Apr 2016
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., April 28) -- feeling a draft on the first day of the May "sweeps"
04/29/16 10:19 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The NFL’s annual beef-on-the-hoof selection show, also known as The Draft, made another big ratings impact Thursday night on ESPN and the NFL network.
Running from 7 to 10:45 p.m., the 31-team first round (New England had its pick taken away by “deflate gate”) averaged 240,802 viewers on ESPN while NFL Net tacked on an additional 99,154.
Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the numbers added up to 152,434 viewers for ESPN and 47,636 for NFL Net.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 4 pick at 7:38 p.m. From 7:30 to 7:45 p.m. (Nielsen measures in 15-minute increments), ESPN’s audience inflated to 318,708 total viewers and NFL Net’s to 134,566. In the 18-to-49 age range, ESPN had 171,488 viewers from 7:30 to 7:45 p.m., with the NFL Net clocking in at 73,041.
Let’s break this down a little further under the assumption that a lot more men watch the draft than women. And that assumption would be correct. We’ll use just the ESPN numbers and measure for each gender in the key 18-to-34, 18-to-49 and 25-to-54 age ranges.
MEN
18-to-34-year-olds -- 54,608
18-to-49-year-olds -- 103,686
25-to-54-year-olds -- 109,823
WOMEN
18-to-34-year-olds -- 18,231
18-to-49-year-olds -- 48,141
25-to-54-year-olds -- 43,848
Thursday’s top two non-draft draws in total viewers were CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of The Big Bang Theory with 347,038 and Fox4’s local 9 p.m. newscast (262,049). In the 18-to-49 demographic, Big Bang likewise led with 130,204 viewers while the runner-up Fox4 newscast had 88,920.
In both cases, Fox4’s news impressively trampolined off a meager lead-in from Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of American Grit, which had 56,659 total viewers and 22,230 within the 18-to-49-year-old motherlode.
Thursday also opened the four-week May “sweeps” ratings period, with CBS11’s 10 p.m. newscast striving to suction in viewers with the twin punch of former TEGNA8 chief forecaster Troy Dungan in front of a TV weather map for the first time since July 18, 2007 and Ginger Allen’s investigation of “Exploding Toilets.” Dungan also was in studio to plug his new Bible teachings book Jesus Makes Salsa by the Seashore, which unclebarky.com detailed last month.
None of this quite panned out for CBS11. The station ran behind TEGNA8, Fox4 and NBC5 (in that order) among total viewers and also placed last with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). Fox4 was No. 1 with 25-to-54-year-olds while NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for second.
Here are Thursday’s other local news derby results in the major four-way competitions.
Fox4 notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 swept both the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Good Morning Texas getting another makeover
04/29/16 09:08 AM
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Incoming Alanna Sarabia and outgoing Mike Castellucci.
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The latest shakeups at TEGNA8’s long-running. locally produced Good Morning Texas will send current co-host Mike Castellucci back to the news room full-time while importing Alanna Sarabia from San Antonio to join incumbent co-host Jane McGarry.
As previously posted, GMT personality Carrie McClure is leaving the show after four years. Her last day is Friday, April 29th.
Sarabia’s hiring, first reported by San Antonio Express-News TV critic Jeanne Jakle, will end her five-year stay with the city’s similarly formatted morning show, WOAI-TV’s San Antonio Living. The former Miss San Antonio 2009 and San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancer is scheduled to join GMT on May 23rd. Sarabia was born in Dallas, raised in Grand Prairie and is a graduate of Texas State University.
Sources at TEGNA8 tell unclebarky.com that Castellucci will be vacating his co-host spot and rejoining the station’s news team. The former early morning “Why Guy” left TEGNA8 for a five-year tour with San Diego’s KUSI-TV before returning to Dallas in the summer of 2013 to host GMT with McClure and Amy Vanderoef, who left in March of last year.
McGarry, the former longtime NBC5 news anchor, became a full-time GMT co-host in March 2015 after earlier contributing a series of “Texas Legends” reports.
GMT, which is produced independently of TEGNA8’s news department, has been on the air since September, 1994. Although its conventional daily ratings continue to be decidedly unexceptional in the 9 a.m. hour, the program cleans up revenue-wise by offering several paid five-minute segments per show. Sources say GMT clears a net profit of between $2 million and $3 million annually from these ”pay for play” mini-infomercials, in which guests tout their products and services to the co-hosts. GMT otherwise is usually beaten soundly in the daily Nielsen ratings by Fox4’s syndicated Live with Kelly & Michael and NBC’s third hour of Today. The locally produced program is more competitive with CBS’ competing double dose of Let’s Make A Deal, which it sometimes outdraws.
TEGNA8’s only reliably solid non-network ratings performer on weekday mornings and afternoons is the noon Midday local newscast, which usually win its time slot in total viewers in a hard-fought battle with CBS’ competing soap operas. But the station otherwise is in daytime ratings free fall, particularly with its syndicated 2 to 4 p.m. bloc of Fab Life (which is being canceled), The Insider and Inside Edition. All are being badly beaten by competing programming on Fox4, NBC5 and CBS11. TEGNA8’s 4 p.m. local newscast suffers as a result opposite homegrown news hours on NBC5 and CBS11.
There could be more intrigue coming on the mid-morning scene. The ABC network reportedly is strongly considering canceling The View and adding a third hour of Good Morning America after recently naming Michael Strahan as a full-time co-anchor of the program. That would push programs such as GMT and Live with Kelly (and Whoever) back to 10 a.m.
Live airs on ABC stations in a majority of TV markets and on all of the network’s owned-and-operated stations. But in Dallas, the show has long been the syndicated property of Fox4, which successfully airs it at 9 a.m. If GMA is expanded to run from 9 to 10 a.m., Kelly Ripa eventually would find herself competing for viewers opposite her old co-host, Strahan
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The latest shakeups at TEGNA8’s long-running. locally produced Good Morning Texas will send current co-host Mike Castellucci back to the news room full-time while importing Alanna Sarabia from San Antonio to join incumbent co-host Jane McGarry.
As previously posted, GMT personality Carrie McClure is leaving the show after four years. Her last day is Friday, April 29th.
Sarabia’s hiring, first reported by San Antonio Express-News TV critic Jeanne Jakle, will end her five-year stay with the city’s similarly formatted morning show, WOAI-TV’s San Antonio Living. The former Miss San Antonio 2009 and San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancer is scheduled to join GMT on May 23rd. Sarabia was born in Dallas, raised in Grand Prairie and is a graduate of Texas State University.
Sources at TEGNA8 tell unclebarky.com that Castellucci will be vacating his co-host spot and rejoining the station’s news team. The former early morning “Why Guy” left TEGNA8 for a five-year tour with San Diego’s KUSI-TV before returning to Dallas in the summer of 2013 to host GMT with McClure and Amy Vanderoef, who left in March of last year.
McGarry, the former longtime NBC5 news anchor, became a full-time GMT co-host in March 2015 after earlier contributing a series of “Texas Legends” reports.
GMT, which is produced independently of TEGNA8’s news department, has been on the air since September, 1994. Although its conventional daily ratings continue to be decidedly unexceptional in the 9 a.m. hour, the program cleans up revenue-wise by offering several paid five-minute segments per show. Sources say GMT clears a net profit of between $2 million and $3 million annually from these ”pay for play” mini-infomercials, in which guests tout their products and services to the co-hosts. GMT otherwise is usually beaten soundly in the daily Nielsen ratings by Fox4’s syndicated Live with Kelly & Michael and NBC’s third hour of Today. The locally produced program is more competitive with CBS’ competing double dose of Let’s Make A Deal, which it sometimes outdraws.
TEGNA8’s only reliably solid non-network ratings performer on weekday mornings and afternoons is the noon Midday local newscast, which usually win its time slot in total viewers in a hard-fought battle with CBS’ competing soap operas. But the station otherwise is in daytime ratings free fall, particularly with its syndicated 2 to 4 p.m. bloc of Fab Life (which is being canceled), The Insider and Inside Edition. All are being badly beaten by competing programming on Fox4, NBC5 and CBS11. TEGNA8’s 4 p.m. local newscast suffers as a result opposite homegrown news hours on NBC5 and CBS11.
There could be more intrigue coming on the mid-morning scene. The ABC network reportedly is strongly considering canceling The View and adding a third hour of Good Morning America after recently naming Michael Strahan as a full-time co-anchor of the program. That would push programs such as GMT and Live with Kelly (and Whoever) back to 10 a.m.
Live airs on ABC stations in a majority of TV markets and on all of the network’s owned-and-operated stations. But in Dallas, the show has long been the syndicated property of Fox4, which successfully airs it at 9 a.m. If GMA is expanded to run from 9 to 10 a.m., Kelly Ripa eventually would find herself competing for viewers opposite her old co-host, Strahan
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues.-Wed., April 26-27) -- Fox4/NBC5 flex their severe weather muscles
04/28/16 12:42 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Nothing pumps up local newscast ratings more than bad weather or the threat of same. And few things bring bigger curled smiles to management than when their station blows away the competition.
That brings us to Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsens first. That’s when the early evening and after-dark news editions were fueled by predictions of heavy rain, hail and winds throughout the viewing area.
NBC5 struck first, winning at 5 and 6 p.m. in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).
The Peacock pulled in 226,637 total viewers at 5 p.m. and upped that number to 276,214 for the 6 p.m. newscast. Fox4 ran a solid second and onetime kingpin TEGNA8 placed fourth at 5 p.m. (behind CBS11) and third at 6 p.m. (ahead of CBS11).
Among 25-to-54-year-olds, NBC5 dominated the four-way field with 104,171 viewers at 5 p.m. and 119,052 at 6 p.m. Fox4 ran a distant second and TEGNA8 was deep in third ahead of last-place CBS11, which lost veteran chief meteorologist Larry Mowry last month to Chicago’s WLS-TV. Scott Padgett, who’d been part of the early morning team, is filling in while the station searches for Mowry’s replacement.
Fox4 then took over big-time, particularly at 9 p.m., when its local newscast blew away rival stations’ mixes of network entertainment programming and weather updates. Fox4 drew 467,438 total viewers and 217,270 in the 25-to-54 demographic. The station also won at 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements, with NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 lagging in that order.
Wednesday’s prime-time Nielsens were paced as usual by Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of Empire, which had 368,285 total viewers and 200,079 in the 18-to-49 age range (main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming).
CBS’ Survivor stayed strong with comfy twin wins at 7 p.m. and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news again won by wide margins on both counts.
Here are the local news derby results.
In Tuesday’s other four-way local news competitions, Fox4 won a calm-weather 6 a.m. face-off in both ratings measurements.
On Wednesday, TEGNA8 nipped CBS11 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won easily with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 likewise swept the 6 a.m. competitions before NBC5 flexed by running the table at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Nothing pumps up local newscast ratings more than bad weather or the threat of same. And few things bring bigger curled smiles to management than when their station blows away the competition.
That brings us to Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsens first. That’s when the early evening and after-dark news editions were fueled by predictions of heavy rain, hail and winds throughout the viewing area.
NBC5 struck first, winning at 5 and 6 p.m. in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).
The Peacock pulled in 226,637 total viewers at 5 p.m. and upped that number to 276,214 for the 6 p.m. newscast. Fox4 ran a solid second and onetime kingpin TEGNA8 placed fourth at 5 p.m. (behind CBS11) and third at 6 p.m. (ahead of CBS11).
Among 25-to-54-year-olds, NBC5 dominated the four-way field with 104,171 viewers at 5 p.m. and 119,052 at 6 p.m. Fox4 ran a distant second and TEGNA8 was deep in third ahead of last-place CBS11, which lost veteran chief meteorologist Larry Mowry last month to Chicago’s WLS-TV. Scott Padgett, who’d been part of the early morning team, is filling in while the station searches for Mowry’s replacement.
Fox4 then took over big-time, particularly at 9 p.m., when its local newscast blew away rival stations’ mixes of network entertainment programming and weather updates. Fox4 drew 467,438 total viewers and 217,270 in the 25-to-54 demographic. The station also won at 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements, with NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 lagging in that order.
Wednesday’s prime-time Nielsens were paced as usual by Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of Empire, which had 368,285 total viewers and 200,079 in the 18-to-49 age range (main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming).
CBS’ Survivor stayed strong with comfy twin wins at 7 p.m. and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news again won by wide margins on both counts.
Here are the local news derby results.
In Tuesday’s other four-way local news competitions, Fox4 won a calm-weather 6 a.m. face-off in both ratings measurements.
On Wednesday, TEGNA8 nipped CBS11 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won easily with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 likewise swept the 6 a.m. competitions before NBC5 flexed by running the table at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Dungan does another one-night stand on CBS11 while the station also probes "Exploding Toilets" on first day of May "sweeps."
04/28/16 10:35 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A second coming of evergreen weatherman Troy Dungan and an investigative probe of “Exploding Toilets” will lead CBS11 into battle on opening night (Thursday, April 28) of the May “sweeps” ratings period.
These two events otherwise are intended to be mutually exclusive. Dungan, who was WFAA-TV’s signature forecaster for 31 years until his retirement on July 18, 2007, will mainly be on hand to promote his new book, Jesus Makes Salsa by the Seashore, which was detailed in a March post on unclebarky.com. But Dungan said in a telephone interview Thursday that he’ll also slip in to do a “7-Day Forecast” at the end of meteorologist Scott Padgett’s segment before sitting down with co-anchor Doug Dunbar to chat about the book and the current state of TV weathercasting.
“I”m certainly not going to work for CBS11, but who can resist the chance to start up the rumor mill again?” Dungan said.
CBS11 currently is seeking a replacement for Dungan’s favorite D-FW weathercaster, Larry Mowry, who left the station in March after an eight-year run to join WLS-TV in Chicago.
“I told Larry when he left that he was the last calm, reassuring voice in weather in Dallas-Fort Worth,” Dungan said.
He’s appeared on CBS11 before, also during a ratings sweeps period. That was in February 2011, when both Dungan and his longtime friend and former WFAA colleague Tracy Rowlett were profiled in “Where Are They Now?” segments during 10 p.m. newscasts. Dungan rankled WFAA management at the time by lauding Mowry as his favorite forecaster rather than his successor at WFAA, Pete Delkus.
Dungan said CBS11 president and general manager Gary Schneider asked Dungan about a return visit during a conversation at the April 11th Press Club of Dallas salute to CBS newsman Bob Schieffer.
The station later followed up with an offer to send a car equipped with a nice bottle of wine, Dungan said. So he agreed.
“I’m not coming to work here. I’m just shamelessly promoting my book,” Dungan emphasized.
An on-air promo for Dungan’s appearance ran in tandem with the “Exploding Toilets” come-on during Thursday’s early morning newscast on CBS11.
“Find out if you’re sitting on a time bomb,” a pitchman said after insisting that this is “no laughing matter.”
Veteran investigator Ginger Allen will do the report while Dungan goes with the flow, so to speak.
“Tune in at 10 tonight,” he said by telephone. “And watch the old weather guy and the exploding toilets.”
In last year’s May “sweeps” competition among D-FW’s four major TV news providers, CBS11 ran second in total viewers (behind WFAA) and fourth with 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
CBS11 brings Jason Allen back to early mornings, this time behind a new "Breaking News Desk"
04/27/16 01:13 PM
CBS11’s Jason Allen will be back in early morns.
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Nearly a year after breaking up an early morning team with momentum, CBS11 is returning former interim anchor Jason Allen in a new role.
Sources tell unclebarky.com that Allen will rejoin the 4:30 to 7 a.m. shift as part of a new “Breaking News Desk” (which turned out to be named the “Live Eye” desk). He starts on Thursday, April 28th, which not coincidentally is the first day of the four-week May “sweeps” ratings period.
Last May, Allen was still co-anchoring with incumbent Karen Borta when CBS11 ran better than last in the 6 a.m. hour among 25-to-54-year-old viewers (main advertiser target audience for news programming) for the first time in station history. The station nipped TEGNA8 for the bronze in that month’s sweeps.
But news director Mike Garber already had announced that Allen’s nine-and-a-half-month tenure would come to an end on June 1st, when the newly hired Russ McCaskey would be stepping in and sending Allen back to the reporter pool.
CBS11 also decided to send interim traffic anchor Tammy Dombeck packing during that period, even though the station had been making steady gains with the team of Borta, Allen, Dombeck and meteorologist Scott Padgett. Chelsey Davis became the new early morning traffic anchor on June 8th. (As previously posted, Padgett lately is filling in for departed chief meteorologist Larry Mowry, with Lisa Villegas doing the early morning weather.)
By the time of the February 2016 “sweeps,” CBS11 had fallen back into a deep ratings rut at 6 a.m. in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic, with TEGNA8 reclaiming third place. The station has never finished better than fourth in total viewers during that hour.
The new arrangement with Allen, who joined CBS11 in spring 2011, seems similar to NBC5’s recent early morning experiment with a “three-headed” anchor team. But Eric King, who initially manned a secondary news desk, left the station in January after being reassigned to NBC5’s reporting pool last October.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
That sinking feeling: Real Housewives of Dallas takes another ratings dip
04/27/16 07:59 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The wealth of enthusiastic, oftentimes fawning local coverage of Real Housewives of Dallas has not led the way to national ratings prosperity.
The alcohol-addled, self-absorbed, cackling, conniving, oh-so-white denizens of RHOD instead took another hit with Monday night’s Episode 3.
It averaged just 828,000 viewers nationally, down from a weak 1,076,000 for the April 11th premiere and 920,000 for last week’s hour. Worse yet, RHOD dropped a notch to a .3 rating among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds after hitting a tepid .4 mark for the first two episodes.
In contrast, Bravo’s two other currently ongoing Housewives series, set in Beverly Hills and New York City, continued to easily out-pace RHOD while also upping their audiences from week to week.
The Tuesday, April 19th edition of Beverly Hills had 2,034,000 viewers in the same-night Nielsens, up from 1,978,000 for the previous week. And on Wednesday, April 20th, Real Housewives of New York City drew 1,428,000 viewers, an increase from the previous week’s 1,242,000. The shows respectively had .7 and .5 ratings in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
RHOD is the eighth spinoff of the 2006 Real Housewives of Orange County original. So far, only 2010’s Real Housewives of D.C. has been canceled after just one season. But even that show was something of a blockbuster compared to RHOD. Its least-watched episode had 1,117,000 viewers and the finale bulked up to 1,670,000 viewers.
In January of this year, Bravo took a second shot at the nation’s capital with Real Housewives of Potomac, which drew over 2 million viewers on premiere night to set a franchise ratings record for a first episode. Potomac, which ended its Season 1 run on Sunday, April 17th, already has been renewed for a second go-around.
RHOD so far is on track to become the only Housewives series to average fewer than 1 million viewers per episode for an entire season. The first three episodes have drawn an average of 941,333 viewers while continuing on a downward spiral.
That would not appear to be a recipe for renewal, although it still remains too early to completely count RHOD out. So far, though, the blend of Brandi Redmond, LeeAnne Locken, Cary Deuber, Stephanie Hollman and Tiffany Hendra has been going down like “Two Buck Chuck” at one of the show’s upper crust, high-heeled charity galas.
Redmond in particular has made a pathetic spectacle of herself on a show where that’s hard to accomplish. After flaunting her “Poop Hat” in Episode 2, the former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader got “shit-faced” (as Deuber put it) at LaBare before staggering onstage to suggestively dance with one of the club’s hunks. Redmond then later wondered why her husband, Bryan, didn’t understand. After all, he again was away on business, and they used to really have such great times partying together. So what’s a girl to do? And so on.
The Housewives franchise long has traded on cat fights, marital unrest, heavy drinking and gross exaggeration. RHOD, however, is not proving to be a guilty pleasure based on ratings for its first three hours. Its revolting cast of central characters instead is being tuned out, despite TEGNA8 anchor Marcus Moore’s gushing during a Midday newscast after the first episode had aired.
“Everybody loves it. Absolutely incredible,” he told viewers before welcoming Deuber as his guest.
Cary, Brandi, LeeAnne, Stephanie and Tiffany of course will be more than happy to keep drinking to that.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Mon., April 22-25) -- Mavs/Stars postseason palooza
04/26/16 12:20 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Mavericks again ended their post-season run in the first round with Monday night’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor.
The Dallas Stars will play on after closing out the Minnesota Wild in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon. The Mavs also played on Saturday and the Stars on Friday. Let’s take a look at the D-FW numbers in reverse order of appearance.
Monday -- The Thunder won 118-104 to advance by whipping the Mavs in five games. Viewers had the choice of the homegrown “homer” call on TXA21 or TNT’s national telecast.
Total Viewers
TNT -- 120,401
TXA21 -- 99,154
Advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds
TNT -- 73,041
TXA21 -- 53,987
Sunday -- The Stars took their series 4 games to 2 by holding off the Wild’s furious third period rally to win 5-4. The game was shown only on NBC Sunday afternoon. It averaged 84,989 total viewers and 50,811 in the 18-to-49 age range. The competing afternoon Texas Rangers-Chicago White Sox game on Fox Sports Southwest had 113,318 total viewers and 34,933 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Saturday -- The Mavs lost Game 4 at home Saturday night by a score of 119-108. It was televised on TXA21 and ESPN.
Total Viewers
ESPN -- 177,060
TXA21 -- 113,318
18-to-49-year-olds
ESPN -- 85,744
TXA21 -- 50,811
Friday -- The Stars lost Game 5 of their series 5-4 in overtime. Shown only on Fox Sports Southwest, it drew 106,236 total viewers (cracking the 100,000 mark for the only time) and 66,690 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
All in all, the Stars had very impressive percentages of 18-to-49-year-olds throughout their six-game series with the Wild while TXA21 struggled against the national telecasts on ESPN and TNT.
Game 1 marked the only time TXA21 beat the national cable presentation, narrowly prevailing over ESPN in both cases. Incorrect on-screen listings for TXA21 may have hurt the audience potential in the early going, but that was remedied later in the series. In any event, TXA21’s rooting interest in the Mavs, on the part of Mark Followill, Derek Harper and Jeff “Skin” Wade, simply didn’t play as well as might have been expected in the Mavericks’ home market.
Elsewhere in prime-time, Monday’s top draw, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, pulled in 262,049 total viewers for its latest 7 to 9 p.m. edition. But the best showing among 18-to-49-year-olds came Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast with 76,217. Fox’s 8 p.m. season finale of Lucifer also had more 18-to-49-year-olds (66,690) than the second hours of both DWTS and NBC’s The Voice.
Here are the Friday and Monday local news derby results for the four-way competitions among Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11.
Friday -- CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 won at 6 a.m. in total viewers, but the Peacock was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
TEGNA8 ran the table at 6 p.m. The 5 p.m. golds went to Fox4 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Monday -- TEGNA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and also swept the 5 p.m. competitions. NBC5 ran first in both ratings measurements at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Mavericks again ended their post-season run in the first round with Monday night’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor.
The Dallas Stars will play on after closing out the Minnesota Wild in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon. The Mavs also played on Saturday and the Stars on Friday. Let’s take a look at the D-FW numbers in reverse order of appearance.
Monday -- The Thunder won 118-104 to advance by whipping the Mavs in five games. Viewers had the choice of the homegrown “homer” call on TXA21 or TNT’s national telecast.
Total Viewers
TNT -- 120,401
TXA21 -- 99,154
Advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds
TNT -- 73,041
TXA21 -- 53,987
Sunday -- The Stars took their series 4 games to 2 by holding off the Wild’s furious third period rally to win 5-4. The game was shown only on NBC Sunday afternoon. It averaged 84,989 total viewers and 50,811 in the 18-to-49 age range. The competing afternoon Texas Rangers-Chicago White Sox game on Fox Sports Southwest had 113,318 total viewers and 34,933 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Saturday -- The Mavs lost Game 4 at home Saturday night by a score of 119-108. It was televised on TXA21 and ESPN.
Total Viewers
ESPN -- 177,060
TXA21 -- 113,318
18-to-49-year-olds
ESPN -- 85,744
TXA21 -- 50,811
Friday -- The Stars lost Game 5 of their series 5-4 in overtime. Shown only on Fox Sports Southwest, it drew 106,236 total viewers (cracking the 100,000 mark for the only time) and 66,690 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
All in all, the Stars had very impressive percentages of 18-to-49-year-olds throughout their six-game series with the Wild while TXA21 struggled against the national telecasts on ESPN and TNT.
Game 1 marked the only time TXA21 beat the national cable presentation, narrowly prevailing over ESPN in both cases. Incorrect on-screen listings for TXA21 may have hurt the audience potential in the early going, but that was remedied later in the series. In any event, TXA21’s rooting interest in the Mavs, on the part of Mark Followill, Derek Harper and Jeff “Skin” Wade, simply didn’t play as well as might have been expected in the Mavericks’ home market.
Elsewhere in prime-time, Monday’s top draw, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, pulled in 262,049 total viewers for its latest 7 to 9 p.m. edition. But the best showing among 18-to-49-year-olds came Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast with 76,217. Fox’s 8 p.m. season finale of Lucifer also had more 18-to-49-year-olds (66,690) than the second hours of both DWTS and NBC’s The Voice.
Here are the Friday and Monday local news derby results for the four-way competitions among Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11.
Friday -- CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 won at 6 a.m. in total viewers, but the Peacock was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
TEGNA8 ran the table at 6 p.m. The 5 p.m. golds went to Fox4 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Monday -- TEGNA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and also swept the 5 p.m. competitions. NBC5 ran first in both ratings measurements at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
NBC5 feting Finfrock
04/26/16 10:16 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
David Finfrock, D-FW’s dean of meteorologists, is getting a 40-year salute.
NBC5’s half-hour 40 Years of Finfrock, is set for Saturday, April 30th at 6:30 p.m.
Rick Mitchell, the station’s featured 10 p.m. meteorologist since Finfrock signed his intended last contract in August 2012, will be hosting while fellow NBC5 weathercasters Remeisha Shade, Grant Johnston, Samantha Davies and Brian James are contributing. Meteorologists Nestor Flecha and Milmar Ramirez of NBC Universal-owned Telemundo 39 also will join in.
Finfrock joined NBC5 in 1975 after being hand-picked by the late, legendary Harold Taft. Together they’ve been the station’s only official chief meteorologists since NBC5 signed on as WBAP-TV in 1948.
“When we talk about connecting with viewers, there’s no better example for NBC5 than David Finfrock,” NBC5 president and general manager Tom Ehlmann says in a publicity release. “David has been the calm and informative voice that has been communicating with our viewers about severe Texas weather for the past four decades. It’s an honor to salute David on this milestone anniversary.”
Finfrock’s current contract runs until May 2018, when he’ll turn 65. He has said he plans to retire at that point.
NBC5 says that 40 Years of Finfrock will include how he got interested in meteorology while also spotlighting the “five biggest storm of his tenure.”
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Many subtractions but how many additions at Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11?
04/25/16 04:40 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Have the on-camera additions kept up with all the subtractions from D-FW’s four major television news providers?
Good question, and here’s the answer. Yes and no.
As regular readers know, Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 have lost a lot of full-time anchors, reporters and meteorologists since the start of 2014. The latest total is 51, with former CBS11 entertainment/traffic reporter Teresa Frosini added to the list after being inadvertently overlooked.
CBS11 easily leads with a total of 18, most of them since Mike Garber became news director in July 2014. To date, the station has hired just 10 full-time personnel, leaving a disparity of eight.
In contrast, TEGNA8 has increased its on-camera personnel by one, hiring 13 while losing 12 since January of 2014. This is tempered by the fact that TEGNA8 also lost 12 off-camera news room staffers to a corporate buyout. Their last days were on Friday, April 22nd.
NBC5 also had 12 exits during that period. The station has brought in just as many replacement parts, but early morning reporter Ellen Bryan both came and left, joining Washington, D.C.’s WUSA-TV in late March of this year after a two-year stay with NBC5. So the station is still down one full-timer, should it choose to look at it that way.
Fox4 has had the least attrition, with nine departures. The station also hired the same number of replacements, but reporters Joangel Concepcion and Zahid Arab also were among those to both come and go since January 2014. So that’s a net of seven hires and nine exits to date.
Clearly, CBS11 is the slacker here, with more vacancies than the Bates Motel. Rival stations all have done a solid job of replenishing their on-camera stock, with some newcomers still in transit after their recently announced hirings. CBS11’s major need at the moment is a new chief meteorologist after the well-established Larry Mowry blew out of town this spring in favor of Chicago’s WLS-TV.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Last day for 12 off-camera WFAA8 staffers taking the TEGNA buyout (But across the TEGNA landscape, numerous anchors, reporters and meteorologists were allowed to exit) *Updated
04/22/16 12:58 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The buyouts at TEGNA-owned, Dallas-based WFAA8 became official on Friday, April 22nd, with 12 newsroom personnel, all of them off-camera, taking the package, according to sources.
They received an official sendoff at an afternoon staff gathering while a number of other TEGNA-owned stations also said goodbye to longtime employees this month. WFAA8 is unique in this scheme of things. No on-camera staffers were offered a buyout package, although news anchor John McCaa, sports anchor Dale Hansen and reporters Jim Douglas and Brett Shipp all meet the stated criteria of being at least 55 years-old with a minimum of 15 years of service.
Shipp, a longtime, award-winning investigative reporter, had no intention of opting out anyway.
“I will be rolled out of Channel 8 on a gurney -- dead or alive,” he told unclebarky.com in February after the TEGNA buyout offers became public.
Based on a compilation of reports from various TV markets, a significant number of on-camera staffers have been allowed to take buyouts at other TEGNA-owned stations. Here is a list, which may only be a partial one, of 25 confirmed departures from 15 TEGNA stations across the country, including two in Texas.
Houston’s KHOU-TV -- Reporter Doug Miller (after 23 years with the station) and weekend meteorologist Mario Gomez (30 years).
Austin’s KVUE-TV -- Chief meteorologist Mark Murray (26 years).
Seattle’s KING-TV -- Anchors Jean Enersen (45 years) and Dennis Bounds (25 years), chief meteorologist Jeff Renner (39 years) and investigative reporter Linda Byron (26 years).
Atlanta’s WXIA-TV -- Reporters Donna Lowery (30 years), Kevin Rowson (22 years) and Keith Whitney (23 years).
Sacramento’s KXTV-TV -- Reporters George Warren (35 years), Tim Daly (25 years) and Dave Marquis (23 years)
St. Louis’ KSDK-TV -- Meteorologists Cindy Preszier (18 years) and Mike Roberts (20 years).
Minneapolis’ KARE-TV -- Anchor Diana Pierce (33 years) and reporter Allen Constantini (32 years).
Tampa’s WTSP-TV -- Sports anchor Dave Wirth (32 years).
Jacksonville, Florida’s WTLV/WJXX-TV (a TEGNA duopoly) -- Meteorologist Steve Smith (25 years) and reporter Roger Weeder (31 years).
Charlotte’s WCNC-TV -- Reporter Glenn Counts (28 years).
Portland, Maine’s WCSH-TV -- Meteorologist Joe Cupo (37 years) of WCSH-TV.
Bangor, Maine’s WLBZ-TV -- Meteorologist Steve McKay (22 years).
Louisville’s WHAS-TV -- Anchor-reporter Melissa Swan (31 years).
Grand Rapids, Michigan’s WZZM-TV -- Anchor-reporter Lee Van Ameyde (39 years).
According to a staff memorandum obtained by unclebarky.com, the 12 off-camera WFAA staffers taking the buyout number three from engineering; four from “news”; one from production; one from community marketing; one from sales; one from “creative” and one from wfaa.com. (The names are listed in the memo, but it’s uncertain how many of these departing staffers want to go public. So we’re omitting any names for now.)
The station’s human resources department director, Deidre Davis, said in the memo: “Within the next couple of weeks some of our colleagues will be leaving us for the next chapter in their lives. We’d like to celebrate them on April 22, 2:00 p.m. in the lobby. This will be an employee only celebration. Retirees may invite their family, spouse or significant other.”
A second sendoff, organized by investigative reporter Shipp, is set for Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. at Chicken Scratch/The Foundry, 2303 Pittman St. @W. Commerce St. “All come, all welcome,” Shipp said in an email to WFAA personnel. “Should be a reunion of sorts for the whole WFAA family and an opportunity for all to say thanks for all the years of greatness.”
Several WFAA sources said there is concern that some of the 12 off-camera positions affected by Friday’s departures have not been filled. “They don’t even know what some of these new job descriptions will look like,” said one source.
A “Dear Colleague” letter signed in February by WFAA8 president and general manager Mike Devlin, said that “today’s dynamic media landscape requires us to embrace change to continue to succeed.”
Devlin, who was recuperating from hip replacement surgery at the time and wasn’t present when the letter was distributed to 27 targeted employees, also noted that WFAA8 has a “strong foundation but we must continue to innovate and adapt to better meet the rapidly changing needs of those we serve. Recently, Dave Lougee (president of TEGNA media) shared his strategic roadmap for our future. 2016 will be a year of accelerated progress across WFAA-TV and every one of us will need to acclimate to today’s evolving environment. As we move forward, we have created a strategy at WFAA-TV that will enable us to better the needs of our station and our audiences.”
Specifically, that means buyout packages “aimed at giving our team the flexibility we need to do just that. This program will allow us to reinvest our resources to focus on our transformative content and sales strategies.”
A veteran staffer at WFAA8 wasn’t so sure about that, saying when the buyout packages were first offered: “TEGNA corporate feels we are a bloated whale living in the past. But viewers can decide for themselves if they want to watch a newscast with all the technical issues that cheap automation brings.”
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues.-Thurs., April 19-21) -- Mavs crash-land, as do numbers
04/22/16 10:03 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Game 3 of the Dallas Mavericks-Oklahoma City Thunder first-round playoff series offered D-FW viewers a sharp contrast to Game 2.
A gutty, improbable 85-84 Mavs’ road win was erased by a 131-102 Thunder romp in Dallas. The Nielsen numbers dipped accordingly, although TXA21’s home-grown “homer” coverage again was blown out by TNT’s national presentation. The early starting Game 3 ran from 6:11 to 8:53 p.m.
TNT averaged 120,401 total viewers and 63,514 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Those numbers were significantly down from Game 2’s 198,307 and 111,150 viewers.
TXA21 lagged with 77,906 total viewers and 41,284 in the 18-to-49 age range. The respective TXA21 numbers for Game 2 were 99,154 and 34,933 viewers, giving the CBS11 sister station a bit of a bump up in the key 18-to-49 demographic.
The combined TNT/TXA21 numbers of 183,921 total viewers and 104,798 in the 18-to-49 realm were a significant drop from the 297,461 and 146,083 for Monday night’s down-to-the-last-split-second Game 2. That’s what a blowout will do for you.
Game 1 of the series, in which the Thunder demolished the Mavs by a 38-point margin, drew a combined 219,554 total viewers and 107,974 in the 18-to-49 demographic on TXA 21 and ESPN. TXA21’s coverage edged ESPN’s in both measurements.
The homegrown first round playoff telecast in recent years has tended to fare better against ESPN than TNT, which has the attendant circus of pre-, halftime and post-game shows featuring the quartet of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson. Still, the combined audience for Thursday’s Game 3 is the smallest so far.
Over on Fox Sports Southwest Thursday night, the Texas Rangers completed their three-game sweep of the Houston Astros. Playing at home, the Rangers pulled in a nice-sized 162,895 total viewers and 53,987 in the 18-to-49 age range.
On the Big Four broadcast networks, CBS11’s 7 p.m. episode of The Big Bang Theory easily led all prime-time programming with 389,532 total viewers and 139,731 in the 18-to-49 measurement.
In contrast, Fox’s second episode of American Grit continued to struggle with 70,824 total viewers in the 8 p.m. hour. But NBC’s new Game of Silence was the rock bottom Big Four attraction for 18-to-49-year-olds with a measly 15,879 of ‘em at 9 p.m. Despite the lowly lead-in from American Grit, Fox4’s 9 p.m. newscast dominated that hour in both ratings barometers opposite Game of Silence and two other new network dramas, ABC’s The Catch and CBS’ Rush Hour.
OK, let’s move to Wednesday night, when the Dallas Stars’ road win against the Minnesota Wild averaged 84,989 total viewers on Fox Sports Southwest, with 57,163 in the 18-to-49 motherlode. That’s still an impressive percentage of “desirable” viewers. The Stars now lead the Wild three games to one in their first round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Wednesday’s TV attractions as usual were topped by Fox’s Empire, which amassed 417,862 total viewers and 193,718 in the 18-to-49 age range.
On Tuesday, the 8 p.m. premiere of The CW’s Containment fell flat with 28,330 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49 realm. You know it’s bad when even CW33’s following NewsFix whips you among 18-to-49-year-olds with 15,879.
AMC’s 9 p.m. premiere of the critically acclaimed The Night Manager had 28,330 total viewers and 15,879 in the 18-to-49 demographic. On FSS, the Rangers’ opening win against the Astros had respective totals of 169,978 and 69,865 viewers.
Here are the Tuesday through Thursday local news derby results.
Tuesday -- NBC5 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
The Peacock also has been making some noise of late at 6 a.m., where it tied the usually dominant Fox4 in total viewers and won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 likewise ran the table at 6 p.m. and added a win with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m. Fox4 edged NBC5 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m.
Wednesday -- CBS11 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 led among 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 continued to prosper at 6 a.m., tying Fox4 for first in total viewers while again finishing alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds. The Peacock also swept the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions.
Thursday -- CBS11 again had the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 regained its footing at 6 a.m. with twin wins over runner-up NBC5. They are the only two stations with any real ratings punch at that hour.
NBC5 remained rock solid at 5 and 6 p.m. with sweeps of both time periods.
All of this left TEGNA8 as the only station without any wins from Tuesday through Thursday in D-FW’s major four-way local news face-offs. The current TV season’s climactic four-week May ratings “sweeps” period begins on Thursday, April 28th.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Game 3 of the Dallas Mavericks-Oklahoma City Thunder first-round playoff series offered D-FW viewers a sharp contrast to Game 2.
A gutty, improbable 85-84 Mavs’ road win was erased by a 131-102 Thunder romp in Dallas. The Nielsen numbers dipped accordingly, although TXA21’s home-grown “homer” coverage again was blown out by TNT’s national presentation. The early starting Game 3 ran from 6:11 to 8:53 p.m.
TNT averaged 120,401 total viewers and 63,514 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Those numbers were significantly down from Game 2’s 198,307 and 111,150 viewers.
TXA21 lagged with 77,906 total viewers and 41,284 in the 18-to-49 age range. The respective TXA21 numbers for Game 2 were 99,154 and 34,933 viewers, giving the CBS11 sister station a bit of a bump up in the key 18-to-49 demographic.
The combined TNT/TXA21 numbers of 183,921 total viewers and 104,798 in the 18-to-49 realm were a significant drop from the 297,461 and 146,083 for Monday night’s down-to-the-last-split-second Game 2. That’s what a blowout will do for you.
Game 1 of the series, in which the Thunder demolished the Mavs by a 38-point margin, drew a combined 219,554 total viewers and 107,974 in the 18-to-49 demographic on TXA 21 and ESPN. TXA21’s coverage edged ESPN’s in both measurements.
The homegrown first round playoff telecast in recent years has tended to fare better against ESPN than TNT, which has the attendant circus of pre-, halftime and post-game shows featuring the quartet of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson. Still, the combined audience for Thursday’s Game 3 is the smallest so far.
Over on Fox Sports Southwest Thursday night, the Texas Rangers completed their three-game sweep of the Houston Astros. Playing at home, the Rangers pulled in a nice-sized 162,895 total viewers and 53,987 in the 18-to-49 age range.
On the Big Four broadcast networks, CBS11’s 7 p.m. episode of The Big Bang Theory easily led all prime-time programming with 389,532 total viewers and 139,731 in the 18-to-49 measurement.
In contrast, Fox’s second episode of American Grit continued to struggle with 70,824 total viewers in the 8 p.m. hour. But NBC’s new Game of Silence was the rock bottom Big Four attraction for 18-to-49-year-olds with a measly 15,879 of ‘em at 9 p.m. Despite the lowly lead-in from American Grit, Fox4’s 9 p.m. newscast dominated that hour in both ratings barometers opposite Game of Silence and two other new network dramas, ABC’s The Catch and CBS’ Rush Hour.
OK, let’s move to Wednesday night, when the Dallas Stars’ road win against the Minnesota Wild averaged 84,989 total viewers on Fox Sports Southwest, with 57,163 in the 18-to-49 motherlode. That’s still an impressive percentage of “desirable” viewers. The Stars now lead the Wild three games to one in their first round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Wednesday’s TV attractions as usual were topped by Fox’s Empire, which amassed 417,862 total viewers and 193,718 in the 18-to-49 age range.
On Tuesday, the 8 p.m. premiere of The CW’s Containment fell flat with 28,330 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49 realm. You know it’s bad when even CW33’s following NewsFix whips you among 18-to-49-year-olds with 15,879.
AMC’s 9 p.m. premiere of the critically acclaimed The Night Manager had 28,330 total viewers and 15,879 in the 18-to-49 demographic. On FSS, the Rangers’ opening win against the Astros had respective totals of 169,978 and 69,865 viewers.
Here are the Tuesday through Thursday local news derby results.
Tuesday -- NBC5 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
The Peacock also has been making some noise of late at 6 a.m., where it tied the usually dominant Fox4 in total viewers and won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 likewise ran the table at 6 p.m. and added a win with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m. Fox4 edged NBC5 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m.
Wednesday -- CBS11 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 led among 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 continued to prosper at 6 a.m., tying Fox4 for first in total viewers while again finishing alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds. The Peacock also swept the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions.
Thursday -- CBS11 again had the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 regained its footing at 6 a.m. with twin wins over runner-up NBC5. They are the only two stations with any real ratings punch at that hour.
NBC5 remained rock solid at 5 and 6 p.m. with sweeps of both time periods.
All of this left TEGNA8 as the only station without any wins from Tuesday through Thursday in D-FW’s major four-way local news face-offs. The current TV season’s climactic four-week May ratings “sweeps” period begins on Thursday, April 28th.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
A ratings droop -- despite the poop -- for second episode of Real Housewives of Dallas
04/20/16 09:18 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Monday’s second episode of Real Housewives of Dallas dug a deeper hole for itself in the national Nielsen ratings despite cast member Brandi Redmond’s best efforts to create a national sensation with her “Poop Hat.” The Bravo network’s website headlined it as “The Biggest Little Poop Hat in Texas.”
But the sh*t hit the fan when RHOD drew 920,000 viewers, down more than 150,000 from a weak premiere turnout of 1,076,000. That dropped the show from 51st to 72nd in Monday’s top 100 cable programs ranked by tvbythenumbers. Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, RHOD again had a .4 rating, compared to a 1.5 for the night’s top non-sports attraction, VH1’s Love & Hip Hop Atlanta 5. With 2,825,000 total viewers, Love & Hip Hop had more than three times as many as RHOD.
The eighth spinoff of Bravo’s Housewives franchise also continued to trail the network’s latest new episodes of the Beverly Hills, Potomac and New York City editions. According to national Nielsens for the past week, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills led this group with 1,978,000 total viewers, followed by Potomac (1,391,000) and New York City (1,242,000).
In the cable TV universe, RHOD’s second episode drew fewer total viewers Monday than the likes of History Channel’s Swamp People (1,875,000), HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters (1,325,000), Discovery Channel’s Misfit Garage (1,150) and Sheriff Callie’s Wild West (1,047,000), a morning show for pre-schoolers that airs on the Disney Junior network.
It’s still too early to speculate on RHOD’s future, although continued weekly ratings drops will only further cloud its chances for a Season 2.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Reporter Allison Harris joins Fox4 news room
04/20/16 08:46 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallas-based Fox4 is adding Allison Harris as a general assignment reporter, the station announced Wednesday.
The McKinney, TX native is scheduled to start on May 9th after a two-year stint at KOTV-TV, the CBS affiliate in Tulsa, OK.
“Allison’s strong research skills and tenacity have resulted in multiple exclusive stories,” Fox4 vice president and news director Robin Whitmeyer said in a publicity release. “I am confident she will successfully bring to light the important stories in DFW.”
Harris is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a degree in journalism. “I am passionate about in-depth storytelling,” she said. “I can’t wait to join the talented team at Fox4 and produce the quality journalism Texans have grown to expect from this station.”
She’s moved up the ladder fast after previous short tenures at KOTV, Sherman’s KXII-TV and internships at KTEN-TV in Denison and WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.
At KOTV, Harris was the station’s “lead nightside reporter,” according to Whitmeyer.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., April 18) -- Mavs/Stars special
04/19/16 11:29 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Mavericks won by one point Monday while the Dallas Stars lost by one goal. Let’s look at how they stacked up ratings-wise for the second time that both teams played on the same night during the opening series of their respective post-seasons.
The Mavs, depleted to the point of absurdity by key injuries, gutted their way to an incredible win over the full-strength Oklahoma City Thunder after being demolished by 38 points in Game 1 at OKC.
The 85-84 victory aired on both TXA21 and TNT from 7:11 to 9:40 p.m. TNT drew the lion’s share of viewers over the local telecast. But there’s at least a small asterisk. On-screen listings were incorrect for TXA21 on all but Charter cable systems, according to a Twitter survey by your friendly content provider. Time-Warner, Frontier, AT&T U-verse and DirecTV all listed TXA21’s regular Monday night entertainment programming instead of Mavs-Thunder. There was no response on Twitter from Dish subscribers.
Mavs play-by-play voice Mark Followill has argued rather heatedly in the past -- at least in our exchanges -- that many “casual” fans may well have been unaware of the TXA21 telecasts and thought cable networks were their only option. It’s assumed that season-long followers of the Mavs would know that TXA21 has televised first round playoff games for several seasons at this point.
Whatever the case, the TXA21 “homer”-cast took a ratings drubbing Monday night. TNT’s competing coverage averaged 198,307 D-FW viewers and 111,150 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. TXA21 had 99,154 total viewers and just 34,933 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Even if the listings are taken into account, that’s a huge disparity that suggests a large number of viewers simply preferred TNT and the attendant circus act by the off-court quartet of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and ringmaster Ernie Johnson.
The Stars’ 4-3 road loss to the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of their series aired solely on Fox Sports Southwest from 7:41 to 10:21 p.m. It averaged 99,154 total viewers (the same as the Mavs on TXA21) and 63,514 in the 18-to-49 motherlode (far more than TXA21’s Mavs telecast).
In competition among the Big Four broadcast networks, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of The Voice led with 339,955 total viewers and 104,798 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and added a 5 p.m. sweep. NBC5 ran the table at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Mavericks won by one point Monday while the Dallas Stars lost by one goal. Let’s look at how they stacked up ratings-wise for the second time that both teams played on the same night during the opening series of their respective post-seasons.
The Mavs, depleted to the point of absurdity by key injuries, gutted their way to an incredible win over the full-strength Oklahoma City Thunder after being demolished by 38 points in Game 1 at OKC.
The 85-84 victory aired on both TXA21 and TNT from 7:11 to 9:40 p.m. TNT drew the lion’s share of viewers over the local telecast. But there’s at least a small asterisk. On-screen listings were incorrect for TXA21 on all but Charter cable systems, according to a Twitter survey by your friendly content provider. Time-Warner, Frontier, AT&T U-verse and DirecTV all listed TXA21’s regular Monday night entertainment programming instead of Mavs-Thunder. There was no response on Twitter from Dish subscribers.
Mavs play-by-play voice Mark Followill has argued rather heatedly in the past -- at least in our exchanges -- that many “casual” fans may well have been unaware of the TXA21 telecasts and thought cable networks were their only option. It’s assumed that season-long followers of the Mavs would know that TXA21 has televised first round playoff games for several seasons at this point.
Whatever the case, the TXA21 “homer”-cast took a ratings drubbing Monday night. TNT’s competing coverage averaged 198,307 D-FW viewers and 111,150 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. TXA21 had 99,154 total viewers and just 34,933 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Even if the listings are taken into account, that’s a huge disparity that suggests a large number of viewers simply preferred TNT and the attendant circus act by the off-court quartet of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and ringmaster Ernie Johnson.
The Stars’ 4-3 road loss to the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of their series aired solely on Fox Sports Southwest from 7:41 to 10:21 p.m. It averaged 99,154 total viewers (the same as the Mavs on TXA21) and 63,514 in the 18-to-49 motherlode (far more than TXA21’s Mavs telecast).
In competition among the Big Four broadcast networks, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of The Voice led with 339,955 total viewers and 104,798 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and added a 5 p.m. sweep. NBC5 ran the table at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., April 15-17) -- puck drops for Stars vs. Mavs in post-season
04/18/16 12:50 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Mavericks got demolished by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their post-season series while the Dallas Stars took a 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Wild with a 2-1 win in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Both match ups were on Saturday night, with the Mavericks getting a late start -- but on two networks -- while the Stars faced off at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest alone.
Stars-Wild averaged 99,154 D-FW viewers, topping their Game 1 total of 84,989. Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, hockey weighed in with 53,987 viewers to equal Game 1’s total in this key demographic.
The start of the Mavericks-Thunder game was pushed a bit past 8:45 p.m. by the down-to-the-wire Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics matchup on ESPN. So ESPN joined Mavs-Thunder in progress, but with only about two-and-a-half minutes expired in the first quarter.
TXA21’s home-grown, “homer”-infused telecast averaged 113,318 total viewers, with the audience steadily diminishing in the second half. ESPN ended up averaging 106,236 viewers after a slow start but had stronger second half numbers than TXA21’s. In the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, TXA21 had 57,163 viewers while ESPN drew 50,811 and again beat TXA21 down the stretch.
Caveat: TXA21 play-by-play announcer Mark Followill has tangled with your friendly content provider in the past over whether TXA21’s telecasts of first-round Mavs playoff games are reflected in up-to-date TV listings. He argues that a significant number of viewers go to the national cable-cast out of ignorance that TXA21 is offering a local alternative. Whatever the case, TXA21 overall edged ESPN in both major ratings measurements for Saturday’s Game 1.
Sunday’s prime-time Nielsens again were paced by NBC’s 7 p.m. episode of Little Big Shots, which had 339,955 total viewers and 79,393 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
In Friday’s numbers, CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods as usual led all comers with 240,802 total viewers. But Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and NBC’s competing Dateline were the top draws among 18-to-49-year-olds with 47,636 viewers apiece.
Here are Friday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 pulled in the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 led among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 drew the most total viewers at 6 a.m. but had its multi-month winning streak snapped by NBC5 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic. The gap between the front-running Peacock and the now again dormant CBS11 was eye-popping among 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 had 62,502 viewers in this important demographic compared to CBS11’s 5,953.
NBC5 capped off its big day with a sweep of both the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions. The station’s 4 p.m. local newscast also remained strong, decisively beating competing news hours on TEGNA8 and CBS11 in both ratings measurements while also knocking off Fox4’s double dose of Judge Judy.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Mavericks got demolished by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their post-season series while the Dallas Stars took a 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Wild with a 2-1 win in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Both match ups were on Saturday night, with the Mavericks getting a late start -- but on two networks -- while the Stars faced off at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest alone.
Stars-Wild averaged 99,154 D-FW viewers, topping their Game 1 total of 84,989. Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, hockey weighed in with 53,987 viewers to equal Game 1’s total in this key demographic.
The start of the Mavericks-Thunder game was pushed a bit past 8:45 p.m. by the down-to-the-wire Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics matchup on ESPN. So ESPN joined Mavs-Thunder in progress, but with only about two-and-a-half minutes expired in the first quarter.
TXA21’s home-grown, “homer”-infused telecast averaged 113,318 total viewers, with the audience steadily diminishing in the second half. ESPN ended up averaging 106,236 viewers after a slow start but had stronger second half numbers than TXA21’s. In the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, TXA21 had 57,163 viewers while ESPN drew 50,811 and again beat TXA21 down the stretch.
Caveat: TXA21 play-by-play announcer Mark Followill has tangled with your friendly content provider in the past over whether TXA21’s telecasts of first-round Mavs playoff games are reflected in up-to-date TV listings. He argues that a significant number of viewers go to the national cable-cast out of ignorance that TXA21 is offering a local alternative. Whatever the case, TXA21 overall edged ESPN in both major ratings measurements for Saturday’s Game 1.
Sunday’s prime-time Nielsens again were paced by NBC’s 7 p.m. episode of Little Big Shots, which had 339,955 total viewers and 79,393 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
In Friday’s numbers, CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods as usual led all comers with 240,802 total viewers. But Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and NBC’s competing Dateline were the top draws among 18-to-49-year-olds with 47,636 viewers apiece.
Here are Friday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 pulled in the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 led among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 drew the most total viewers at 6 a.m. but had its multi-month winning streak snapped by NBC5 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic. The gap between the front-running Peacock and the now again dormant CBS11 was eye-popping among 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 had 62,502 viewers in this important demographic compared to CBS11’s 5,953.
NBC5 capped off its big day with a sweep of both the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions. The station’s 4 p.m. local newscast also remained strong, decisively beating competing news hours on TEGNA8 and CBS11 in both ratings measurements while also knocking off Fox4’s double dose of Judge Judy.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., April 13-14) -- Stars shine brighter on Fox Sports Southwest
04/15/16 11:42 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallas Stars’ regular season games were largely left for dead in the D-FW Nielsen ratings, with even 50,000 viewers a big haul.
But it’s now the Stanley Cup playoffs. And the Stars’ bulked up with a 4-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild in Thursday night’s Game 1 of their first-round series.
Running until 11:18 p.m., Stars-Wild averaged 84,989 viewers and 53,987 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Any TV program drawing considerably better than 50 percent of its viewers from the 18-to-49 motherlode is considered a rousing success revenue-wise. So that’s a very nice number for the Stars. FSS also says these are the best ratings for any Stars game since the April 27, 2014 Game 6 of a first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Texas Rangers were sent to FSS+ for their home win against the Baltimore Orioles. Sorry sports fans, but the FSS+ ratings weren’t immediately available.
Elsewhere in prime-time Thursday, Fox’s premiere of the “reality-competition” series American Grit as a replacement for American Idol emerged as a 90-pound weakling in the 8 p.m. hour. It drew just 77,906 total viewers and 38,108 in the 18-to-49 age range.
NBC’s 7 p.m. launch of another “reality” physicality hour, Strong, flexed in comparison with 120,401 total viewers but an identical 38,108 within the 18-to-49 realm. Still, both Strong and Grit ran an overall last in their time slots in the total viewer ratings race among the Big Four broadcast networks. And although lackluster, their 18-to-49 ratings were good enough to put each show in second place.
On Wednesday, Fox’s Empire again ranked as the runaway top draw in prime-time with 375,367 total viewers and 190,542 in the 18-to-49 demographic. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast enjoyed the tail wind, comfortably winning at that hour in total viewers (283,296) and with 18-to-49-year-olds (92,095).
It also was a big and intriguing night in the cable sports arena, where the Dallas Mavericks regular season finale against the San Antonio Spurs on FSS drew fewer total viewers than both Kobe Bryant’s last game on ESPN2 and the Golden State Warriors’ record-setting 73rd win versus the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kobe set the pace with a surreal 60 points against the Utah Jazz before a star-studded home crowd. The late night game averaged 113,318 total viewers and a robust 73,041 in the 18-to-49 age range.
The Warriors, who routed Memphis in direct competition with the Kobe show, drew 99,154 viewers and 47,636 in the 18-to-49 range. Mavs-Spurs lagged behind both games in total viewers with 92,071, but ran second ahead of Warriors-Jazz among 18-to-49-year-olds (57,163).
Here are the Wednesday-Thursday local news derby results.
Wednesday -- CBS11 nipped both Fox4 and TEGNA8 at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 had a comfier win among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added total viewer wins at 5 and 6 p.m. NBC5 ran first in both early evening hours with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Thursday -- NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but TEGNA was alone on top among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The Peacock also had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. while tying Fox4 for the 25-to-54 lead.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallas Stars’ regular season games were largely left for dead in the D-FW Nielsen ratings, with even 50,000 viewers a big haul.
But it’s now the Stanley Cup playoffs. And the Stars’ bulked up with a 4-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild in Thursday night’s Game 1 of their first-round series.
Running until 11:18 p.m., Stars-Wild averaged 84,989 viewers and 53,987 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Any TV program drawing considerably better than 50 percent of its viewers from the 18-to-49 motherlode is considered a rousing success revenue-wise. So that’s a very nice number for the Stars. FSS also says these are the best ratings for any Stars game since the April 27, 2014 Game 6 of a first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Texas Rangers were sent to FSS+ for their home win against the Baltimore Orioles. Sorry sports fans, but the FSS+ ratings weren’t immediately available.
Elsewhere in prime-time Thursday, Fox’s premiere of the “reality-competition” series American Grit as a replacement for American Idol emerged as a 90-pound weakling in the 8 p.m. hour. It drew just 77,906 total viewers and 38,108 in the 18-to-49 age range.
NBC’s 7 p.m. launch of another “reality” physicality hour, Strong, flexed in comparison with 120,401 total viewers but an identical 38,108 within the 18-to-49 realm. Still, both Strong and Grit ran an overall last in their time slots in the total viewer ratings race among the Big Four broadcast networks. And although lackluster, their 18-to-49 ratings were good enough to put each show in second place.
On Wednesday, Fox’s Empire again ranked as the runaway top draw in prime-time with 375,367 total viewers and 190,542 in the 18-to-49 demographic. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast enjoyed the tail wind, comfortably winning at that hour in total viewers (283,296) and with 18-to-49-year-olds (92,095).
It also was a big and intriguing night in the cable sports arena, where the Dallas Mavericks regular season finale against the San Antonio Spurs on FSS drew fewer total viewers than both Kobe Bryant’s last game on ESPN2 and the Golden State Warriors’ record-setting 73rd win versus the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kobe set the pace with a surreal 60 points against the Utah Jazz before a star-studded home crowd. The late night game averaged 113,318 total viewers and a robust 73,041 in the 18-to-49 age range.
The Warriors, who routed Memphis in direct competition with the Kobe show, drew 99,154 viewers and 47,636 in the 18-to-49 range. Mavs-Spurs lagged behind both games in total viewers with 92,071, but ran second ahead of Warriors-Jazz among 18-to-49-year-olds (57,163).
Here are the Wednesday-Thursday local news derby results.
Wednesday -- CBS11 nipped both Fox4 and TEGNA8 at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 had a comfier win among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added total viewer wins at 5 and 6 p.m. NBC5 ran first in both early evening hours with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Thursday -- NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but TEGNA was alone on top among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The Peacock also had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. while tying Fox4 for the 25-to-54 lead.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Another exit: Reporter Zahid Arab putting Fox4 behind him
04/14/16 07:17 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Reporter Zahid Arab, who quickly became a solid presence on Fox4’s night shift, is leaving the station after just a two-year stay.
Arab told unclebarky.com that his last day will be Wednesday, April 20th. The station had offered him a new contract, but he has decided not to re-up, Arab said. He declined to comment further and is looking for new opportunities.
Arab joined Fox4 in April 2014 from NBC affiliate KING-TV in Seattle, where he had been a reporter since August 2012. The Arizona State University journalism and mass communications graduate also has worked at KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, KHNL/KFVE-TV in Honolulu and KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa.
Arab is the 51st reporter or anchor to leave D-FW’s four major TV news providers since the start of 2014. He’s also the 10th to depart in this year alone.
Fox4 still has the least attrition from January 2014 through mid-April. The station has lost 9 on-camera personnel compared to 17 for CBS11. NBC5 and TEGNA8 each have had 12 exits during this period.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., April 12) -- NBC/Fox4 share prime-time spoils
04/13/16 02:37 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS went with wall-to-wall NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans repeats Tuesday night, opening the door for NBC’s The Voice and Fox4’s 9 p.m. local news to win their respective time slots.
The Voice drew 262,049 D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. while also ranking as prime-time’s biggest draw among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (76,217). Fox4’s news then took over with 191,225 total viewers and 60,338 in the 18-to-49 age range.
NBC’s 9 p.m. premiere of Game of Silence had 162,895 total viewers to run third at that hour behind Fox4 and CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans rerun (169,978). But Silence spoke a bit louder to 18-to-49-year-olds, running second with 44,460.
The Texas Rangers’ late night road win at Seattle drew 120,401 total viewers on Fox Sports Southwest.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 ran first in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
For the first time in several months, Fox4 ended up sharing the 6 a.m. lead in both ratings measurements with NBC5.
The Peacock swept the 5 p.m. races and tied for the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. with TEGNA8. But TEGNA8 had the 6 p.m. gold to itself in total viewers.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS went with wall-to-wall NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans repeats Tuesday night, opening the door for NBC’s The Voice and Fox4’s 9 p.m. local news to win their respective time slots.
The Voice drew 262,049 D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. while also ranking as prime-time’s biggest draw among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (76,217). Fox4’s news then took over with 191,225 total viewers and 60,338 in the 18-to-49 age range.
NBC’s 9 p.m. premiere of Game of Silence had 162,895 total viewers to run third at that hour behind Fox4 and CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans rerun (169,978). But Silence spoke a bit louder to 18-to-49-year-olds, running second with 44,460.
The Texas Rangers’ late night road win at Seattle drew 120,401 total viewers on Fox Sports Southwest.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 ran first in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
For the first time in several months, Fox4 ended up sharing the 6 a.m. lead in both ratings measurements with NBC5.
The Peacock swept the 5 p.m. races and tied for the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. with TEGNA8. But TEGNA8 had the 6 p.m. gold to itself in total viewers.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Real Housewives of Dallas a charity case so far in national ratings
04/13/16 01:04 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Real Housewives of Dallas, the Bravo network’s eighth spinoff of the Orange County original, made only a smallish impression in the national Nielsen ratings with its expectedly garish, but also poop-and-pee-pocked Monday, April 11th premiere.
Ratings in D-FW weren’t immediately available. But it’s the national numbers that count. And by that measurement, RHOD was the least-watched among four other new Housewives franchise episodes airing in the past week.
Sunday’s Real Housewives of Atlanta topped the list with a national total of 1,761,000 viewers and a .7 rating in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
Last Tuesday’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was right behind with 1,759,000 viewers and also a .7 rating in the key demo.
Sunday’s Real Housewives of Potomac ranked third with 1,511,000 viewers and a .6 while last Wednesday’s Real Housewives of New York City clocked in with 1,245,000 viewers and a .4 showing among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Then came Real Housewives of Dallas, which drew 1,076,000 viewers and also a .4 in the demo. In total viewers, that put it 51st in Monday’s mix of top 100 cable programs charted by tvbythenumbers. Among 18-to-49-year-olds, RHOD finished in a 34th place tie with numerous other cable attractions, including HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters and VH1’s Black Ink Crew 4.
Monday’s top cable draw in total viewers was USA network’s WWE Entertainment with 3,687,000. VH1’s Love & Hip Hop Atlanta 5 led the way among 18-to-49-year-olds with a 1.4 rating.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Incoming at Fox4/NBC5: reporters Lynnanne Nguyen, Alice Barr
04/13/16 11:14 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Amid the wave of recent departures come two new arrivals to D-FW television news rooms.
Lynnanne Nguyen is joining Fox4 as a general assignment reporter, the station announced Wednesday. She’s coming from Fox affiliate WHBQ-TV in Memphis and will start at Fox4 on April 25th.
Alice Barr, who’s been reporting for CBS affiliate KHOU-TV in Houston, is joining NBC5 in that capacity. Her fiancee, KHOU photographer David Soltis, also has been hired by NBC5. Houston-based blogger Mike McGuff was the first to report their departures. They’ll respectively be leaving KHOU on April 21st and 22nd, says McGuff.
Nguyen, who was with WHBQ for two-and-a-half years, is “tactical and compassionate,” Fox4 vice president and news director Robin Whitmeyer says in a publicity release. “These attributes have helped her find and tell important news stories and we can’t wait for her to bring them to Fox4.”
The Northwestern University graduate also has been a video journalist for KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa. She began her broadcast journalism career with Chicago’s WGN-TV as a “medical watch intern.”
Barr is the second Houston TV reporter to join NBC5 this year. As previously posted, the station recently hired Courtney Gilmore from Houston’s KPRC-TV, an NBC affiliate.
Barr was with KHOU for two years and also is a Northwestern University graduate. She earlier worked at TV stations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Rockford, Illinois; and Billings, Montana.
NBC5 vice president of programming Brian Hocker said Wednesday that Barr is scheduled to join the station on May 9th and will be covering Fort Worth for both daytime and evening newscasts.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., April 11) -- DWTS, The Voice split prime-time's biggest spoils
04/12/16 01:21 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ABC’s Dancing with the Stars rose up to beat NBC’s The Voice for the first time this season in their weekly Monday 7 to 9 p.m. face-off.
DWTS drew 354,120 D-FW viewers opposite The Voice’s 332,873. But the NBC sing-along as usual fared better with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, winning by a score of 101,622 viewers to 85,744.
The 9 p.m. golds then went to Fox4’s local newscast in both total viewers (226,637) and 18-to-49-year-olds (53,987) in competition among the Big Four broadcast networks.
Over on TXA21, the Dallas Mavericks clinched a post-season spot with a gritty road win at Utah. The game pulled in 127,483 total viewers and 69,865 in the 18-to-49 age range to outdraw Fox4’s news during the 9 to 10 p.m. portion of the game. The Texas Rangers did almost as well on Fox Sports Southwest despite starting later in a comparatively inconsequential game against the drab Seattle Mariners. The Rangers averaged 120,401 total viewers and 66,690 within the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Local ratings for Bravo’s premiere of Real Housewives of Dallas were not available.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 ran first at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again ran the table at 6 a.m. and NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions. The 6 p.m. firsts went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ABC’s Dancing with the Stars rose up to beat NBC’s The Voice for the first time this season in their weekly Monday 7 to 9 p.m. face-off.
DWTS drew 354,120 D-FW viewers opposite The Voice’s 332,873. But the NBC sing-along as usual fared better with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, winning by a score of 101,622 viewers to 85,744.
The 9 p.m. golds then went to Fox4’s local newscast in both total viewers (226,637) and 18-to-49-year-olds (53,987) in competition among the Big Four broadcast networks.
Over on TXA21, the Dallas Mavericks clinched a post-season spot with a gritty road win at Utah. The game pulled in 127,483 total viewers and 69,865 in the 18-to-49 age range to outdraw Fox4’s news during the 9 to 10 p.m. portion of the game. The Texas Rangers did almost as well on Fox Sports Southwest despite starting later in a comparatively inconsequential game against the drab Seattle Mariners. The Rangers averaged 120,401 total viewers and 66,690 within the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Local ratings for Bravo’s premiere of Real Housewives of Dallas were not available.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 ran first at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again ran the table at 6 a.m. and NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions. The 6 p.m. firsts went to TEGNA8 in total viewers and NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Bob Schieffer in fine form at Press Club of Dallas tribute
04/12/16 09:52 AM
Bob Schieffer closes the show with the Texas Switchgrass Band. Photos: Ed Bark
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
No one thought to give him an armload of long-stemmed roses. But the verbal bouquets kept coming at Monday night’s salute to Texas journalism giant Bob Schieffer.
Presented by the revitalized Press Club of Dallas, “Bob Schieffer Milestones: A North Texas Tribute” drew a packed house of about 400 at the downtown Dallas Belo Mansion. The 79-year-old honoree, who learned his trade at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and WBAP-TV before heading to CBS News, could hardly believe one particular sight.
“When I was growing up, you didn’t see the mayor of Dallas and the mayor of Fort Worth in the same room,” he said.
Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price and Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings were both in the house and bearing gifts. Price gave Schieffer a Stetson from her city’s Peters Brothers Hats. Rawlings countered with a gift certificate for a pair of specially monogrammed cowboy boots from his city’s Wild Bill’s Western Store. Both mayors also came with official city proclamations citing Schieffer’s indelible contributions.
“God bless you journalists,” Rawlings also proclaimed. “You speak truth to power . . . We need the truth.”
Schieffer, coaxed out of retirement to contribute to CBS News’ 2016 campaign coverage, also was lauded by the likes of former Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison; ex-Dallas mayor Ron Kirk (who also served as the Obama administration’s U.S. Trade Representative); Dr. Kristie Bunton, dean of Texas Christian University’s Bob Schieffer College of Communication; and CBS11 anchor Doug Dunbar.
Former President George W. Bush, CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley and CBS This Morning anchor Charlie Rose praised Schieffer via videotape. Tracy Rowlett, who anchored at both CBS11 and WFAA-TV, then quizzed the man of the hour about the ongoing presidential campaign before Schieffer re-donned his cowboy hat and cut loose with a closing song backed by the Texas Switchgrass Band.
“There is one word that comes to mind when I think of Bob Schieffer,” Hutchison said earlier. “That word is ‘authentic.’ “
Kirk then one-upped her. “If you ever didn’t appreciate his class or his dignity, just turn on the news now,” he said.
Schieffer has a “quiet confidence” and “brings the voice of stability” in a sea of social media excess, Dunbar said before hurrying off to co-anchor his station’s 10 p.m. newscast.
Pelley, who built a reputation as a dogged and thorough reporter at WFAA-TV before joining CBS News, said he never forgot what Schieffer told him early on about many politicians. “You said they lie when the truth will serve them better.”
“He can sing, he can paint and everyone loves him,” said Rose, who also has a North Texas backdrop as the long ago host of a morning talk show on KXAS-TV after the station dropped its WBAP call letters. Bush cited Schieffer’s integrity and doggedness as an interviewer while also calling him a “longtime friend of the Bush family.”
Schieffer perhaps stated the obvious in telling Rowlett that the 2016 presidential campaign has been flat-out crazy. “In my entire life, I have never seen anything like we’re seeing this year.”
He predicted an “extremely difficult” time for frontrunner Donald Trump if he doesn’t have the clinching 1,237 delegates needed for nomination at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. But Texas senator Ted Cruz, intensely disliked by many of his colleagues, is no darling either, Schieffer said. “I think you’re more likely to have someone ask for the recipe for airline food” than see Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell endorse Cruz, Schieffer added.
He recalled, somewhat fondly, the days of “whisper campaigns” alleging that a political candidate was having or had extramarital affairs. Back then, journalists would check the story out or just ignore it. Now “people just put it out there” on Internet blogs. “It literally has turned journalism upside down,” Schieffer said.
Besides all that scrutiny, the constant need to raise huge sums of money by any means necessary also has kept many qualified candidates from running for high office, he said. Schieffer’s title for the current campaign would be “The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost” because “the level and quality of the candidate pool is just not what it was.”
Schieffer, who’s been with CBS News since 1969, also told Rowlett that he’s abandoned plans to write a book about Lyndon Baines Johnson, who even in an earlier era was no stranger to arm-twisting and shaking the money tree.
“I’m just too old to start that project,” he said.
Some money did change hands. Before Schieffer launched into his original country composition, “TV Anchorman,” the Press Club presented TCU with a $10,000 journalism scholarship in his name. Two dozen students from the Schieffer College of Communication were on hand to underscore the school’s continued efforts to groom journalists in the endangered art of fact-based reporting.
“You can now get the news from any viewpoint you want to get it from,” Schieffer had lamented earlier. “And sometimes people just totally make things up.”
Attendees at “Bob Schieffer Milestones” got it from a straight shooter Monday night. All sides could agree on that.
Note to readers: Your friendly content provider is a first-year member of the Press Club of Dallas board.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., April 8-10) -- Spieth's Masters debacle is the weekend's top draw
04/11/16 01:23 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallasite Jordan Spieth’s fourth round collapse at The Masters fueled the weekend D-FW Nielsens.
Cruising with a five-stroke lead until a mega-disastrous quadruple bogey on the 12th hole, the defending champ ended up losing by two strokes to first-time Masters winner Danny Willett. Sunday’s round on CBS averaged 325,790 viewers with a peak of 460,356 between 5:45 and 6 p.m., when Spieth still had a chance to recover.
On TXA21, the Dallas Mavericks’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, which competed directly against The Masters, averaged 84,989 viewers.
NBC’s 7 p.m. hour of Little Big Shots led the prime-time parade with 318,708 viewers.
Saturday’s third round of The Masters, also on CBS, likewise topped all of that day’s programming with 240,802 viewers.
In Friday’s prime-time Nielsens, CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods ran first overall with 233,719 total viewers while also prevailing among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds with 60,338.
Here are Friday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 once again cruised to twin wins at 6 a.m. and also swept the 5 p.m. competitions.
TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m., with NBC5 just a hair behind. The Peacock drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds, though.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallasite Jordan Spieth’s fourth round collapse at The Masters fueled the weekend D-FW Nielsens.
Cruising with a five-stroke lead until a mega-disastrous quadruple bogey on the 12th hole, the defending champ ended up losing by two strokes to first-time Masters winner Danny Willett. Sunday’s round on CBS averaged 325,790 viewers with a peak of 460,356 between 5:45 and 6 p.m., when Spieth still had a chance to recover.
On TXA21, the Dallas Mavericks’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, which competed directly against The Masters, averaged 84,989 viewers.
NBC’s 7 p.m. hour of Little Big Shots led the prime-time parade with 318,708 viewers.
Saturday’s third round of The Masters, also on CBS, likewise topped all of that day’s programming with 240,802 viewers.
In Friday’s prime-time Nielsens, CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods ran first overall with 233,719 total viewers while also prevailing among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds with 60,338.
Here are Friday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 once again cruised to twin wins at 6 a.m. and also swept the 5 p.m. competitions.
TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m., with NBC5 just a hair behind. The Peacock drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds, though.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., April 7) -- Idol finale fuels another Fox/Fox4 sweep
04/08/16 11:10 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s two-hour American Idol finale paid substantial ratings dividends Thursday night. Not like in the old days, but still more than good enough to dominate prime-time.
Airing from 7 to 9:06 p.m., Idol averaged 481,603 D-FW viewers and 190,542 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Trent Harmon emerged as the champion of the show’s 15th and supposedly last season. But Ryan Seacrest, who went the distance as host, left the door open for a revival at some point by signing off with “Good night, America -- for now.”
Only CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of The Big Bang Theory came close -- but not that close -- to Idol, pulling in 375,367 total viewers and 114,325 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then comfortably won its time slot in both ratings measurements. Precise numbers are blurred by the Idol over-run. But the final 45 minutes of the news (Nielsen measures in 15-minute increments) had 198,307 total viewers, with 79,393 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results.
NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. competitions. At 6 p.m., TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers but TEGNA8 won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 and TEGNA8 shared the total viewers lead at 5 p.m. while Fox4 was alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s two-hour American Idol finale paid substantial ratings dividends Thursday night. Not like in the old days, but still more than good enough to dominate prime-time.
Airing from 7 to 9:06 p.m., Idol averaged 481,603 D-FW viewers and 190,542 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Trent Harmon emerged as the champion of the show’s 15th and supposedly last season. But Ryan Seacrest, who went the distance as host, left the door open for a revival at some point by signing off with “Good night, America -- for now.”
Only CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of The Big Bang Theory came close -- but not that close -- to Idol, pulling in 375,367 total viewers and 114,325 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then comfortably won its time slot in both ratings measurements. Precise numbers are blurred by the Idol over-run. But the final 45 minutes of the news (Nielsen measures in 15-minute increments) had 198,307 total viewers, with 79,393 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results.
NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. competitions. At 6 p.m., TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers but TEGNA8 won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 and TEGNA8 shared the total viewers lead at 5 p.m. while Fox4 was alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., April 6) -- Idol, Empire, Fox4 news = prime-time sweep
04/07/16 10:49 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Nothing could touch Fox or Fox4 in prime-time Wednesday. The penultimate episode of American Idol, Empire and Fox4’s followup local newscast dominated the competition with the greatest of ease.
Idol led off 389,532 D-FW viewers and 139,731 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. (It also marked the end of the road for Sunnyvale’s Dalton Rapattoni, who reached the show’s final three before being voted out.)
Empire upped those numbers to 439,109 total viewers and 219,123 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. news then took it down several notches but still crushed the competing three broadcast network dramas with 304,543 total viewers and 120,677 in the 18-to-49 realm.
The next highest scorer among ABC, CBS and NBC was ABC’s 8 p.m. episode of Modern Family with 226,637 total viewers and 85,744 within the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Over in the cable universe, the Dallas Mavericks won a key, hard fought, down-to-the-wire game with the Houston Rockets to greatly enhance their post-season prospects. ESPN also went against Fox Sports Southwest’s homegrown telecast and won in both ratings measurements. ESPN averaged 84,989 total viewers and 53,987 in the 18-to-49 demographic. FSS had respective totals of 63,742 and 28,581 viewers. That’s a pretty big disparity among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Earlier Wednesday, the Texas Rangers’ afternoon home loss to the Seattle Mariners drew 77,906 total viewers on FSS. Just under one-third of them -- 25,406 -- were in the 18-to-49 age range.
Here are Wednesday’s four-way local news derby results.
Fox4 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station as usual also swept the 6 a.m. competitions.
NBC5 took both of the 5 p.m. golds and added a 6 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds. TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Nothing could touch Fox or Fox4 in prime-time Wednesday. The penultimate episode of American Idol, Empire and Fox4’s followup local newscast dominated the competition with the greatest of ease.
Idol led off 389,532 D-FW viewers and 139,731 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. (It also marked the end of the road for Sunnyvale’s Dalton Rapattoni, who reached the show’s final three before being voted out.)
Empire upped those numbers to 439,109 total viewers and 219,123 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. news then took it down several notches but still crushed the competing three broadcast network dramas with 304,543 total viewers and 120,677 in the 18-to-49 realm.
The next highest scorer among ABC, CBS and NBC was ABC’s 8 p.m. episode of Modern Family with 226,637 total viewers and 85,744 within the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Over in the cable universe, the Dallas Mavericks won a key, hard fought, down-to-the-wire game with the Houston Rockets to greatly enhance their post-season prospects. ESPN also went against Fox Sports Southwest’s homegrown telecast and won in both ratings measurements. ESPN averaged 84,989 total viewers and 53,987 in the 18-to-49 demographic. FSS had respective totals of 63,742 and 28,581 viewers. That’s a pretty big disparity among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Earlier Wednesday, the Texas Rangers’ afternoon home loss to the Seattle Mariners drew 77,906 total viewers on FSS. Just under one-third of them -- 25,406 -- were in the 18-to-49 age range.
Here are Wednesday’s four-way local news derby results.
Fox4 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station as usual also swept the 6 a.m. competitions.
NBC5 took both of the 5 p.m. golds and added a 6 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds. TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., April 5) -- Rangers, election results, O.J., oh my
04/06/16 11:22 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Cable TV had an eventful night Tuesday, with the Texas Rangers on Fox Sports Southwest, Wisconsin presidential primary results on Fox News Channel/CNN/MSNBC and FX’s finale of The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
The Rangers’ ratings were different as night and day. Monday’s victorious afternoon home opener, with many potential viewers otherwise occupied at work, drew 120,401 D-FW viewers for FSS’s homegrown telecast and 35,412 on ESPN. Tuesday night’s game, despite the Rangers’ 10-2 loss to Seattle, bulked up to 226,637 viewers on FSS alone. A decent percentage of them -- 98,447 -- were in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range.
Fox News Channel by far drew the largest local audiences for its election returns coverage, with a peak of 92,071 total viewers. MSNBC hit a high point of 35,412 viewers and CNN trailed with 28,330. FSS also led with 25-to-54-year-old viewers (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Over on FX, the 9 to 10:30 p.m. finale of People v. O. J. had 148,730 total viewers and 76,217 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Tuesday’s top prime-draw in total viewers, CBS’ NCIS, had 311,626 in the 7 p.m. hour. But Fox’s two-hour American Idol: American Dream, one of the preludes to Thursday’s series finale, racked up the most 18-to-49-year-olds (88,920).
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
NBC5 had a big day, winning at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds. Fox4 as usual cruised to twin wins at 6 a.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Cable TV had an eventful night Tuesday, with the Texas Rangers on Fox Sports Southwest, Wisconsin presidential primary results on Fox News Channel/CNN/MSNBC and FX’s finale of The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
The Rangers’ ratings were different as night and day. Monday’s victorious afternoon home opener, with many potential viewers otherwise occupied at work, drew 120,401 D-FW viewers for FSS’s homegrown telecast and 35,412 on ESPN. Tuesday night’s game, despite the Rangers’ 10-2 loss to Seattle, bulked up to 226,637 viewers on FSS alone. A decent percentage of them -- 98,447 -- were in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range.
Fox News Channel by far drew the largest local audiences for its election returns coverage, with a peak of 92,071 total viewers. MSNBC hit a high point of 35,412 viewers and CNN trailed with 28,330. FSS also led with 25-to-54-year-old viewers (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Over on FX, the 9 to 10:30 p.m. finale of People v. O. J. had 148,730 total viewers and 76,217 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Tuesday’s top prime-draw in total viewers, CBS’ NCIS, had 311,626 in the 7 p.m. hour. But Fox’s two-hour American Idol: American Dream, one of the preludes to Thursday’s series finale, racked up the most 18-to-49-year-olds (88,920).
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
NBC5 had a big day, winning at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds. Fox4 as usual cruised to twin wins at 6 a.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., April 4) -- NCAA hoops wins by night and Rangers by day
04/05/16 09:44 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Basketball generally is to North Texas what kale is to Larry the Cable Guy. But there are occasional exceptions.
Monday night’s instant classic NCAA men’s basketball final, in which Villanova beat North Carolina on a three-point buzzer-beater, won D-FW’s prime-time ratings wars against the usual potent competition on NBC and ABC.
Airing from 8:20 to 10:28 p.m. on TBS, the Wildcats’ 77-74 win over the favored Tar Heels averaged 339,955 viewers and 136,555 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
Those aren’t blockbuster numbers. But they were good enough to outdraw both NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, which got earlier starts in their 7 to 9 p.m. slots.
The Voice had 262,049 total viewers and 82,568 in the 18-to-49 age range. DWTS respectively drew 247,884 and 66,690 viewers. CBS and Fox both opted for wall-to-wall reruns.
In daylight hours, the Texas Rangers’ season opener, a 3-2 home win against Seattle, aired from 3:10 to 5:47 p.m. on both Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN.
The FSS homegrown telecast easily prevailed, averaging 120,401 total viewers and 47,636 in the 18-to-49 realm. ESPN had 35,412 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
NBC5 ran first in total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept both the 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. competitions and tied NBC5 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m. The Peacock was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Basketball generally is to North Texas what kale is to Larry the Cable Guy. But there are occasional exceptions.
Monday night’s instant classic NCAA men’s basketball final, in which Villanova beat North Carolina on a three-point buzzer-beater, won D-FW’s prime-time ratings wars against the usual potent competition on NBC and ABC.
Airing from 8:20 to 10:28 p.m. on TBS, the Wildcats’ 77-74 win over the favored Tar Heels averaged 339,955 viewers and 136,555 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
Those aren’t blockbuster numbers. But they were good enough to outdraw both NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, which got earlier starts in their 7 to 9 p.m. slots.
The Voice had 262,049 total viewers and 82,568 in the 18-to-49 age range. DWTS respectively drew 247,884 and 66,690 viewers. CBS and Fox both opted for wall-to-wall reruns.
In daylight hours, the Texas Rangers’ season opener, a 3-2 home win against Seattle, aired from 3:10 to 5:47 p.m. on both Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN.
The FSS homegrown telecast easily prevailed, averaging 120,401 total viewers and 47,636 in the 18-to-49 realm. ESPN had 35,412 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
NBC5 ran first in total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept both the 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. competitions and tied NBC5 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m. The Peacock was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Carrie McClure vacating Good Morning Texas after four-year tour
04/04/16 04:23 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Carrie McClure, a co-host and correspondent for TEGNA8’s homegrown Good Morning Texas, says she’ll be leaving the program at the end of April.
“But as they always say, family comes first,” McClure says on her Facebook page. “I’ve always been very candid about the fact that this job was to serve a purpose. And it has. I am now able to return where I was before -- at home, with my sweet boys and ever-supportive husband.” The couple has three sons.
McClure joined GMT, an infotainment/infomercial program airing at 9 a.m. weekdays, in April 2012 from Denver’s KUSA-TV, where she was a weekend evening news anchor. As McClure notes, she initially interviewed with TEGNA8’s news department before being asked to consider joining GMT. “It was like the best thing ever had just fallen into my lap!” McClure recalls.
In the February “sweeps” ratings period, GMT ran fourth in its time slot behind Fox4’s syndicated Kelly & Michael, the third hour of NBC’s Today and double episodes of CBS’ Let’s Make a Deal. Portions of GMT accommodate five-minute pre-paid segments from companies pitching their products.
Mike Castellucci and former NBC5 anchor Jane McGarry continue as the principal hosts of GMT.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., April 1-3) -- latest Walking Dead finale shows some signs of viewer fatigue
04/04/16 01:11 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fans of The Walking Dead are getting restive, at least judging from the “social media” backlash of late.
Sunday night’s latest season finale of AMC’s zombie-infested apocalypse showed some signs of ratings leakage. Airing from 8 to 9:30 p.m., Walking Dead drew 304,543 D-FW viewers and was beaten during those 90 minutes by CBS’ ACM awards (332,873 viewers). The entire three-hour country music jamboree tied Walking Dead for the most total viewers of any single program Sunday. NBC’s 7 p.m. hour of Little Big Shots took the bronze with 276,214 viewers but outdrew the ACMs head-to-head in the 7 to 8 p.m. slot.
Walking Dead continued to prosper with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. But its 171,488 viewers in this key demographic were a significantly lower percentage than usual. The ACMS ran a very distant third with an average of 53,987 viewers in the 18-to-49-age range for the entire three-hour program. Little Big Shots ran second for the night with 63,514 viewers.
The Dallas Mavericks’ afternoon road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team’s fourth straight in their post-season drive, drew scant attention on Fox Sports Southwest. The game had just 35,412 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49 age range. In the Wolves category, Fox4’s early afternoon reprise of Dances With Wolves fared better than Mavs-Wolves on both counts. The movie averaged 42,494 total viewers and 12,703 in the 18-to-49 demographic. That’s cold.
On to Saturday night and the NCAA men’s hoops Final Four, where Villanova’s opening game destruction of Oklahoma by a record margin of 44 points averaged 240,802 total viewers and 82,568 in the 18-to-49 measurement. The second game, with North Carolina soundly beating Syracuse, had respective totals of 198,307 and 73,041 viewers. Both matchups were on TBS, but still dominated Saturday’s TV attractions.
Friday’s prime-time Nielsens as usual were paced overall by CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods, which had 290,378 total viewers. Fox’s 8 p.m. hour of Hell’s Kitchen drew the most 18-to-49-year-olds (63,514).
Here are Friday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 edged NBC5 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but the Peacock won by a comfy margin among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual squashed the competition at 6 a.m. in both ratings barometers while the 7 to 9 a.m. portion of its Good Day again whipped the three competing network morning shows.
NBC5 reigned in the early evening with sweeps at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fans of The Walking Dead are getting restive, at least judging from the “social media” backlash of late.
Sunday night’s latest season finale of AMC’s zombie-infested apocalypse showed some signs of ratings leakage. Airing from 8 to 9:30 p.m., Walking Dead drew 304,543 D-FW viewers and was beaten during those 90 minutes by CBS’ ACM awards (332,873 viewers). The entire three-hour country music jamboree tied Walking Dead for the most total viewers of any single program Sunday. NBC’s 7 p.m. hour of Little Big Shots took the bronze with 276,214 viewers but outdrew the ACMs head-to-head in the 7 to 8 p.m. slot.
Walking Dead continued to prosper with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. But its 171,488 viewers in this key demographic were a significantly lower percentage than usual. The ACMS ran a very distant third with an average of 53,987 viewers in the 18-to-49-age range for the entire three-hour program. Little Big Shots ran second for the night with 63,514 viewers.
The Dallas Mavericks’ afternoon road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team’s fourth straight in their post-season drive, drew scant attention on Fox Sports Southwest. The game had just 35,412 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49 age range. In the Wolves category, Fox4’s early afternoon reprise of Dances With Wolves fared better than Mavs-Wolves on both counts. The movie averaged 42,494 total viewers and 12,703 in the 18-to-49 demographic. That’s cold.
On to Saturday night and the NCAA men’s hoops Final Four, where Villanova’s opening game destruction of Oklahoma by a record margin of 44 points averaged 240,802 total viewers and 82,568 in the 18-to-49 measurement. The second game, with North Carolina soundly beating Syracuse, had respective totals of 198,307 and 73,041 viewers. Both matchups were on TBS, but still dominated Saturday’s TV attractions.
Friday’s prime-time Nielsens as usual were paced overall by CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods, which had 290,378 total viewers. Fox’s 8 p.m. hour of Hell’s Kitchen drew the most 18-to-49-year-olds (63,514).
Here are Friday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 edged NBC5 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but the Peacock won by a comfy margin among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual squashed the competition at 6 a.m. in both ratings barometers while the 7 to 9 a.m. portion of its Good Day again whipped the three competing network morning shows.
NBC5 reigned in the early evening with sweeps at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., March 31) -- another prime-time sweep for Fox/Fox4
04/01/16 09:08 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
American Idol is no Empire. But with Sunnyvale’s Dalton Rapattoni advancing to the show’s final three in the 15th and last season, there’s still enough juice in D-FW to make it a big draw.
Although narrowly losing its first half-hour in total viewer to CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, Fox’s landmark song-fest overall dominated the 7 to 9 p.m. slot and also bested Big Bang and everything else among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. Specifically, Idol pulled in 332,873 total viewers and 123,852 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then cleaned up with a time slot-winning 262,049 total viewers and 88,920 in the 18-to-49 age range.
On the downside, CBS’ 9 p.m. premiere of Rush Hour was virtually DOA with 113,318 total viewers and just 15,879 within the 18-to-49 realm. That put it last at that hour among the Big Four broadcast networks in both ratings measurements. But NBC’s 7 p.m. series finale of You, Me and the Apocalypse again ranked as Thursday’s prime-time loss leader with 63,742 total viewers and 12,703 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results.
Fox4 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. Monday, but Fox4 had a wide edge among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual crushed the competition at 6 a.m. while the 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
TEGNA8 nipped Fox4 and CBS11 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m. NBC5 and CBS11 tied for the 25-to-54 lead.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
American Idol is no Empire. But with Sunnyvale’s Dalton Rapattoni advancing to the show’s final three in the 15th and last season, there’s still enough juice in D-FW to make it a big draw.
Although narrowly losing its first half-hour in total viewer to CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, Fox’s landmark song-fest overall dominated the 7 to 9 p.m. slot and also bested Big Bang and everything else among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. Specifically, Idol pulled in 332,873 total viewers and 123,852 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then cleaned up with a time slot-winning 262,049 total viewers and 88,920 in the 18-to-49 age range.
On the downside, CBS’ 9 p.m. premiere of Rush Hour was virtually DOA with 113,318 total viewers and just 15,879 within the 18-to-49 realm. That put it last at that hour among the Big Four broadcast networks in both ratings measurements. But NBC’s 7 p.m. series finale of You, Me and the Apocalypse again ranked as Thursday’s prime-time loss leader with 63,742 total viewers and 12,703 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results.
Fox4 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. Monday, but Fox4 had a wide edge among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual crushed the competition at 6 a.m. while the 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
TEGNA8 nipped Fox4 and CBS11 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m. NBC5 and CBS11 tied for the 25-to-54 lead.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net