between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. in the D-FW viewing area. That outdrew last Sunday's Cowboys-Giants game on Fox, which averaged 856,800 homes and topped out at 947,240.
CBS' Without a Trace managed the biggest audience among programs competing directly opposite Dallas and the New Orleans Saints. It lured 176,120 homes, which qualifies as more than a trace.
On Friday night, Christmas chestnuts Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, both on CBS, did well but not great opposite non-holiday programming.
'Dolph placed second in total homes from 7 to 8 p.m., losing to the NBC game show 1 vs 100 but handily beating a Billy Graham special on Belo8. Among 18-to-49-year-olds, the target demographic for entertainment programming, 'Dolph tied 1 vs. 100 for first.
Frosty was tops with 18-to-49-year-olds, and finished second in homes behind ABC's Prime Time Live special.
The local news derby again gave Belo8 something to shout about at 10 p.m. where it whipped a lately faltering NBC5 in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the preferred advertiser audience for news.
Belo8 also won in both ratings measurements at 5 and 6 p.m. NBC5 took those races at 6 a.m., with Fox4's Good Day continuing to slump.
We love to watch, even when the Cowboys are getting hammered.
Sunday night's game on NBC averaged 887,740 homes from kickoff to final tick, peaking at 994,840 between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. in the D-FW viewing area. That outdrew last Sunday's Cowboys-Giants game on Fox, which averaged 856,800 homes and topped out at 947,240.
CBS' Without a Trace managed the biggest audience among programs competing directly opposite Dallas and the New Orleans Saints. It lured 176,120 homes, which qualifies as more than a trace.
On Friday night, Christmas chestnuts Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, both on CBS, did well but not great opposite non-holiday programming.
'Dolph placed second in total homes from 7 to 8 p.m., losing to the NBC game show 1 vs 100 but handily beating a Billy Graham special on Belo8. Among 18-to-49-year-olds, the target demographic for entertainment programming, 'Dolph tied 1 vs. 100 for first.
Frosty was tops with 18-to-49-year-olds, and finished second in homes behind ABC's Prime Time Live special.
The local news derby again gave Belo8 something to shout about at 10 p.m. where it whipped a lately faltering NBC5 in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the preferred advertiser audience for news.
Belo8 also won in both ratings measurements at 5 and 6 p.m. NBC5 took those races at 6 a.m., with Fox4's Good Day continuing to slump.
Two terminated from Belo Washington Bureau
12/09/06 10:51 AM Ed Bark |Permalink
Former Belo8 reporter Jim Fry
Veteran Belo8 reporter Jim Fry has been laid off from the station's Washington bureau, sources confirm.
A colleague, Tom Ackerman of Belo-owned KVUE-TV in Austin, also has been let go.
Fry joined Belo8 in 1982 and had been reporting from Washington for more than a decade. His picture is still on wfaa.com, but his station email has been disabled. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ed Bark
CBS11, TXA21 go to Cleveland for news leadership
12/08/06 04:48 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
CBS11 and TXA21 will begin the New Year with a new vice president of news.
Greg Easterly, from Fox-owned WJW-TV in Cleveland, was named Friday to replace Tom Doerr, who recently left the station to return to Miami.
Easterly, who has spent the last 10 years at WJW, is described as a "tremendous talent" and "terrific people person" in a memo distributed Friday by CBS11 and TXA21 president and general manager Steve Mauldin. He will "bring a very aggressive approach to our news gathering," Mauldin said.
Easterly is scheduled to join the station in mid-January, two weeks before the February ratings "sweeps" begin. Staffers are anticipating major shakeups in an effort to give CBS11 the push it needs to seriously contend for the No. 1 spot at 10 p.m. Despite a considerable lead-in advantage from CBS entertainment programming, the station placed a lackluster third at 10 p.m. in the November sweeps.
Interim news director Scott Diener will remain in that position until Easterly arrives, Mauldin said.
CBS11 and TXA21 will begin the New Year with a new vice president of news.
Greg Easterly, from Fox-owned WJW-TV in Cleveland, was named Friday to replace Tom Doerr, who recently left the station to return to Miami.
Easterly, who has spent the last 10 years at WJW, is described as a "tremendous talent" and "terrific people person" in a memo distributed Friday by CBS11 and TXA21 president and general manager Steve Mauldin. He will "bring a very aggressive approach to our news gathering," Mauldin said.
Easterly is scheduled to join the station in mid-January, two weeks before the February ratings "sweeps" begin. Staffers are anticipating major shakeups in an effort to give CBS11 the push it needs to seriously contend for the No. 1 spot at 10 p.m. Despite a considerable lead-in advantage from CBS entertainment programming, the station placed a lackluster third at 10 p.m. in the November sweeps.
Interim news director Scott Diener will remain in that position until Easterly arrives, Mauldin said.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Dec. 7)
12/08/06 02:30 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Still slipping at 10 p.m., NBC5 conversely is firming its grip in the early mornings.
Thursday's ratings were another sign of the station's good times/bad times.
In the late night news derby, NBC5 prevailed over a resurgent Belo8 in total homes, but narrowly lost among advertiser-coveted 25-to-54-year-olds, the principal target audience for news programming. But from 6 to 7 a.m. the Peacock counted coup twice, wiping out its three news competitors in total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4's woes continued in the early morning, where it had been a dominant force until a sharp setback in the November "sweeps." Belo8's Daybreak again beat Fox4's Good Day in the 25-to-54-year-old demo. Here's a snapshot of how the top three stations fared with that group:
NBC5 -- 73,502
Belo8 -- 53,713
Fox4 -- 36,751
On the entertainment front, new episodes of NBC's ER, CBS' Shark and ABC's transplanted Men In Trees clashed for the last time this year before mostly reruns take over during the heart of the holiday season.
ER won handily among 18-to-49-year-olds, the prime advertiser target audience for entertainment programming. But it barely managed a second place finish in total homes (183,260), where it narrowly trailed Shark (192,780) and narrrowly beat Men In Trees (166,600).
Still slipping at 10 p.m., NBC5 conversely is firming its grip in the early mornings.
Thursday's ratings were another sign of the station's good times/bad times.
In the late night news derby, NBC5 prevailed over a resurgent Belo8 in total homes, but narrowly lost among advertiser-coveted 25-to-54-year-olds, the principal target audience for news programming. But from 6 to 7 a.m. the Peacock counted coup twice, wiping out its three news competitors in total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4's woes continued in the early morning, where it had been a dominant force until a sharp setback in the November "sweeps." Belo8's Daybreak again beat Fox4's Good Day in the 25-to-54-year-old demo. Here's a snapshot of how the top three stations fared with that group:
NBC5 -- 73,502
Belo8 -- 53,713
Fox4 -- 36,751
On the entertainment front, new episodes of NBC's ER, CBS' Shark and ABC's transplanted Men In Trees clashed for the last time this year before mostly reruns take over during the heart of the holiday season.
ER won handily among 18-to-49-year-olds, the prime advertiser target audience for entertainment programming. But it barely managed a second place finish in total homes (183,260), where it narrowly trailed Shark (192,780) and narrrowly beat Men In Trees (166,600).
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Dec. 6)
12/07/06 03:17 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Seems like old times for once dominant Belo8, which lately has been spanking NBC5 in the 10 p.m. news ratings.
The ABC station won again Wednesday in total homes, making it a half-dozen first-place finishes in the last eight weeknights. As noted here before, NBC5's rapid-fire junk-cast of crime, health scares and thinly disguised infomercials might finally be taking a toll on its Nielsen numbers. Whatever's happening, it going to make for a very competitive February "sweeps," with Belo8's 10 p.m. shows getting a blast of Vitamin B from ABC's recent decision to move Lost back an hour to 9 p.m.
Another station is slumping, too. Ratings for Fox4's Good Day have hit a depression in the last month or so, with Belo8's Daybreak now a serious contender for the runnerup spot behind NBC5. On Wednesday, Daybreak again finished second at 6 a.m. in both homes and 25-to-54-year-olds, the target advertiser audience for news programming.
Belo8 won the 5 and 6 p.m. face-offs by comfortable margins in both audience measurements. Maybe it's Dale Hansen wearing a tie, or as weatherman Pete Delkus has called it, a "costume." Station general manager Mike Devlin recently mandated that all reporters and anchors wear ties on-camera, although he exempted Hansen. But the longtime dean of D-FW sports anchors opted to tie the knot anyway. And Belo8 has been winning ever since, which he might want to note on the air.
On the entertainment front, ABC's Lost replacement, Day Break, drew just 88,060 homes Wednesday, losing even to the CW's competing One Tree Hill on Ch. 33 (90,440 homes). ABC will be cutting Day Break's planned 13-episode run short, likely ending the series later this month instead of in late January as originally planned.
At 7 p..m. the latest finale of CW's America's Next Top Model placed a heady second in both homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds, the preferred advertiser demo for entertainment shows. Model lost only to the return of CBS' King of Queens, which had back-to-back episodes from 7 to 8 p.m.
Also of note: MyNetworkTV's premieres of Wicked Wicked Games and Watch Over Me on Ch. 27 were beaten head-to-head from 7 to 9 p.m. by Ch. 21's TXA 21 local newscast. It outpointed the soaps in both homes and among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Seems like old times for once dominant Belo8, which lately has been spanking NBC5 in the 10 p.m. news ratings.
The ABC station won again Wednesday in total homes, making it a half-dozen first-place finishes in the last eight weeknights. As noted here before, NBC5's rapid-fire junk-cast of crime, health scares and thinly disguised infomercials might finally be taking a toll on its Nielsen numbers. Whatever's happening, it going to make for a very competitive February "sweeps," with Belo8's 10 p.m. shows getting a blast of Vitamin B from ABC's recent decision to move Lost back an hour to 9 p.m.
Another station is slumping, too. Ratings for Fox4's Good Day have hit a depression in the last month or so, with Belo8's Daybreak now a serious contender for the runnerup spot behind NBC5. On Wednesday, Daybreak again finished second at 6 a.m. in both homes and 25-to-54-year-olds, the target advertiser audience for news programming.
Belo8 won the 5 and 6 p.m. face-offs by comfortable margins in both audience measurements. Maybe it's Dale Hansen wearing a tie, or as weatherman Pete Delkus has called it, a "costume." Station general manager Mike Devlin recently mandated that all reporters and anchors wear ties on-camera, although he exempted Hansen. But the longtime dean of D-FW sports anchors opted to tie the knot anyway. And Belo8 has been winning ever since, which he might want to note on the air.
On the entertainment front, ABC's Lost replacement, Day Break, drew just 88,060 homes Wednesday, losing even to the CW's competing One Tree Hill on Ch. 33 (90,440 homes). ABC will be cutting Day Break's planned 13-episode run short, likely ending the series later this month instead of in late January as originally planned.
At 7 p..m. the latest finale of CW's America's Next Top Model placed a heady second in both homes and with 18-to-49-year-olds, the preferred advertiser demo for entertainment shows. Model lost only to the return of CBS' King of Queens, which had back-to-back episodes from 7 to 8 p.m.
Also of note: MyNetworkTV's premieres of Wicked Wicked Games and Watch Over Me on Ch. 27 were beaten head-to-head from 7 to 9 p.m. by Ch. 21's TXA 21 local newscast. It outpointed the soaps in both homes and among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Dec. 5)
12/06/06 02:50 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Jeepers peepers, how many of you watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at 9 p.m. on CBS11 Tuesday night?
In D-FW, it very much depends on whom you ask. Let's look at how the show fared with Nielsen's four major audience groups:
Total Homes
No. 4 with 111, 860. Frontrunner: ABC's Boston Legal (195,160)
25-to-54-Year-Olds
No. 4 with 79,156. Frontrunner: Boston Legal (130,042)
18-to-49-Year-Olds
No. 2 with 87,000. Frontrunner: NBC's Law & Order: SVU (90,000)
18-to-34-Year-Olds
No. 1 with 57,834. Runnerup: Law & Order: SVU (32,130)
In other words, Victoria's Secret and interloper Justin Timberlake delivered the goods for CBS by performing very well with advertiser-coveted younger audiences. Grandpappy Amos might have stolen a look or two, but Madison Avenue could care less.
Meanwhile at 7 p.m., ABC's vintage repeat of Santa Claus is Comin' to Town went to town with viewers of all ages, finishing No. 1 across the board. More 18-to-34-year-olds watched it -- 78,718 -- than watched the Victoria's Secret special. Aren't these ratings fascinating?
In the local news derby, Belo8 continued its strong run of late, winning at 10 p.m. in both total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming. Belo8's Daybreak also placed first at 6 a.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds, with NBC5 on top in total homes.
Belo8's newscasts won at 6 p.m. in both audience measurements, and took the 5 p.m. competition with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 was first at 5 p.m. in total homes, scoring a rare victory at that hour.
Jeepers peepers, how many of you watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at 9 p.m. on CBS11 Tuesday night?
In D-FW, it very much depends on whom you ask. Let's look at how the show fared with Nielsen's four major audience groups:
Total Homes
No. 4 with 111, 860. Frontrunner: ABC's Boston Legal (195,160)
25-to-54-Year-Olds
No. 4 with 79,156. Frontrunner: Boston Legal (130,042)
18-to-49-Year-Olds
No. 2 with 87,000. Frontrunner: NBC's Law & Order: SVU (90,000)
18-to-34-Year-Olds
No. 1 with 57,834. Runnerup: Law & Order: SVU (32,130)
In other words, Victoria's Secret and interloper Justin Timberlake delivered the goods for CBS by performing very well with advertiser-coveted younger audiences. Grandpappy Amos might have stolen a look or two, but Madison Avenue could care less.
Meanwhile at 7 p.m., ABC's vintage repeat of Santa Claus is Comin' to Town went to town with viewers of all ages, finishing No. 1 across the board. More 18-to-34-year-olds watched it -- 78,718 -- than watched the Victoria's Secret special. Aren't these ratings fascinating?
In the local news derby, Belo8 continued its strong run of late, winning at 10 p.m. in both total homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target for news programming. Belo8's Daybreak also placed first at 6 a.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds, with NBC5 on top in total homes.
Belo8's newscasts won at 6 p.m. in both audience measurements, and took the 5 p.m. competition with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 was first at 5 p.m. in total homes, scoring a rare victory at that hour.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Dec. 4)
12/05/06 02:57 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Slowly but steadily, Belo 8's local newscasts seem to be regaining some of the strength they once took for granted.
The ABC affiliate's only surefire win is at 5 p.m. But daily local ratings printouts show steady progress at 10 p.m. and some renewed vigor at 6 a.m., where Belo8 has run a distant third for several years.
Monday's results are typical of late. NBC5 and Belo8 each got scant help at 10 p.m. from their respective network lead-ins, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and What About Brian.
The Peacock's Studio 60 delivered a measly 95,200 homes to NBC5, whose newscast jumped to 149,900 homes.
ABC's Brian funneled only 92,820 homes to Belo8, whose newscast jumped to 147,560 homes. That's a virtual tie, which is a better showing than Belo8 would have managed at this time last year. NBC5's nightly crime-fest, sauteed with a variety of worst-case health "alerts," seems to be losing its elasticity. You can only serve this slop for so long, even though Belo8 oftentimes has stooped to play copycat in hopes of catching a foe that's been first in late night news for five years.
The third place finisher at 10 p.m., CBS11, again had a considerable lead-in advantage, even from a repeat of CSI: Miami. But CBS11 as usual failed to hold serve despite putting on a newscast that's D-FW's best on many nights.
Fox4 news rarely gets out of fourth place at 10 p.m. But the station's 9 p.m. local newscast had gangbuster ratings Monday night. In fact, a haul of 209,440 homes made it D-FW's most-watched program of the entire day. That's quite an accomplishment on a night when NBC had firsttrun episodes of both Deal or No Deal and the hot freshman series Heroes.
At 6 a.m., Belo8's Daybreak had another encouraging outing. It tied for second in total homes with Fox4 and placed a close second with advertiser-preferred 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 won the waker-upper hour in homes but dipped to third place among 25-to-54-year-olds, where Fox4 barely prevailed.
Belo8 won in both ratings measurements at 5 and 6 p.m. The latter hour still finds Belo8 vulnerable. Otherwise it's NBC5 that's starting to sweat.
Slowly but steadily, Belo 8's local newscasts seem to be regaining some of the strength they once took for granted.
The ABC affiliate's only surefire win is at 5 p.m. But daily local ratings printouts show steady progress at 10 p.m. and some renewed vigor at 6 a.m., where Belo8 has run a distant third for several years.
Monday's results are typical of late. NBC5 and Belo8 each got scant help at 10 p.m. from their respective network lead-ins, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and What About Brian.
The Peacock's Studio 60 delivered a measly 95,200 homes to NBC5, whose newscast jumped to 149,900 homes.
ABC's Brian funneled only 92,820 homes to Belo8, whose newscast jumped to 147,560 homes. That's a virtual tie, which is a better showing than Belo8 would have managed at this time last year. NBC5's nightly crime-fest, sauteed with a variety of worst-case health "alerts," seems to be losing its elasticity. You can only serve this slop for so long, even though Belo8 oftentimes has stooped to play copycat in hopes of catching a foe that's been first in late night news for five years.
The third place finisher at 10 p.m., CBS11, again had a considerable lead-in advantage, even from a repeat of CSI: Miami. But CBS11 as usual failed to hold serve despite putting on a newscast that's D-FW's best on many nights.
Fox4 news rarely gets out of fourth place at 10 p.m. But the station's 9 p.m. local newscast had gangbuster ratings Monday night. In fact, a haul of 209,440 homes made it D-FW's most-watched program of the entire day. That's quite an accomplishment on a night when NBC had firsttrun episodes of both Deal or No Deal and the hot freshman series Heroes.
At 6 a.m., Belo8's Daybreak had another encouraging outing. It tied for second in total homes with Fox4 and placed a close second with advertiser-preferred 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 won the waker-upper hour in homes but dipped to third place among 25-to-54-year-olds, where Fox4 barely prevailed.
Belo8 won in both ratings measurements at 5 and 6 p.m. The latter hour still finds Belo8 vulnerable. Otherwise it's NBC5 that's starting to sweat.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot: (Fri.-Sun., Dec. 1-3)
12/04/06 02:22 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
The Cowboys rolled to another victory and big fat rating Sunday, easily besting their well-stuffed Thanksgiving Day numbers.
A mega-force of 856,800 D-FW homes watched Dallas beat the New York Giants on Fox4. A total of 644,980 homes dined on turkey and the Cowboys-Bucs game.
The rest of the TV world basically took a dirt nap opposite Sunday's mid-afternoon/early evening battle for NFC East supremacy. Over on Belo8, for instance, ABC's presentation of the Cup of Russia figure skating competition attracted a sub-piddling 19,040 homes from 3 to 5 p.m.
Fox also scored with a post-Cowboys BCS championship announcement show, seen in a nice-sized 366,520 homes locally.
On Friday, the continued cold weather continued to pay dividends for the local early morning news shows, all of which exceeded their November "sweeps" averages from 6 to 7 a.m. NBC5 continued to set the pace in both total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC also tallied comfortable wins at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds. Belo8 won those competitions in total homes while taking the 5 p.m. news crowns in both ratings measurements.
The big local news ratings story of late has been Fox4's sudden downturn in the early morning, where its Good Day lately has recorded only a handful of wins. Instead Belo8 has some momentum, gaining ground on second-place Fox4 in both major audience measurements.
Fox4 is being hurt by very slow starts from 5 to 6 a.m., where NBC5's team of Deborah Ferguson and Brendan Higgins commands a consistently large lead over its rivals. The head start makes it tough for Fox4 to close the gap between 6 and 7 a.m., when audiences significantly increase. Its recent decision to put Tim Ryan and Megan Henderson in place an hour earlier has so far made little difference.
Good Day continues to do very well from 7 to 9 a.m., where it again beat the high-priced network morning shows Friday in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
The Cowboys rolled to another victory and big fat rating Sunday, easily besting their well-stuffed Thanksgiving Day numbers.
A mega-force of 856,800 D-FW homes watched Dallas beat the New York Giants on Fox4. A total of 644,980 homes dined on turkey and the Cowboys-Bucs game.
The rest of the TV world basically took a dirt nap opposite Sunday's mid-afternoon/early evening battle for NFC East supremacy. Over on Belo8, for instance, ABC's presentation of the Cup of Russia figure skating competition attracted a sub-piddling 19,040 homes from 3 to 5 p.m.
Fox also scored with a post-Cowboys BCS championship announcement show, seen in a nice-sized 366,520 homes locally.
On Friday, the continued cold weather continued to pay dividends for the local early morning news shows, all of which exceeded their November "sweeps" averages from 6 to 7 a.m. NBC5 continued to set the pace in both total homes and among 25-to-54-year-olds, the key advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC also tallied comfortable wins at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds. Belo8 won those competitions in total homes while taking the 5 p.m. news crowns in both ratings measurements.
The big local news ratings story of late has been Fox4's sudden downturn in the early morning, where its Good Day lately has recorded only a handful of wins. Instead Belo8 has some momentum, gaining ground on second-place Fox4 in both major audience measurements.
Fox4 is being hurt by very slow starts from 5 to 6 a.m., where NBC5's team of Deborah Ferguson and Brendan Higgins commands a consistently large lead over its rivals. The head start makes it tough for Fox4 to close the gap between 6 and 7 a.m., when audiences significantly increase. Its recent decision to put Tim Ryan and Megan Henderson in place an hour earlier has so far made little difference.
Good Day continues to do very well from 7 to 9 a.m., where it again beat the high-priced network morning shows Friday in both homes and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Drum roll: Introducing the first unclebarky.com local
news all-stars
12/01/06 02:57 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
It proved to be a long, eye-straining, brain-draining November. Watching a full "sweeps" worth of D-FW 10 p.m. newscasts is not recommended for the faint of commitment.
But what's done is done, and it's been worth the effort. I now have a renewed grasp of what's making news in the country's sixth largest TV market. Too much of it is consultant-induced drivel that isn't worth your time. But that's all been duly documented in the daily dispatches on these pages. Now it's time to acknowledge only the best anchors and reporters working the all-important late night shifts at Fox4, NBC5, Belo8 and CBS11.
This first unclebarky.com All-Star team is made up of those who regularly appeared on 10 p.m. newscasts during the 20 weeknights of the November "sweeps." With anchors, that's easy. It's pretty much the same faces night after night, and many of them have been coming into your homes for a decade or more.
Selecting the team's reporters is a tougher challenge. I've narrowed it down to eight, with the caveat that they had to make at least two appearances to qualify. That makes room for investigative work that takes time to prepare properly. Some of these were very close calls, but the idea was to put together a team of varying skills and ages. Experience counts for a lot but it's also important to replenish the stock with promising and energetic younger reporters.
So here we go. And please feel free to put together your own teams in the comments section.
BEST NEWSCAST
CBS11 has a consistently solid mix of breaking and enterprise stories. It resists responding to virtually every crime committed in the D-FW viewing area. Resorting to flash and trash apparently is the easiest road to ratings prosperity, as a certain station with a Peacock mascot demonstrates night after night. CBS11 sometimes plays that game, too, but it's far more often on the side of the angels. More viewers need to support TV journalism of a higher calling -- before it's too late.
Runnerup: Fox4
ANCHOR TEAM
Tracy Rowlett (CBS11) -- Still the steadiest hand in the business. Authoritative but not authoritarian, he takes the news seriously without being stuffy about it. You won't find a better local anchor anywhere. Consider him D-FW's Walter Cronkite. Solid as a rock, trusty as a Collie.
Clarice Tinsley (Fox4) -- She's nearly Rowlett's equal in terms of tenure, but Tinsley has weathered all of her storms at just one station. She brings a stateswoman's presence to latenight news. Once upon a time she over-sold the news. She's long since matured into a model presenter with a still-strong presence.
David Finfrock (NBC5) -- They say "Arctic Blast," he says "cold front." Immune to gimmickry and overblown pronouncements, Finfrock simply gives you a forecast you can take to the bank. Schooled by local weather legend Harold Taft, he knows his subject and it shows. Don't ever make him change.
Dale Hansen (Belo8) -- Yes, he's a loose cannon, full of bombast and too often fueled by a longheld grudge against the Dallas Cowboys. But he's our Dale, and no one in the market has a more entertaining or distinctive sportscast. Hansen will keep doing it his way until they show him the door. Damned if that's not admirable.
RUNNERSUP
John McCaa (Belo8), Karen Borta (CBS11), Pete Delkus (Belo8), Mike Doocy (Fox4)
REPORTERS (in alphabetical order)
Rebecca Aguilar (Fox4) -- You can always count on a straight story from her. A tenacious, hard-digger with a long history at the station.
Bennett Cunningham (CBS11) --- His on-air flair can be a bit overdone at times, but Cunningham's consumer reports invariably have a sound foundation.
J.D. Miles (CBS11) --- Send him out on anything and he'll deliver the goods. A strong, reliable street reporter.
Shaun Rabb (Fox4) -- He's been at it a long time, and knows the black community inside out. Eminently fair and no longer off-puttingly showy.
George Riba (Belo8) -- He's been reliably covering sports in D-FW for longer than the Mavericks have existed. Still hasn't lost his enthusiasm for going beyond the playing field.
Robert Riggs (CBS11) -- Another combat veteran, literally. He's covered the war in Iraq and brings a serious sense of purpose to whatever else he's digging up.
Shelly Slater (Belo8) -- She's the team's rookie phenom, a newcomer whose talent and imaginative approaches to stories already are readily apparent.
Brandon Todd (Fox4) -- This guy really goes after it, and it shows when his competitors are covering the same story. Expect him to give you a little something the others don't have.
RUNNERSUP
Ginger Allen (CBS11), Derek Castillo (NBC5), Jeff Crilley (Fox4), Jim Douglas (Belo8), Jay Gormley (CBS11), Byron Harris (Belo8)
It proved to be a long, eye-straining, brain-draining November. Watching a full "sweeps" worth of D-FW 10 p.m. newscasts is not recommended for the faint of commitment.
But what's done is done, and it's been worth the effort. I now have a renewed grasp of what's making news in the country's sixth largest TV market. Too much of it is consultant-induced drivel that isn't worth your time. But that's all been duly documented in the daily dispatches on these pages. Now it's time to acknowledge only the best anchors and reporters working the all-important late night shifts at Fox4, NBC5, Belo8 and CBS11.
This first unclebarky.com All-Star team is made up of those who regularly appeared on 10 p.m. newscasts during the 20 weeknights of the November "sweeps." With anchors, that's easy. It's pretty much the same faces night after night, and many of them have been coming into your homes for a decade or more.
Selecting the team's reporters is a tougher challenge. I've narrowed it down to eight, with the caveat that they had to make at least two appearances to qualify. That makes room for investigative work that takes time to prepare properly. Some of these were very close calls, but the idea was to put together a team of varying skills and ages. Experience counts for a lot but it's also important to replenish the stock with promising and energetic younger reporters.
So here we go. And please feel free to put together your own teams in the comments section.
BEST NEWSCAST
CBS11 has a consistently solid mix of breaking and enterprise stories. It resists responding to virtually every crime committed in the D-FW viewing area. Resorting to flash and trash apparently is the easiest road to ratings prosperity, as a certain station with a Peacock mascot demonstrates night after night. CBS11 sometimes plays that game, too, but it's far more often on the side of the angels. More viewers need to support TV journalism of a higher calling -- before it's too late.
Runnerup: Fox4
ANCHOR TEAM
Tracy Rowlett (CBS11) -- Still the steadiest hand in the business. Authoritative but not authoritarian, he takes the news seriously without being stuffy about it. You won't find a better local anchor anywhere. Consider him D-FW's Walter Cronkite. Solid as a rock, trusty as a Collie.
Clarice Tinsley (Fox4) -- She's nearly Rowlett's equal in terms of tenure, but Tinsley has weathered all of her storms at just one station. She brings a stateswoman's presence to latenight news. Once upon a time she over-sold the news. She's long since matured into a model presenter with a still-strong presence.
David Finfrock (NBC5) -- They say "Arctic Blast," he says "cold front." Immune to gimmickry and overblown pronouncements, Finfrock simply gives you a forecast you can take to the bank. Schooled by local weather legend Harold Taft, he knows his subject and it shows. Don't ever make him change.
Dale Hansen (Belo8) -- Yes, he's a loose cannon, full of bombast and too often fueled by a longheld grudge against the Dallas Cowboys. But he's our Dale, and no one in the market has a more entertaining or distinctive sportscast. Hansen will keep doing it his way until they show him the door. Damned if that's not admirable.
RUNNERSUP
John McCaa (Belo8), Karen Borta (CBS11), Pete Delkus (Belo8), Mike Doocy (Fox4)
REPORTERS (in alphabetical order)
Rebecca Aguilar (Fox4) -- You can always count on a straight story from her. A tenacious, hard-digger with a long history at the station.
Bennett Cunningham (CBS11) --- His on-air flair can be a bit overdone at times, but Cunningham's consumer reports invariably have a sound foundation.
J.D. Miles (CBS11) --- Send him out on anything and he'll deliver the goods. A strong, reliable street reporter.
Shaun Rabb (Fox4) -- He's been at it a long time, and knows the black community inside out. Eminently fair and no longer off-puttingly showy.
George Riba (Belo8) -- He's been reliably covering sports in D-FW for longer than the Mavericks have existed. Still hasn't lost his enthusiasm for going beyond the playing field.
Robert Riggs (CBS11) -- Another combat veteran, literally. He's covered the war in Iraq and brings a serious sense of purpose to whatever else he's digging up.
Shelly Slater (Belo8) -- She's the team's rookie phenom, a newcomer whose talent and imaginative approaches to stories already are readily apparent.
Brandon Todd (Fox4) -- This guy really goes after it, and it shows when his competitors are covering the same story. Expect him to give you a little something the others don't have.
RUNNERSUP
Ginger Allen (CBS11), Derek Castillo (NBC5), Jeff Crilley (Fox4), Jim Douglas (Belo8), Jay Gormley (CBS11), Byron Harris (Belo8)
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Nov. 30)
12/01/06 02:30 PM Ed Bark |Permalink
By ED BARK
Give D-FW newscasts an "Arctic Blast" any time of the year. Hell, they'll even take a lemon chill. That's because the ratings make it seem like Christmas.
Thursday's prime recipients were the early morning news shows, viewed avidly in search of information on school closings, icy roads and whether the world -- shiver -- indeed might be ending. First let's look at the average number of homes tuned to the 6 to 7 a.m. shows for the 20-day November "sweeps," which ended on Wednesday:
NBC5 -- 114,240
Fox4 -- 102,340
Belo8 -- 83,300
CBS11 -- 42,840
Now here's the windfall for Thursday's waker-uppers:
NBC5 -- 218,960
Fox4 -- 204,680
Belo8 -- 173,740
CBS11 -- 61,880
In other words, three of the four stations more than doubled their audiences. And at 3 p.m., NBC5's weather coverage, in place of Ellen, drew more than four times the eyeballs. Take a look:
Ellen at 3 p.m. on NBC5
Sweeps avg. -- 30,940 homes
Thursday's weather special -- 138,040 homes
In prime-time, ABC's Grey's Anatomy easily had its highest D-FW rating of the season. The medical drama reeled in 459,340 homes. Alas, the network's following Men In Trees, making its first Thursday appearance in place of The Nine, went timbe-r-r-r with just 192,780 homes.
The local stations otherwise like b-r-r-r-r just fine.
Give D-FW newscasts an "Arctic Blast" any time of the year. Hell, they'll even take a lemon chill. That's because the ratings make it seem like Christmas.
Thursday's prime recipients were the early morning news shows, viewed avidly in search of information on school closings, icy roads and whether the world -- shiver -- indeed might be ending. First let's look at the average number of homes tuned to the 6 to 7 a.m. shows for the 20-day November "sweeps," which ended on Wednesday:
NBC5 -- 114,240
Fox4 -- 102,340
Belo8 -- 83,300
CBS11 -- 42,840
Now here's the windfall for Thursday's waker-uppers:
NBC5 -- 218,960
Fox4 -- 204,680
Belo8 -- 173,740
CBS11 -- 61,880
In other words, three of the four stations more than doubled their audiences. And at 3 p.m., NBC5's weather coverage, in place of Ellen, drew more than four times the eyeballs. Take a look:
Ellen at 3 p.m. on NBC5
Sweeps avg. -- 30,940 homes
Thursday's weather special -- 138,040 homes
In prime-time, ABC's Grey's Anatomy easily had its highest D-FW rating of the season. The medical drama reeled in 459,340 homes. Alas, the network's following Men In Trees, making its first Thursday appearance in place of The Nine, went timbe-r-r-r with just 192,780 homes.
The local stations otherwise like b-r-r-r-r just fine.