Aug 2019
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Aug. 30) -- Cowboys still the only game in town
08/30/19 09:56 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Cowboys rolled out their last pre-season game Thursday night. No starters played, and Dallas lost 17-15 to the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No matter. The game crushed everything else in sight.
Airing on CBS11, Cowboys-Bucs averaged 442,846 D-FW viewers and 132,845 within the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range. The next closest prime-time attraction in total viewers, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, drew 154,645 of ‘em while also ranking as the runner-up among 18-to-49ers (51,326).
Here are Thursday’s four-way local news derby results.
WFAA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had the day’s only sweep with twin wins at 6 a.m. The 6 p.m. wreaths went to WFAA8 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
At 5 p.m., NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for the lead in total viewers while Fox/NBC5 shared the 25-to-54 gold.
CBS11’s 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts were blotted out by locally produced Cowboys programming and the game run-over.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Cowboys rolled out their last pre-season game Thursday night. No starters played, and Dallas lost 17-15 to the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No matter. The game crushed everything else in sight.
Airing on CBS11, Cowboys-Bucs averaged 442,846 D-FW viewers and 132,845 within the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range. The next closest prime-time attraction in total viewers, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, drew 154,645 of ‘em while also ranking as the runner-up among 18-to-49ers (51,326).
Here are Thursday’s four-way local news derby results.
WFAA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had the day’s only sweep with twin wins at 6 a.m. The 6 p.m. wreaths went to WFAA8 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
At 5 p.m., NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for the lead in total viewers while Fox/NBC5 shared the 25-to-54 gold.
CBS11’s 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts were blotted out by locally produced Cowboys programming and the game run-over.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
CBS11 arrival/departure: Brooke Katz & Yona Gavino
08/29/19 09:26 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS11 has hired Brooke Katz as the station’s Saturday evening/late night news anchor and reporter for four weekdays.
Katz, who started on Monday, also will be a fill-in anchor, as she has been this week for the vacationing Gilma Avalos. The 2006 Rutgers University graduate most recently anchored and reported for Charlotte, NC’s NBC affiliate, WCNC-TV. She joined WCNC in May 2015 and most recently had been helming the noon and 4 p.m. weekday newscasts. Before that, Katz was with Louisville, KY’s WHAS-TV, an ABC affiliate.
CBS11 director of communications Lori Conrad also confirmed that reporter Yona Gavino is no longer with the station. She arrived in June 2016 from Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
RIP Luke Laufenberg: May 12, 1998 to Aug. 22, 2019
08/22/19 11:48 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Luke Raphael Laufenberg, youngest son of Babe and Joan Laufenberg, died on Thursday, Aug. 22nd, of cancer after a nearly two-year fight.
He was just 21 years old, and was first diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma on Dec. 26, 2017, according to a statement released by his family.
“We lost a son, a brother, a friend, and a warrior,” Babe Laufenberg said. “We have never seen a person battle like Luke, but he lost his fight with cancer. He was truly inspirational. The hole in our hearts will never be filled. You are my hero. RIP my sweet Luke. See you on the other side.”
Laufenberg, a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and CBS11 sports anchor, remains as the team’s analyst, teaming with Brad Sham on radio broadcasts. The Laufenbergs also have an older son, Joe Willie Laufenberg.
Luke, who was born on May 12, 1998, learned he had contracted cancer a few weeks after the Mesa Community College football season. He had played tight end for the team after graduating from Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, TX.
The family’s statement said that Luke had been declared cancer-free on May 3, 2018. In January 2019 he was awarded a scholarship by UTEP, and was expected to start at tight end for the school’s football team this fall. But the cancer recurred on April 5 of this year, and on July 12th his condition was diagnosed as terminal.
“He handled the news with a strength of character and sweet demeanor that will always inspire his family, friends, coaches doctors and the treatment staff at Children’s Medical Center Dallas,” the statement said.
As a personal note, I never met Luke, but have had several extended coffee sessions and phone conversations with his father, who was at his son’s side during the highs, lows and in betweens. As was his ex-wife, Joan, with whom he remains “very good friends,” Babe emphasized in our exchanges.
“Our Luke has had one of us in his (hospital) room for virtually every minute,” Babe said in January of last year. “It has been brutally rough . . . We just try to put a day behind us. Then another.”
My sincerest sympathies to the Laufenberg family during this terribly sad time.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Aug. 20) -- AGT again rises to top
08/21/19 04:55 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s America’s Got Talent continued its latest summer season wind-down with another two prime-time wins in the two major ratings food groups.
Tuesday’s weekly 7 to 9 p.m. performance edition led all programming in both total D-FW viewers (302,260) and with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (66,422).
Fox4’s local news then cleaned up at 9 p.m., winning the hour with 203,850 total viewers and 60,384 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
Fox4 and NBC5 split all the spoils.
The Peacock drew the most total viewers at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added 5, 6 and 10 p.m. wins among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s America’s Got Talent continued its latest summer season wind-down with another two prime-time wins in the two major ratings food groups.
Tuesday’s weekly 7 to 9 p.m. performance edition led all programming in both total D-FW viewers (302,260) and with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (66,422).
Fox4’s local news then cleaned up at 9 p.m., winning the hour with 203,850 total viewers and 60,384 in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
Fox4 and NBC5 split all the spoils.
The Peacock drew the most total viewers at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added 5, 6 and 10 p.m. wins among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Mon., Aug. 16-19) -- rising, shining for super back-to-school Monday
08/20/19 01:00 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
School’s back in. And while some of the kids may have long faces, D-FW’s early morning combatants are re-caffeinated with bigger audience pools to drink in.
It’ll gradually get better for them when the weather’s more of a factor and parents are wondering whether little Debbie should wear an overcoat, raincoat or perhaps even get the day off in the face of some sort of arctic blast. But the resumption of DISD classes Monday is still cause for a full-blown Super Monday show and tell.
The key 6 to 7 a.m. ratings again were good news for front-running Fox4, which led the pack with 98,410 total viewers and 60,134 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic (main advertiser target audience for news programming) before the 7 to 10 a.m. portions of Good Day soundly whipped everything else in sight during those hours.
Otherwise it’s become a pitched battle for second place between WFAA8’s Daybreak and NBC5 Today, which lately has made some big strides after playing dead for much of the past year or so. On Monday, the two stations tied for the lead in total viewers with 70,293 apiece while WFAA8 edged the Peacock among 25-to-54-year-olds by a score of 31,499 to 28,635. CBS11 remained dormant, drawing 35,147 total viewers and a wee 4,295 in the 25-to-54 age range.
In Monday’s prime-time festivities, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast led all programming in total viewers (196,820) while Fox’s 7 p.m. episode of Beat Shazam pulled in 78,499 in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic to top all TV attractions in the main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming.
The Sunday prime-time Nielsens were led by CBS’ 60 Minutes, which had 203,850 total viewers to beat Fox’s NFL pre-season clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks (175,733). ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud drew the biggest crowd of 18-to-49ers with 57,365, which was just good enough to outpoint Vikes-Seahawks (54,346).
Saturday night’s late-starting Dallas Cowboys-Los Angeles Rams pre-season game of course was the biggest draw of the day with 344,436 total viewers for the CBS11 telecast. Appreciably less than one-third of them -- 99,634 -- were in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Friday’s prime-time pacesetters were Fox4’s 9 p.m. news and CBS’ competing Blue Bloods rerun with 119,498 total viewers apiece. In the 18-to-49 realm, Fox4’s news had the most juice with 27,173 viewers.
Here are the local news derby results for Friday and Monday.
Friday -- CBS11 broke out of a summer-long drought with a 10 p.m. win in total viewers while Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 edged Fox4 in both ratings measurements at 6 a.m. and NBC5 swept the 6 p.m. competitions. Fox4 had twin wins at 5 p.m.
Monday -- Fox4 had a big day, sweeping the 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. races while adding wins at 5 and 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 won in total viewers at 5 p.m. and WFAA8 did likewise at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
School’s back in. And while some of the kids may have long faces, D-FW’s early morning combatants are re-caffeinated with bigger audience pools to drink in.
It’ll gradually get better for them when the weather’s more of a factor and parents are wondering whether little Debbie should wear an overcoat, raincoat or perhaps even get the day off in the face of some sort of arctic blast. But the resumption of DISD classes Monday is still cause for a full-blown Super Monday show and tell.
The key 6 to 7 a.m. ratings again were good news for front-running Fox4, which led the pack with 98,410 total viewers and 60,134 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic (main advertiser target audience for news programming) before the 7 to 10 a.m. portions of Good Day soundly whipped everything else in sight during those hours.
Otherwise it’s become a pitched battle for second place between WFAA8’s Daybreak and NBC5 Today, which lately has made some big strides after playing dead for much of the past year or so. On Monday, the two stations tied for the lead in total viewers with 70,293 apiece while WFAA8 edged the Peacock among 25-to-54-year-olds by a score of 31,499 to 28,635. CBS11 remained dormant, drawing 35,147 total viewers and a wee 4,295 in the 25-to-54 age range.
In Monday’s prime-time festivities, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast led all programming in total viewers (196,820) while Fox’s 7 p.m. episode of Beat Shazam pulled in 78,499 in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic to top all TV attractions in the main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming.
The Sunday prime-time Nielsens were led by CBS’ 60 Minutes, which had 203,850 total viewers to beat Fox’s NFL pre-season clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks (175,733). ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud drew the biggest crowd of 18-to-49ers with 57,365, which was just good enough to outpoint Vikes-Seahawks (54,346).
Saturday night’s late-starting Dallas Cowboys-Los Angeles Rams pre-season game of course was the biggest draw of the day with 344,436 total viewers for the CBS11 telecast. Appreciably less than one-third of them -- 99,634 -- were in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Friday’s prime-time pacesetters were Fox4’s 9 p.m. news and CBS’ competing Blue Bloods rerun with 119,498 total viewers apiece. In the 18-to-49 realm, Fox4’s news had the most juice with 27,173 viewers.
Here are the local news derby results for Friday and Monday.
Friday -- CBS11 broke out of a summer-long drought with a 10 p.m. win in total viewers while Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 edged Fox4 in both ratings measurements at 6 a.m. and NBC5 swept the 6 p.m. competitions. Fox4 had twin wins at 5 p.m.
Monday -- Fox4 had a big day, sweeping the 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. races while adding wins at 5 and 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC5 won in total viewers at 5 p.m. and WFAA8 did likewise at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
WFAA8 adds Jay Wallis to reporting staff
08/19/19 10:11 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallas native Jay Wallis, who’s spent the last three years at ABC affiliate KVUE-TV in Austin, is returning home to be a reporter for WFAA8.
Wallis, a University of Missouri graduate, announced the move on his Twitter feed.
“It’s the station I grew up watching and the station I’ve grown to respect,” Wallis said of WFAA8. “I’ll miss Austin for so many reasons, but this is where I’ve always wanted to be. See you soon, Dallas.”
WFAA8 and KVUE are both owned by Tysons, VA-based Tegna Inc.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., Aug. 14-15) -- Fox4's news continues to prosper in prime-time (plus two local TV news notes
08/16/19 10:03 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Still giving off extra summertime heat, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast again ranked as prime-time’s overall top attraction Thursday.
The news drew 175,733 D-FW viewers, equaling the combined audience for the competing shows on ABC, CBS and NBC. Namely, new hours of Reef Break and Elementary plus a repeat of Law & Order: SVU.
Among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of Spin the Wheel ranked No. 1 with 54,346 viewers while Fox4’s news and Fox’s Masterchef ran close seconds with 48,307 viewers apiece. In sharp contrast, ABC’s Reef Break had “hashmarks” (no measurable audience) in this key demographic.
ESPN’s pre-season NFL matchup of the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals averaged 84,352 total viewers.
Wednesday’s Nielsens were paced by NBC’s America’s Got Talent in total viewers (224,938) and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news among 18-to-49ers (45,288). The second episode of Fox’s BH90210 continued to perform solidly in this measurement, winning the 8 p.m. hour with 42,269 viewers.
Here are the local news derby results for Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday -- It was a tale of two stations. WFAA8 won in total viewers at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Fox4 took the 6 a.m. trophies in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming) while also winning at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Thursday -- WFAA8 and Fox4 repeated their respective wins at 10 p.m. in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. competitions. At 6 p.m., the spoils went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
After seven straight weekdays in third place at 6 a.m., WFAA8 edged back ahead of NBC5 into second place in both ratings measurements on Wednesday and also took the runner-up spot on Thursday in total viewers. The two stations tied for second on Thursday in the 25-to-54 demographic.
LOCAL TV NEWS NOTES -- Veteran Fox4 anchor Steve Eagar, who is most prominently seen on the station’s potent 9 p.m. newscast, underwent surgery Thursday morning for prostate cancer. He has posted more details and a video (prior to the surgery) on his Facebook page. We wish him the very best and a full recovery.
*** Several readers have inquired about the whereabouts of NBC5 anchor-reporter Kristi Nelson, who’s been off the air for roughly a month.
Nelson says there’s nothing to be concerned about. “I’m still with NBC5 and taking some time off to spend with family. I will return!” Nelson said in a response to unclebarky.com. “It’s good to know that people are concerned about me; I appreciate it.”
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Still giving off extra summertime heat, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast again ranked as prime-time’s overall top attraction Thursday.
The news drew 175,733 D-FW viewers, equaling the combined audience for the competing shows on ABC, CBS and NBC. Namely, new hours of Reef Break and Elementary plus a repeat of Law & Order: SVU.
Among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of Spin the Wheel ranked No. 1 with 54,346 viewers while Fox4’s news and Fox’s Masterchef ran close seconds with 48,307 viewers apiece. In sharp contrast, ABC’s Reef Break had “hashmarks” (no measurable audience) in this key demographic.
ESPN’s pre-season NFL matchup of the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals averaged 84,352 total viewers.
Wednesday’s Nielsens were paced by NBC’s America’s Got Talent in total viewers (224,938) and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news among 18-to-49ers (45,288). The second episode of Fox’s BH90210 continued to perform solidly in this measurement, winning the 8 p.m. hour with 42,269 viewers.
Here are the local news derby results for Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday -- It was a tale of two stations. WFAA8 won in total viewers at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Fox4 took the 6 a.m. trophies in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming) while also winning at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Thursday -- WFAA8 and Fox4 repeated their respective wins at 10 p.m. in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. competitions. At 6 p.m., the spoils went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
After seven straight weekdays in third place at 6 a.m., WFAA8 edged back ahead of NBC5 into second place in both ratings measurements on Wednesday and also took the runner-up spot on Thursday in total viewers. The two stations tied for second on Thursday in the 25-to-54 demographic.
LOCAL TV NEWS NOTES -- Veteran Fox4 anchor Steve Eagar, who is most prominently seen on the station’s potent 9 p.m. newscast, underwent surgery Thursday morning for prostate cancer. He has posted more details and a video (prior to the surgery) on his Facebook page. We wish him the very best and a full recovery.
*** Several readers have inquired about the whereabouts of NBC5 anchor-reporter Kristi Nelson, who’s been off the air for roughly a month.
Nelson says there’s nothing to be concerned about. “I’m still with NBC5 and taking some time off to spend with family. I will return!” Nelson said in a response to unclebarky.com. “It’s good to know that people are concerned about me; I appreciate it.”
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Aug. 13) -- still no stopping AGT
08/14/19 03:32 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Heading down another homestretch, summertime’s most potent TV attraction notched two more wins Tuesday night.
NBC’s America’s Got Talent led all prime-time attractions in both total D-FW viewers (288,201) and with advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (66,422).
The runner-ups were Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast in total viewers (175,733) and ABC’s Bachelor In Paradise among 18-to-49ers (54,346).
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
WFAA8 led in total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added 5 and 6 p.m. wins in the 25-to-54-year-old age range. The 5 and 6 p.m. winners in total viewers respectively were NBC5 and WFAA8.
For the seventh straight weekday, NBC5 ran second at 6 a.m. in both ratings measurements, with slumping WFAA8 again falling to third.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Heading down another homestretch, summertime’s most potent TV attraction notched two more wins Tuesday night.
NBC’s America’s Got Talent led all prime-time attractions in both total D-FW viewers (288,201) and with advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (66,422).
The runner-ups were Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast in total viewers (175,733) and ABC’s Bachelor In Paradise among 18-to-49ers (54,346).
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
WFAA8 led in total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 had the edge with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added 5 and 6 p.m. wins in the 25-to-54-year-old age range. The 5 and 6 p.m. winners in total viewers respectively were NBC5 and WFAA8.
For the seventh straight weekday, NBC5 ran second at 6 a.m. in both ratings measurements, with slumping WFAA8 again falling to third.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
TGIF: Fox4 hires Terrance Friday as weekend morning news anchor
08/14/19 11:55 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Terrance Friday will be working on Saturdays and Sundays as Dallas-based Fox4’s new weekend morning news anchor.
His hiring was announced Wednesday, with Friday scheduled to join the station on Sept. 3rd. He’ll also report three days a week.
“Terrance is a skilled journalist who has been invested in the stories of each community where he has lived and worked. We know he’ll bring that go-getter attitude to Texas,” Fox4 vice president and news director Robin Whitmeyer said in a publicity release.
Friday will arrive from Jackson, Mississippi’s CBS affiliate, WJTV-TV, where he spent the last five years as an anchor and reporter. Before that he worked at TV stations in Lansing, Michigan, Biloxi, Mississippi, Birmingham, Alabama and Greenville, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Jackson’s Tougaloo College, where he earned a degree in broadcast journalism.
Veteran Fox4 utility player Dan Godwin has been filling in as news anchor on weekend mornings. Friday will be joined on Fox4 by meteorologist Kylie Capps, the station says.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
NBC5 consumer reporter Samantha Chatman jumps up to Chicago
08/14/19 11:22 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
After a three-year stay at the Fort Worth-based station, NBC5 consumer reporter Samantha Chatman is heading north and back home.
Her next stop will be Chicago’s WLS-TV, where she’ll likewise be reporting on consumer issues. Chatman, who graduated from that city’s Lincoln Park High School, also will be making a jump in market sizes, from No. 5 D-FW to the No. 3 Windy City.
“After spending several amazing years on the road pursuing my dream, I’m excited to announced that I’m coming home!” Chatman posted on her Twitter feed. “Dallas has treated me so well, and I’ll be forever grateful to everyone who helped me along the way. But I’m glad to finally say…I’M COMING HOME. GOD IS GOOD.” She previously interned at WLS-TV.
Chatman joined NBC5 in August 2016 from Louisville, KY’s WDRB-TV, where she spent just over a year. She replaced veteran Deanna Dewberry, who now is with Rochester, NY’s NBC affiliate, WHEC-TV.
In a previous life, Chatman was an American Idol contestant in the summer of 2008, but didn’t get a “Gold Ticket” that would have advanced her to the show’s “Hollywood Round.”
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs.-Mon., Aug. 8-12) -- catchup round with additional notes on WFAA8 naming a new news director while the station's Daybreak continues its sudden slide
08/13/19 10:35 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Monday’s prime-time ratings were paced by Fox4’s ever-potent 9 p.m. local newscast, which continues to punch out most of summer’s mix of reruns and “reality” concoctions.
The news drew a night’s best 168,703 D-FW viewers while running a close second to Fox’s 7 p.m. attraction, Beat Shazam, among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.
Sunday’s prime-time festivities were led in total viewers by ABC’s 7 p.m. hour of Celebrity Family Feud (175,733), with Fox4’s 9 p.m. news the runner-up (161,674). Among 18-to-49ers, Family Feud dominated with 60,384 viewers, which was four times the crowd for Fox’s 7 to 9 p.m. Teen Choice Awards (15,096).
On Saturday night, the Dallas Cowboys’ pre-season, snooze-inducing 17-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers nonetheless crushed everything else in sight. Airing on CBS11 and running until 11:18 p.m., the game averaged 400,671 total viewers and 126,806 in the 18-to-49 age range. Over on Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers-Milwaukee Brewers game never had a chance, drawing just 28,117 viewers and 3,019 in the 18-to-49 realm despite starting two hours earlier than the Cowboys-49ers did.
Friday’s prime-time pacesetters were Fox4’s 9 p.m. news and CBS’ Blue Bloods repeat, each with 98,410 total viewers. NBC’s 9 p.m. edition of Dateline led among 18-to-49-year-olds with 21,134.
And in Thursday’s prime-time Nielsens, Fox4’s 9 p.m. news and Fox’s Masterchef tied for the most total viewers with 182,762. Masterchef edged the 9 p.m. news as the top draw among 18-to-49ers by a score of 57,365 to 54,346.
Here are the weekday local news derby results.
Thursday -- Fox4 had a big day, sweeping the 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. competitions in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station added 5 and 6 p.m. wins with 25-to-54-year-olds while WFAA8 drew the most total viewers at both of those hours.
Friday -- WFAA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.
At 6 a.m., Fox4 as usual won in total viewers but was tied for first among 25-to-54-year-olds by up-and-coming NBC5. That hasn’t happened in a kindergartener’s lifetime -- which is only a slight exaggeration.
The Peacock also won in total viewers at 5 p.m., with WFAA8 on top in that measurement at 6 p.m. Fox4 took the 25-to-54 top spots at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Monday -- Friday’s results were replicated, with WFAA8 on top in total viewers and Fox4 taking the 25-to-54 gold.
Fox4 ran the table at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. winners were WFAA8 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Of Note: NBC5 has now finished second in both of these audience demographics for six consecutive weekdays, with WFAA8 falling into third for at least the time being. School starts in the DISD on Monday, Aug. 19th, meaning that audience levels should go up. And if NBC5 remains in the runner-up position, that’s quite a story for a station that had been moribund until teaming newcomer Laura Harris with veteran holdover Deborah Ferguson while accelerating its “Tell Me Something Good” campaign.
WFAA8 also has a new news director. Vice-president/station manager Carolyn Mungo, who recently was promoted to that post, has named Leslie McCardel to succeed her.
McCardel initially joined WFAA8 in 2006 before leaving in 2015 to be a “stay-at-home mom,” according to Mungo. She returned after the July 7, 2016 police ambush in downtown Dallas. Before being promoted, McCardel had been the station’s director of content and strategy.
“Her ability to embrace change, instill a positive culture, and manage unique content on multiple platforms made her the best choice to take WFAA8 to the next level,” Mungo said in a publicity release.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Monday’s prime-time ratings were paced by Fox4’s ever-potent 9 p.m. local newscast, which continues to punch out most of summer’s mix of reruns and “reality” concoctions.
The news drew a night’s best 168,703 D-FW viewers while running a close second to Fox’s 7 p.m. attraction, Beat Shazam, among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.
Sunday’s prime-time festivities were led in total viewers by ABC’s 7 p.m. hour of Celebrity Family Feud (175,733), with Fox4’s 9 p.m. news the runner-up (161,674). Among 18-to-49ers, Family Feud dominated with 60,384 viewers, which was four times the crowd for Fox’s 7 to 9 p.m. Teen Choice Awards (15,096).
On Saturday night, the Dallas Cowboys’ pre-season, snooze-inducing 17-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers nonetheless crushed everything else in sight. Airing on CBS11 and running until 11:18 p.m., the game averaged 400,671 total viewers and 126,806 in the 18-to-49 age range. Over on Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers-Milwaukee Brewers game never had a chance, drawing just 28,117 viewers and 3,019 in the 18-to-49 realm despite starting two hours earlier than the Cowboys-49ers did.
Friday’s prime-time pacesetters were Fox4’s 9 p.m. news and CBS’ Blue Bloods repeat, each with 98,410 total viewers. NBC’s 9 p.m. edition of Dateline led among 18-to-49-year-olds with 21,134.
And in Thursday’s prime-time Nielsens, Fox4’s 9 p.m. news and Fox’s Masterchef tied for the most total viewers with 182,762. Masterchef edged the 9 p.m. news as the top draw among 18-to-49ers by a score of 57,365 to 54,346.
Here are the weekday local news derby results.
Thursday -- Fox4 had a big day, sweeping the 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. competitions in total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station added 5 and 6 p.m. wins with 25-to-54-year-olds while WFAA8 drew the most total viewers at both of those hours.
Friday -- WFAA8 won in total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.
At 6 a.m., Fox4 as usual won in total viewers but was tied for first among 25-to-54-year-olds by up-and-coming NBC5. That hasn’t happened in a kindergartener’s lifetime -- which is only a slight exaggeration.
The Peacock also won in total viewers at 5 p.m., with WFAA8 on top in that measurement at 6 p.m. Fox4 took the 25-to-54 top spots at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Monday -- Friday’s results were replicated, with WFAA8 on top in total viewers and Fox4 taking the 25-to-54 gold.
Fox4 ran the table at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. winners were WFAA8 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Of Note: NBC5 has now finished second in both of these audience demographics for six consecutive weekdays, with WFAA8 falling into third for at least the time being. School starts in the DISD on Monday, Aug. 19th, meaning that audience levels should go up. And if NBC5 remains in the runner-up position, that’s quite a story for a station that had been moribund until teaming newcomer Laura Harris with veteran holdover Deborah Ferguson while accelerating its “Tell Me Something Good” campaign.
WFAA8 also has a new news director. Vice-president/station manager Carolyn Mungo, who recently was promoted to that post, has named Leslie McCardel to succeed her.
McCardel initially joined WFAA8 in 2006 before leaving in 2015 to be a “stay-at-home mom,” according to Mungo. She returned after the July 7, 2016 police ambush in downtown Dallas. Before being promoted, McCardel had been the station’s director of content and strategy.
“Her ability to embrace change, instill a positive culture, and manage unique content on multiple platforms made her the best choice to take WFAA8 to the next level,” Mungo said in a publicity release.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Wed., Aug. 5-7) -- The Hills are alive
08/09/19 07:36 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot, now known as BH90210, performed solidly with its Wednesday premiere, but without setting anything on fire.
Fox’s preceding Masterchef ranked as the night’s top D-FW attraction in both total viewers (196,820) and in the key advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic (78,499).
BH90210 then drooped in the 8 p.m. hour, but still easily won its time slot with 140,586 total viewers and 69,442 in the 18-to-49 age range. The number of 18-to-49ers is particularly impressive. Many of them weren’t born yet -- or weren’t allowed to watch -- when the original first made the scene in 1990.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then made it a clean sweep with a time slot-winning 182,762 total viewers and 48,307 within the 18-to-49 realm.
In Tuesday’s prime-time festivities, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of America’s Got Talent crunched all comers in total viewers (309,289) while also comfortably beating all TV attractions in the 18-to-49 demographic (81,518). The Peacock’s new Bring the Funny also fared well with 18-to-49ers, drawing 66,422 to top the 9 p.m. hour.
The Monday night Nielsens were led by Fox4’s 9 p.m. news in both total viewers (154,645) and with 18-to-49-year-olds (57,365). In the 7 to 9 p.m. slot, ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise ranked an overall solid second for the night with 54,346 viewers of the 18-to-49 persuasion.
OK, here are the Monday-Wednesday local news derby results.
Monday -- WFAA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. while NBC5 ranked No. 1 in total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, Fox4 won at 5 p.m. and the Peacock and WFAA8 tied for the 6 p.m. lead.
Tuesday -- WFAA8 again won in total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 took the 25-to-54 crown.
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. races while NBC5 had a doubleheader win at 5 p.m. The Peacock and WFAA8 shared the 6 p.m. lead in total viewers, with Fox4 tops among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Wednesday -- WFAA8 led for a fourth straight weekday in total viewers while Fox4 and NBC5 tied for first among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 ran the table at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. NBC5 led in total viewers at 6 p.m. and shared the 25-to-54 lead with Fox4.
OF NOTE: Fox4 has reasserted its dominance at 6 a.m. while at the same time WFAA8 is starting to fall off the pace.
The new station with momentum is NBC5, which ran second on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8’s turbulent Daybreak, where co-anchor Ron Corning left in March and traffic anchor Demetria Obilor has an announced departure at the end of October, ran last in total viewers on Monday (behind even CBS11) and third on Tuesday and Wednesday. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, the audience demographic that all four stations bank heavily on, WFAA8 languished in third place on all three days -- behind NBC5 and its relatively new woman news anchor team of veteran Deborah Ferguson and the newly installed Laura Harris. The show previously had been in a deep ratings slump.
NBC5 is hoping to counter Daybreak’s longstanding #IAmUp hashtag with an aggressive “Tell Me Something Good” campaign. A fuller picture of whether that’s really working will emerge when school reopens and viewing levels correspondingly go up. But in the last two weeks, NBC5 is the station with some early morning pop while Daybreak and its heavy doses of social media content struggles to stay in the picture.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot, now known as BH90210, performed solidly with its Wednesday premiere, but without setting anything on fire.
Fox’s preceding Masterchef ranked as the night’s top D-FW attraction in both total viewers (196,820) and in the key advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic (78,499).
BH90210 then drooped in the 8 p.m. hour, but still easily won its time slot with 140,586 total viewers and 69,442 in the 18-to-49 age range. The number of 18-to-49ers is particularly impressive. Many of them weren’t born yet -- or weren’t allowed to watch -- when the original first made the scene in 1990.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then made it a clean sweep with a time slot-winning 182,762 total viewers and 48,307 within the 18-to-49 realm.
In Tuesday’s prime-time festivities, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of America’s Got Talent crunched all comers in total viewers (309,289) while also comfortably beating all TV attractions in the 18-to-49 demographic (81,518). The Peacock’s new Bring the Funny also fared well with 18-to-49ers, drawing 66,422 to top the 9 p.m. hour.
The Monday night Nielsens were led by Fox4’s 9 p.m. news in both total viewers (154,645) and with 18-to-49-year-olds (57,365). In the 7 to 9 p.m. slot, ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise ranked an overall solid second for the night with 54,346 viewers of the 18-to-49 persuasion.
OK, here are the Monday-Wednesday local news derby results.
Monday -- WFAA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. while NBC5 ranked No. 1 in total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, Fox4 won at 5 p.m. and the Peacock and WFAA8 tied for the 6 p.m. lead.
Tuesday -- WFAA8 again won in total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 took the 25-to-54 crown.
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. races while NBC5 had a doubleheader win at 5 p.m. The Peacock and WFAA8 shared the 6 p.m. lead in total viewers, with Fox4 tops among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Wednesday -- WFAA8 led for a fourth straight weekday in total viewers while Fox4 and NBC5 tied for first among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 ran the table at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. NBC5 led in total viewers at 6 p.m. and shared the 25-to-54 lead with Fox4.
OF NOTE: Fox4 has reasserted its dominance at 6 a.m. while at the same time WFAA8 is starting to fall off the pace.
The new station with momentum is NBC5, which ran second on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8’s turbulent Daybreak, where co-anchor Ron Corning left in March and traffic anchor Demetria Obilor has an announced departure at the end of October, ran last in total viewers on Monday (behind even CBS11) and third on Tuesday and Wednesday. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, the audience demographic that all four stations bank heavily on, WFAA8 languished in third place on all three days -- behind NBC5 and its relatively new woman news anchor team of veteran Deborah Ferguson and the newly installed Laura Harris. The show previously had been in a deep ratings slump.
NBC5 is hoping to counter Daybreak’s longstanding #IAmUp hashtag with an aggressive “Tell Me Something Good” campaign. A fuller picture of whether that’s really working will emerge when school reopens and viewing levels correspondingly go up. But in the last two weeks, NBC5 is the station with some early morning pop while Daybreak and its heavy doses of social media content struggles to stay in the picture.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs.-Sun., Aug. 1-4) -- Fox4's 9 p.m. news is prime-time top draw on a tragic weekend of mass shootings
08/05/19 12:08 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Shocking mass shootings in El Paso and then later Saturday night in Dayton, Ohio, dominated that day’s television coverage and much of Sunday’s as well.
ABC offered a Sunday night escape with its three-hour CMA Fest, which turned out to be more rock than country. It drew the most D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m., averaging 126,527. But Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, with a heavy emphasis on the El Paso shootings, comfortably topped the night with 175,733 viewers while CMA Fest had 133,557 from 9 to 10 p.m.
WFAA8’s 10 p.m. news drew an even bigger audience of 189,791 viewers in a three-way competition opposite NBC5 and CBS11. Fox4 went to its regular Sunday night sports special and ranked third with 63,264 viewers behind runner-up NBC5 (98,410). CBS11 trailed with 58,343 viewers.
Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, CMA Fest edged Fox4’s news by a score of 42,873 to 41,363. But WFAA8’s 10 p.m. news again was the overall top Sunday draw with 46,194 viewers.
In the cable news network universe Saturday, ratings for wall-to-wall coverage of the El Paso shootings were topped by CNN. The network peaked with an audience of 68,887 total viewers between 9 and 9:15 p.m. while leading runner-up Fox News Channel throughout most of the day.
On Friday, Fox4’s 9 p.m. news led all prime-time TV attractions in both total viewers (119,498) and among 18-to-49-year-olds (48,307). CBS’ Love Island, which rather inexplicably has been renewed for a second season, continued to bomb in D-FW with a sub-teeny 2,113 viewers in the 18-to-49 demographic. But the CBS network brass claims the show has a significant social media presence and also draws more than the usual number of young women to the network. But in Friday night’s Nielsen ratings, Love Island had “hashmarks” (no measurable audience) among 18-to-34 year-old women.
Thursday night’s prime-time numbers were paced by Fox4’s 9 p.m. newscast with 175,733 total viewers while NBC’s Hall of Fame pre-season game between the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons averaged 168,703 viewers. But football won the night among 18-to-49ers with 72,461 while Love Island logged hashmarks in this key demographic and again with 18-to-34-year-old women. As did CBS’ 8 p.m. episode of Big Brother and ABC’s 9 p.m. entry, Reef Break.
Here are the local news derby results for Thursday and Friday.
Thursday -- Fox4 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 ran first in total viewers at 6 a.m., but WFAA8 surged to a commanding win with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 also drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m., with Fox4 taking the 25-to-54 gold. At 5 p.m., Fox4 and NBC5 tied for the lead in total viewers while Fox4 was alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Friday -- WFAA8 edged Fox4 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 won easily with 25-to-54-year-olds.
In the topsy turvy 6 a.m. ratings, Fox4 returned to first place in both ratings measurements while WFAA8 dipped to third place behind NBC5 in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 also ran the table at 5 p.m. and had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. WFAA8 ran first in total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Shocking mass shootings in El Paso and then later Saturday night in Dayton, Ohio, dominated that day’s television coverage and much of Sunday’s as well.
ABC offered a Sunday night escape with its three-hour CMA Fest, which turned out to be more rock than country. It drew the most D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m., averaging 126,527. But Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast, with a heavy emphasis on the El Paso shootings, comfortably topped the night with 175,733 viewers while CMA Fest had 133,557 from 9 to 10 p.m.
WFAA8’s 10 p.m. news drew an even bigger audience of 189,791 viewers in a three-way competition opposite NBC5 and CBS11. Fox4 went to its regular Sunday night sports special and ranked third with 63,264 viewers behind runner-up NBC5 (98,410). CBS11 trailed with 58,343 viewers.
Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, CMA Fest edged Fox4’s news by a score of 42,873 to 41,363. But WFAA8’s 10 p.m. news again was the overall top Sunday draw with 46,194 viewers.
In the cable news network universe Saturday, ratings for wall-to-wall coverage of the El Paso shootings were topped by CNN. The network peaked with an audience of 68,887 total viewers between 9 and 9:15 p.m. while leading runner-up Fox News Channel throughout most of the day.
On Friday, Fox4’s 9 p.m. news led all prime-time TV attractions in both total viewers (119,498) and among 18-to-49-year-olds (48,307). CBS’ Love Island, which rather inexplicably has been renewed for a second season, continued to bomb in D-FW with a sub-teeny 2,113 viewers in the 18-to-49 demographic. But the CBS network brass claims the show has a significant social media presence and also draws more than the usual number of young women to the network. But in Friday night’s Nielsen ratings, Love Island had “hashmarks” (no measurable audience) among 18-to-34 year-old women.
Thursday night’s prime-time numbers were paced by Fox4’s 9 p.m. newscast with 175,733 total viewers while NBC’s Hall of Fame pre-season game between the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons averaged 168,703 viewers. But football won the night among 18-to-49ers with 72,461 while Love Island logged hashmarks in this key demographic and again with 18-to-34-year-old women. As did CBS’ 8 p.m. episode of Big Brother and ABC’s 9 p.m. entry, Reef Break.
Here are the local news derby results for Thursday and Friday.
Thursday -- Fox4 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 ran first in total viewers at 6 a.m., but WFAA8 surged to a commanding win with 25-to-54-year-olds.
WFAA8 also drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m., with Fox4 taking the 25-to-54 gold. At 5 p.m., Fox4 and NBC5 tied for the lead in total viewers while Fox4 was alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Friday -- WFAA8 edged Fox4 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 won easily with 25-to-54-year-olds.
In the topsy turvy 6 a.m. ratings, Fox4 returned to first place in both ratings measurements while WFAA8 dipped to third place behind NBC5 in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 also ran the table at 5 p.m. and had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. WFAA8 ran first in total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Traffic anchor Demetria Obilor will be putting a stop to her time at Daybreak
08/02/19 05:11 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Demetria Obilor’s showy tenure as traffic reporter for WFAA8’s Daybreak will be ending after October, according to a memo from station manager Carolyn Mungo that has been obtained by unclebarky.com.
Her surprise decision apparently is linked in part to a tiff this week with colleagues on the early morning Daybreak show. More on that later, but first the official cover story from Mungo, who does not talk to this reporter.
Stating that she has “big news to report,” Mungo told staffers that Obilor has “decided to step away from the traffic desk and not renew her contract at WFAA. As we all know, Demetria took this town by storm almost immediately after her arrival. Her authenticity during a video response to viewer body shaming went viral. It solidified the fact that Demetria is her own person! And people watched.”
Mungo added that Obilor is “thankful to WFAA and the community for allowing her to be her true self, and to develop and prepare for what could be next. We all know traffic is rarely a life-long career! She says it’s time to explore. We wish her the best and will be cheering her on.” (Obilor also has her own social media segment on Daybreak.)
Obilor, who joined WFAA8 in October 2017 from Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS-TV, has not been at all shy about expressing her feelings and at times provocatively showcasing her body via videos and photos on her Instagram page, which has 572,000 followers at last count. One particularly revealing video, in which Obilor showed off her dance moves, later was taken down, apparently at management’s order.
But an Instagram post this week, which likewise has since been taken down, may well have hastened Obilor’s exit. It possibly was tied to a Twitter video posted by new co-news anchor Marc Istook, who decided to school Daybreak colleague Hannah VanHuss Davis on the art of cooking steaks. While they were shown in closeup, Obilor intermittently could be seen sitting in the background, seemingly oblivious to it all while either staring straight ahead or on her cell phone.
“Featuring a disengaged Demetria as backdrop,” I tweeted in response on @unclebarkycom. Istook, who shot the video, and Davis, then came to Obilor’s defense.
“This is in between commercial breaks and Demetria is waiting for the next segment,” Davis tweeted. “It’s well known my ego is starved for attention, but even I will allow human beings to go about their business and their day without having to hang on my every word. Demetria did nothing wrong.”
“It was a social media shot,” Istook said in the second of his two responses. “I was in a hurry and didn’t pay attention to framing or who was where. She simply happened to be in the background, prepping for the next segment. So if there’s an issue it’s with the photographer, not with her.”
Daybreak street reporter Chris Sadeghi chimed in with a GIF of Robert Downey Jr. rolling his eyes in rebuttal to my “Demetria as backdrop” tweet.
My Twitter replies to them basically boiled down to this one: “That’s not what the video communicates, Marc. And I wouldn’t have bothered if it wasn’t in such stark contrast to the usual Demetria, who does a lot of very animated showcasing. Would have been easy to do this latest social media bit without anyone else in sight line.”
All of this sets the stage for Obilor’s subsequent and since-deleted post on her Instagram page. She apparently didn’t appreciate being, in this case, an innocent bystander (or prop) in the impromptu steak-cooking video starring Istook and Davis. Or maybe there’s much more to it than that. Here’s her post:
According to several sources, the above post was not at all welcomed by TEGNA corporate, which owns WFAA8. “Authenticity” only goes so far, particularly when it’s aimed at co-workers on a public social media page. But the tension had been brewing well before this week’s social media boiling point, sources say. The other in-studio members of the current Daybreak ensemble are co-news anchor Kara Sewell, meteorologist Greg Fields and health and wellness reporter Sonia Azad.
Obilor will be the second major player to depart Daybreak this year. Co-news anchor Ron Corning left the program in March to pursue other opportunities after eight years on the early morning shift.
In this week’s up-and-down D-FW Nielsen ratings, the featured 6 a.m. hour of Daybreak unaccustomedly dipped to third place behind NBC5 in total viewers on both Tuesday and Wednesday. But on Thursday, Daybreak regained second place in total viewers and vaulted up to first place (ahead of the usual front-running Fox4) in the key 25-to-54-year-old news demographic.
Truer tests will come when school resumes, vacation time ends and early morning viewing levels rise accordingly.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Wed., July 29-31) -- Dem debates edition
08/01/19 11:07 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CNN’s pair of mega-hyped Democratic presidential candidate debates fared well in the prime-time universe, with Wednesday’s Joe Biden-Kamala Harris “rematch” not surprisingly outdrawing Tuesday’s outing. But not by all that much.
Wednesday’s debate averaged 182,762 D-FW viewers, with 77,315 in the 25-to-54-year-old principal news demographic for advertisers.
Tuesday night’s 10-way encounter, with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders at center stage, drew 161,674 total viewers and 68,724 within the 25-to-54 age range.
Wednesday’s debate shared the overall prime-time lead with Fox’s 7 p.m. episode of Masterchef, which also drew 182,762 total viewers. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast ranked a close second with 175,733 viewers. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, Masterchef was Wednesday’s top performer, edging the debate with 80,178 viewers.
Tuesday’s prime-time Nielsens put NBC’s America’s Got Talent well ahead of the debate in total viewers with 260,084. ABC’s competing The Bachelorette also ranked considerably higher in total viewers, drawing 238,996.
In the 25-to-54-year-old demographic, Tuesday’s Dem debate trailed The Bachelorette (103,086), AGT (74,451) and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news (71,588).
Monday’s prime-time kingpin, The Bachelorette, pulled in 210,879 total viewers and 84,538 within the 18-to-49-year-old realm (main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming).
Here are the four-way local news derby results for Monday through Wednesday.
Monday -- WFAA8 ran first in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. races, but only by a sliver over WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
WFAA8 ran the table at 6 p.m. and added a 5 p.m. win in total viewers. Fox4 drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m.
Tuesday -- NBC5 won a tight 10 p.m. fight in total viewers while Fox4 had a comfy victory margin with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. firsts went to WFAA8 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Wednesday -- Fox4 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 scored twin wins at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. while also winning with 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. WFAA8 ranked first in total viewers at 6 p.m.
Also of note: On both Tuesday and Wednesday, NBC5 ran second in total viewers at 6 a.m., knocking WFAA8 into third place. The Peacock lately is aggressively promoting its super-cheery “Wake Up to Something Good” slogan, and has the market’s only women news anchor duo in Deborah Ferguson and Laura Harris. WFAA8 recently added Marc Istook, who replaces Ron Corning as the early morning co-news anchor in tandem with incumbent Kara Sewell.
And one more thing: WFAA8’s homegrown Good Morning Texas generally gets trampled by the competing 9 a.m. hour of Fox4’s Good Day. But on Tuesday, GMT rose up to decisively win the hour with 25-to-54-year-olds. Wednesday then found Good Day back on top by a wide margin in this demographic while GMT fell back to last place among D-FW’s Big Four broadcast stations. But for one shining moment . . .
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CNN’s pair of mega-hyped Democratic presidential candidate debates fared well in the prime-time universe, with Wednesday’s Joe Biden-Kamala Harris “rematch” not surprisingly outdrawing Tuesday’s outing. But not by all that much.
Wednesday’s debate averaged 182,762 D-FW viewers, with 77,315 in the 25-to-54-year-old principal news demographic for advertisers.
Tuesday night’s 10-way encounter, with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders at center stage, drew 161,674 total viewers and 68,724 within the 25-to-54 age range.
Wednesday’s debate shared the overall prime-time lead with Fox’s 7 p.m. episode of Masterchef, which also drew 182,762 total viewers. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast ranked a close second with 175,733 viewers. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, Masterchef was Wednesday’s top performer, edging the debate with 80,178 viewers.
Tuesday’s prime-time Nielsens put NBC’s America’s Got Talent well ahead of the debate in total viewers with 260,084. ABC’s competing The Bachelorette also ranked considerably higher in total viewers, drawing 238,996.
In the 25-to-54-year-old demographic, Tuesday’s Dem debate trailed The Bachelorette (103,086), AGT (74,451) and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news (71,588).
Monday’s prime-time kingpin, The Bachelorette, pulled in 210,879 total viewers and 84,538 within the 18-to-49-year-old realm (main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming).
Here are the four-way local news derby results for Monday through Wednesday.
Monday -- WFAA8 ran first in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. races, but only by a sliver over WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
WFAA8 ran the table at 6 p.m. and added a 5 p.m. win in total viewers. Fox4 drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m.
Tuesday -- NBC5 won a tight 10 p.m. fight in total viewers while Fox4 had a comfy victory margin with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. firsts went to WFAA8 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Wednesday -- Fox4 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 scored twin wins at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. while also winning with 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. WFAA8 ranked first in total viewers at 6 p.m.
Also of note: On both Tuesday and Wednesday, NBC5 ran second in total viewers at 6 a.m., knocking WFAA8 into third place. The Peacock lately is aggressively promoting its super-cheery “Wake Up to Something Good” slogan, and has the market’s only women news anchor duo in Deborah Ferguson and Laura Harris. WFAA8 recently added Marc Istook, who replaces Ron Corning as the early morning co-news anchor in tandem with incumbent Kara Sewell.
And one more thing: WFAA8’s homegrown Good Morning Texas generally gets trampled by the competing 9 a.m. hour of Fox4’s Good Day. But on Tuesday, GMT rose up to decisively win the hour with 25-to-54-year-olds. Wednesday then found Good Day back on top by a wide margin in this demographic while GMT fell back to last place among D-FW’s Big Four broadcast stations. But for one shining moment . . .
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