Jul 2015
Westward bound for another TV "press tour" extravaganza in sunny Southern California
07/26/15 05:34 PM
The annual summer Television Critics Association “press tour” beckons anew, and your friendly content provider once again is heeding the call.
It’ll all begin with a bang -- a late Monday afternoon screening of FX’s opening Season 2 episode of Fargo -- before settling into a daily pattern of one interview session after another and usually a nighttime “working” party.
This one stretches all the way from July 27 through Aug. 13th. And for at least one more time, let’s try to go the distance. Which means I’ll again be writing exclusively for New York-based tvworthwatching.com to help make a few ends meet while giving unclebarky.com a break from any postings until my return.
You can find my tvww press tour posts right here, although the site won’t be back up until Monday or at the latest, Tuesday, due to a major server crash. I’ll also be tweeting my brains out -- hopefully not literally -- whenever anything of note happens either on press tour or back in D-FW regarding TV newsroom hires or fires. You can find the tweets via @unclebarkycom.
Meanwhile, I’ve left behind a quartet of reviews of TV attractions that are premiering while I’m away. In chronological order with links, here they are:
***Wet Hot American Summer (Netflix) -- begins streaming on Friday, July 31st.
***West Texas Investors Club (CNBC) -- premieres on Tuesday, Aug. 4th.
***Mr. Robinson (NBC) -- premieres on Wednesday, Aug. 5th.
***America’s Next Weatherman (TBS) -- premieres on Saturday, Aug. 8th.
OK, I think that takes care of everything. And away I go.
Ed Bark
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., July 22-23) -- Last Comic Standing laughs last
07/24/15 02:34 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Wednesday and Thursday prime-time ratings had no real juggernauts. But NBC will gladly take the performances of two venerables -- Last Comic Standing and Dateline.
Wednesday’s 8 to 10 p.m. return of LCS and CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of Big Brother topped all programming in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old measurement. Each drew 91,460 D-FW viewers in this realm, but the Peacock doubled its pleasure with two hours of demographic prosperity compared to CBS’ one.
Wednesday’s top overall scorer was another old reliable, Fox’s Masterchef. It drew 202,246 total viewers in the 7 to 8 p.m. slot.
On Thursday night, NBC’s two-hour Dateline Mystery won both the 8 and 9 p.m. hours in total viewers with an average of 153,428. It drooped, however, among 18-to-49-year-olds, with CBS’ Big Brother controlling the 8 p.m. hour before Fox4’s local newscast took control at 9 p.m. Still, Dateline has been a ratings Colossus for NBC since it supplanted Aquarius and Hannibal, both of which have been exiled to Saturday nights after dismal performances.
Thursday’s season finale -- and possibly series finale -- of Fox’s Wayward Pines ran third from 8 to 9 p.m. in total viewers and moved up to second with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Here are the four-way Wednesday and Thursday local news derby results.
Wednesday -- TEGNA8 remained formidable at 10 p.m. despite another night of skimpy lead-ins from the ABC network. It won in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 methodically ran the table again at 6 a.m. and added twin wins at 5 p.m. TEGNA8 swept the 6 p.m. competitions.
Thursday -- NBC5 edged TEGNA8 at 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements and Fox4 again notched doubleheader wins at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.
NBC5 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m., but the Peacock had the 25-to-54 top spot to itself.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.ne
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Wednesday and Thursday prime-time ratings had no real juggernauts. But NBC will gladly take the performances of two venerables -- Last Comic Standing and Dateline.
Wednesday’s 8 to 10 p.m. return of LCS and CBS’ 7 p.m. hour of Big Brother topped all programming in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old measurement. Each drew 91,460 D-FW viewers in this realm, but the Peacock doubled its pleasure with two hours of demographic prosperity compared to CBS’ one.
Wednesday’s top overall scorer was another old reliable, Fox’s Masterchef. It drew 202,246 total viewers in the 7 to 8 p.m. slot.
On Thursday night, NBC’s two-hour Dateline Mystery won both the 8 and 9 p.m. hours in total viewers with an average of 153,428. It drooped, however, among 18-to-49-year-olds, with CBS’ Big Brother controlling the 8 p.m. hour before Fox4’s local newscast took control at 9 p.m. Still, Dateline has been a ratings Colossus for NBC since it supplanted Aquarius and Hannibal, both of which have been exiled to Saturday nights after dismal performances.
Thursday’s season finale -- and possibly series finale -- of Fox’s Wayward Pines ran third from 8 to 9 p.m. in total viewers and moved up to second with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Here are the four-way Wednesday and Thursday local news derby results.
Wednesday -- TEGNA8 remained formidable at 10 p.m. despite another night of skimpy lead-ins from the ABC network. It won in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 methodically ran the table again at 6 a.m. and added twin wins at 5 p.m. TEGNA8 swept the 6 p.m. competitions.
Thursday -- NBC5 edged TEGNA8 at 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements and Fox4 again notched doubleheader wins at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.
NBC5 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m., but the Peacock had the 25-to-54 top spot to itself.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.ne
Incoming: reporter Anthony Kiekow joining NBC5
07/24/15 08:49 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fort Worth-based NBC5 is adding reporter Anthony Kiekow, who’s arriving from Fox affiliate KTVI-TV in St. Louis after a three-year stay there.
Kiekow broke the news earlier this month on his Facebook page, saying that his last day at KTVI will be on Friday, July 24th. “I’ll miss St. Louis,” he wrote, “but this is a special opportunity to advance my career. Thank you to all the people who are rooting for me!”
The University of Minnesota graduate also has worked at stations in Alexandria, Minnesota and Dayton, Ohio.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Dallas-based TEGNA8 drops featured early morning reporter Brian Glenn from Daybreak (updated)
07/23/15 04:57 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallas-based TEGNA8 has decided to part ways with reporter Brian Glenn, best known for his out-and-about live segments during the station’s early morning Daybreak program.
“As you know, that show has been trending down (in the Nielsen ratings) for months now,” Glenn said in an email reply Thursday. “Management has constantly changed the tone and direction of the show. Last Thursday I was told that my performance was not what they were looking for in that particular position.”
Glenn joined TEGNA8 in August 2013 from Beaumont’s Fox affiliate, KBTV-TV, where he had been co-hosting that station’s Southeast Texas Live.
“My mission has always been to entertain our viewers. Period,” he said. “They receive enough bad news throughout the morning. Why not give them a reason to smile or laugh while informing them on all the community events? I felt like I consistently did that on a daily basis. I leave with a smile on my face and no regrets.”
TEGNA8 news director Carolyn Mungo has not returned an email sent Thursday morning asking about Glenn’s status.
“I wish the station nothing but the best of luck, and hopefully they can figure out which direction is best for them,” he said. “I have several options in and out of TV and just need to figure out what’s best for me.”
TEGNA8 has not yet hired a permanent replacement for Glenn. But Brandon Hamilton, fiancee of new CBS11 early morning traffic anchor Chelsey Davis, began filling in on Wednesday of this week.
“Gather around the ole tube!” Hamilton said in a July 21st post on his Facebook page. “I’m back on TV starting tomorrow morning at WFAA News 8 in Dallas!”
Davis replied as part of the same post, “I am so proud of you!!! I can’t wait to watch my handsome and talented man on TV again!!!!!!”
Hamilton also assured well-wishers that “Phoenix will be home again one day! Promise!”
In the May ratings “sweeps,” CBS11 for the first time ever outdrew the 6 a.m. portion of Daybreak among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 21) -- Knock Knock Live! a doormat
07/22/15 11:01 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Proof positive you’re a ratings disaster is when you can’t even outdraw Extreme Weight Loss.
Fox’s premiere of Ryan Seacrest’s Knock Knock Live went unanswered Tuesday night, drawing just 48,818 D-FW viewers in the 8 p.m. hour. Summertime’s previous runaway ratings lightweight leader, ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss, finished third for the first time with a measly 55,792 viewers for its first hour opposite Knock Knock. Mind you, this is in a market of 6.97 million potential viewers, according to Nielsen estimates.
Knock Knock had 18,923 viewers in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic, good enough to inch past Extreme Weight Loss (15,769) but possibly bad enough to merit a one-and-done verdict from Fox, which had massively promoted the show.
In comparison, the time slot leader from 8 to 9 p.m., the second hour of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, had 237,116 total viewers and 85,153 in the 18-to-49 realm.
AGT also won from 7 to 8 p.m. in both ratings measurements. And the Peacock’s 9 p.m. episode of Hollywood Game Night made it a clean sweep with 146,454 total viewers and 63,076 in the 18-to-49 demographic. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast perhaps deserves a bronze star, though, for more than doubling the lead-in audiences from Knock Knock.
Also of note: CBS’ Zoo continued to perform decently in the 8 to 9 p.m. slot, with second place finishes in both total viewers (167,376) and 18-to-49-year-olds (47,307). Then again, it’s going against mega-lemons on both Fox and ABC.
Here are Tuesday’s four-way local news derby results.
Overcoming a skinny lead-in from Extreme Weight Loss, TEGNA8 nipped CBS11 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 comfortably won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 also again swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 stayed strong at 5 p.m. with twin wins. TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for tops in total viewers at 6 p.m., with TEGNA8 edging CBS11 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Proof positive you’re a ratings disaster is when you can’t even outdraw Extreme Weight Loss.
Fox’s premiere of Ryan Seacrest’s Knock Knock Live went unanswered Tuesday night, drawing just 48,818 D-FW viewers in the 8 p.m. hour. Summertime’s previous runaway ratings lightweight leader, ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss, finished third for the first time with a measly 55,792 viewers for its first hour opposite Knock Knock. Mind you, this is in a market of 6.97 million potential viewers, according to Nielsen estimates.
Knock Knock had 18,923 viewers in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic, good enough to inch past Extreme Weight Loss (15,769) but possibly bad enough to merit a one-and-done verdict from Fox, which had massively promoted the show.
In comparison, the time slot leader from 8 to 9 p.m., the second hour of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, had 237,116 total viewers and 85,153 in the 18-to-49 realm.
AGT also won from 7 to 8 p.m. in both ratings measurements. And the Peacock’s 9 p.m. episode of Hollywood Game Night made it a clean sweep with 146,454 total viewers and 63,076 in the 18-to-49 demographic. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast perhaps deserves a bronze star, though, for more than doubling the lead-in audiences from Knock Knock.
Also of note: CBS’ Zoo continued to perform decently in the 8 to 9 p.m. slot, with second place finishes in both total viewers (167,376) and 18-to-49-year-olds (47,307). Then again, it’s going against mega-lemons on both Fox and ABC.
Here are Tuesday’s four-way local news derby results.
Overcoming a skinny lead-in from Extreme Weight Loss, TEGNA8 nipped CBS11 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 comfortably won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 also again swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 stayed strong at 5 p.m. with twin wins. TEGNA8 and CBS11 tied for tops in total viewers at 6 p.m., with TEGNA8 edging CBS11 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 20) -- Spieth-less Open playoff drops off but still beats prime-time Rangers game
07/21/15 10:57 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ESPN’s delayed final round of The Open golf championship lost its big Dallas hook when Jordan Spieth’s quest for his third straight Major win ended just one stroke shy on the 18th hole early Monday afternoon.
The ratings not surprisingly dropped off for the subsequent four-hole playoff, although The Open still had enough punch to outdraw the Texas Rangers’ 8-7 prime-time road loss to the Rockies.
D-FW ratings for The Open peaked between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m., when Spieth made his last-gasp effort to join eventual winner Zach Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in the playoff round. A total of 155,520 viewers were tuned to that 15-minute segment, with bar/restaurant and workplace audiences not fully factored in. From noon until 12:30 p.m., The Open had 149,592 viewers. Those were the only times it surpassed the 130,000 viewers mark.
The remainder of The Open, which ended at 1:57 p.m. and included a clubhouse interview with Spieth, averaged 117,163 viewers. In comparison, the Rangers game on Fox Sports Southwest averaged 90,662 viewers with a peak crowd of 104,610 in the game’s early innings.
Over in the Big Four broadcast network universe, NBC’s American Ninja Warrior led the prime-time parade with 181,324 viewers in the 7 to 9 p.m. slot. ABC’s competing two-hour edition of The Bachelorette ran second overall with 160,402 viewers.
Ninja was the night’s runaway draw among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, with 97,768.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 led with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again logged twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. spoils were split between CBS11 in total viewers and TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ESPN’s delayed final round of The Open golf championship lost its big Dallas hook when Jordan Spieth’s quest for his third straight Major win ended just one stroke shy on the 18th hole early Monday afternoon.
The ratings not surprisingly dropped off for the subsequent four-hole playoff, although The Open still had enough punch to outdraw the Texas Rangers’ 8-7 prime-time road loss to the Rockies.
D-FW ratings for The Open peaked between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m., when Spieth made his last-gasp effort to join eventual winner Zach Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in the playoff round. A total of 155,520 viewers were tuned to that 15-minute segment, with bar/restaurant and workplace audiences not fully factored in. From noon until 12:30 p.m., The Open had 149,592 viewers. Those were the only times it surpassed the 130,000 viewers mark.
The remainder of The Open, which ended at 1:57 p.m. and included a clubhouse interview with Spieth, averaged 117,163 viewers. In comparison, the Rangers game on Fox Sports Southwest averaged 90,662 viewers with a peak crowd of 104,610 in the game’s early innings.
Over in the Big Four broadcast network universe, NBC’s American Ninja Warrior led the prime-time parade with 181,324 viewers in the 7 to 9 p.m. slot. ABC’s competing two-hour edition of The Bachelorette ran second overall with 160,402 viewers.
Ninja was the night’s runaway draw among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, with 97,768.
Here are Monday’s local news derby results.
CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 led with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again logged twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. spoils were split between CBS11 in total viewers and TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs.-Sun., July 16-19) -- survey says Celebrity Family Feud is top weekend draw
07/20/15 02:12 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ABC continued to hit a ratings jackpot Sunday night with another edition of the Steve Harvey-hosted Celebrity Family Feud.
Featuring an appearance from the Gronkowski brothers and their “Creator” (as dad put it), Feud paced all weekend programming with 258,038 D-FW viewers in the 7 p.m. hour.
CBS’ competing hour of Big Brother ran a distant second in the time slot with 146,454 viewers but tied Feud among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (81,999 each). The two shows combined to pound welts on NBC’s 7 p.m. Season 2 premiere of Welcome to Sweden, which lured just 13,948 total viewers and 3,154 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
ESPN’s coverage of the rain and wind-plagued Open golf championship from Scotland easily had its peak total viewers audience on Sunday. It hit a high of 174,350 between noon and 12:15 p.m.
The elements, combined with a 6-hour time difference, obviously didn’t help the ratings for Dallasite Jordan Spieth’s pursuit of his third straight Major championship. Because play was suspended and resumed so often, we’ll just concentrate on the peak crowds for the Thursday through Saturday coverage. (On Saturday, only a handful of golfers, including Spieth, completed their 2nd rounds before officials pushed the third round back to Sunday and the climactic fourth to Monday.)
Thursday -- 62,766 viewers between 7:45 and 8:15 a.m.
Friday -- 83,688 viewers between 3:45 and 4 p.m.
Saturday -- 76,714 viewers between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m.
First-run episodes of NBC’s Aquarius and Hannibal, both exiled to Saturdays after poor ratings on Thursdays, continued to be scantly seen drama hours. Still, Aquarius actually tied for first place in its 8 p.m. slot with a measly 41,844 total viewers opposite CBS’ 48 Hours Mystery. At 9 p.m., Hannibal ran last as usual with 20,922 viewers.
Here are the local news derby results for Thursday and Friday.
Thursday -- TEGNA8 ran first at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. face-offs and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Friday -- TEGNA8 again had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but was beaten by NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Fox4 as usual scored twin wins at 6 a.m. while CBS11 had the most total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. NBC5 answered by drawing the most 25-to-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ABC continued to hit a ratings jackpot Sunday night with another edition of the Steve Harvey-hosted Celebrity Family Feud.
Featuring an appearance from the Gronkowski brothers and their “Creator” (as dad put it), Feud paced all weekend programming with 258,038 D-FW viewers in the 7 p.m. hour.
CBS’ competing hour of Big Brother ran a distant second in the time slot with 146,454 viewers but tied Feud among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (81,999 each). The two shows combined to pound welts on NBC’s 7 p.m. Season 2 premiere of Welcome to Sweden, which lured just 13,948 total viewers and 3,154 in the 18-to-49 demographic.
ESPN’s coverage of the rain and wind-plagued Open golf championship from Scotland easily had its peak total viewers audience on Sunday. It hit a high of 174,350 between noon and 12:15 p.m.
The elements, combined with a 6-hour time difference, obviously didn’t help the ratings for Dallasite Jordan Spieth’s pursuit of his third straight Major championship. Because play was suspended and resumed so often, we’ll just concentrate on the peak crowds for the Thursday through Saturday coverage. (On Saturday, only a handful of golfers, including Spieth, completed their 2nd rounds before officials pushed the third round back to Sunday and the climactic fourth to Monday.)
Thursday -- 62,766 viewers between 7:45 and 8:15 a.m.
Friday -- 83,688 viewers between 3:45 and 4 p.m.
Saturday -- 76,714 viewers between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m.
First-run episodes of NBC’s Aquarius and Hannibal, both exiled to Saturdays after poor ratings on Thursdays, continued to be scantly seen drama hours. Still, Aquarius actually tied for first place in its 8 p.m. slot with a measly 41,844 total viewers opposite CBS’ 48 Hours Mystery. At 9 p.m., Hannibal ran last as usual with 20,922 viewers.
Here are the local news derby results for Thursday and Friday.
Thursday -- TEGNA8 ran first at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. face-offs and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Friday -- TEGNA8 again had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but was beaten by NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Fox4 as usual scored twin wins at 6 a.m. while CBS11 had the most total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. NBC5 answered by drawing the most 25-to-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
After more than four decades in the trenches, CBS11 reporter Bud Gillett bowing out
07/20/15 11:53 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Bud Gillett, one of the longest-serving TV reporters in D-FW, has decided to call it a day -- and a night.
“As I’m part of gen-Deadhead: it’s been a long strange road,” Gillett tweeted Monday morning. “37 years in DFW but am packing it in. I retire Friday. Thanks, Texas. Love y’all.”
Gillett has been at CBS11 since September 2001 after a long career at rival Fox4. He has survived a lot, including a sharply worded lawsuit filed against CBS11 in July of 2009. The suit, which he later dropped, charged the station with retaliation and reverse discrimination based on his age, sex, race and national origin. He was 60 at the time.
Station management said the suit was without merit. In February 2011, Gillett told unclebarky.com, “It’s resolved. That’s all I’m authorized to say.”
Gillett also will be remembered as a pavement-pounding street reporter who seemingly had no aspirations to anchor. According to his CBS11 bio, he spent a total of 42 years as a reporter in major TV markets. Before arriving in D-FW, he worked for stations in Detroit, St. Louis and Indianapolis.
Gillett was a first-hand witness to some milestone Texas news events, including the Branch Davidian cult standoff in Waco in 1993 and the rescue of toddler Jessica McClure from a Midland well in 1987.
He also had a nice, light touch when the occasion called for it. A favorite story down the stretch was this 2011 piece on a snow day at Flagpole Hill in Dallas. And now it’s time for Bud Gillett to exhale and coast a little, too.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 15) -- ESPYs not especially great for ABC, but still provide a boost
07/16/15 02:20 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ESPN’s ESPY awards, televised on ABC for the first time, provided a ratings upswing without hitting a home run Wednesday night.
The three-hour telecast, with Caitlyn Jenner accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in the closing half-hour, averaged 167,376 D-FW viewers and 63,076 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
Hosted by Joel McHale, the ESPYs were outdrawn from 7 to 8 p.m. in total viewers by CBS’ Big Brother (167,376) and by Fox4’s local newscast (188,299) in the 9 p.m. hour. The ESPYs audience peaked from 9:30 to 9:45 p.m., when 209,220 viewers were tuned in. But the 9 to 9:15 p.m. segment fell well short of that high with 130,480 viewers, allowing Fox4 to win the hour overall.
Among 18-to-49-year-olds, the ESPYs also were bested by Big Brother and Fox4’s news while barely beating Fox’s competing 7 p.m. episode of Masterchef, Still, these were summertime boom times for ABC compared to Tuesday night, when its top prime-time draw was a Fresh Off the Boat repeat with 69,740 total viewers and 28,384 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and also won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added a 6 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds. CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and shared the 25-to-54 gold with TEGNA8.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ESPN’s ESPY awards, televised on ABC for the first time, provided a ratings upswing without hitting a home run Wednesday night.
The three-hour telecast, with Caitlyn Jenner accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in the closing half-hour, averaged 167,376 D-FW viewers and 63,076 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
Hosted by Joel McHale, the ESPYs were outdrawn from 7 to 8 p.m. in total viewers by CBS’ Big Brother (167,376) and by Fox4’s local newscast (188,299) in the 9 p.m. hour. The ESPYs audience peaked from 9:30 to 9:45 p.m., when 209,220 viewers were tuned in. But the 9 to 9:15 p.m. segment fell well short of that high with 130,480 viewers, allowing Fox4 to win the hour overall.
Among 18-to-49-year-olds, the ESPYs also were bested by Big Brother and Fox4’s news while barely beating Fox’s competing 7 p.m. episode of Masterchef, Still, these were summertime boom times for ABC compared to Tuesday night, when its top prime-time draw was a Fresh Off the Boat repeat with 69,740 total viewers and 28,384 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.
Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.
TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and also won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added a 6 p.m. win with 25-to-54-year-olds. CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and shared the 25-to-54 gold with TEGNA8.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Tues., July 13-14) -- Fox's All-Star game scores well but NBC's Talent wins out
07/15/15 08:59 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Baseball’s annual All-Star game gave Fox a nice ratings boost Tuesday night, although NBC’s America’s Got Talent still outscored it in the 7 to 9 p.m. slot.
AGT drew 278,960 D-FW viewers in beating both pre-game All-Star coverage and the game itself, which ran from 7:32 to 10:34 p.m. The 7 to 7:30 p.m. portion had 223,168 viewers before the American League’s 6-3 win averaged 230,142 viewers.
AGT also drew the most advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year--olds from 7 to 9 p.m., with 100,922. The All-Star pre-game had 85,153 viewers in this key demographic before the game averaged 100,922 viewers. (Ratings went up for the All-Star game from 9 to 10 p.m., when AGT gave way to NBC’s Hollywood Game Night.)
In terms of big Fox sports attractions, the All-Star Game came up far short of the network’s July 5th World Cup women’s soccer final between the U.S. and Japan. It averaged 543,972 total viewers and 230,227 in the 18-to-49 demographic. The All-Star game drew less than half those crowds in both ratings measurements.
ABC played dead all night opposite NBC and the All-Star game while CBS’ biggest scorer in total viewers was an 8 p.m. episode of the new Zoo (202,246). That’s a solid showing, with Zoo also ranking as Tuesday’s No. 3-rated prime-time attraction among 18-to-49-year-olds (66,230).
On Monday night, ESPN’s re-formatted and crowd-pleasing All-Star game home run derby drew 160,402 total viewers and 81,999 in the 18-to-49 realm. That’s a better percentage of 18-to-49-year-olds than Tuesday’s game.
CBS’ 7 p.m. repeat of 2 Broke Girls narrowly emerged as prime-time’s top draw in total viewers with 174,350. NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. American Ninja Warrior edged the home run derby among 18-to-49-year-olds with 85,153 viewers. The Peacock’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls matched the derby’s 81,999 viewers.
Here are the Monday and Tuesday local news derby results.
Monday -- CBS11 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 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Tuesday -- NBC5 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while the Peacock won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 notched another pair of 6 a.m. wins and CBS11 had the most total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. (Fox’s All-Star pre-game coverage preempted Fox4’s 6 p.m. news.)
NBC5 and CBS11 shared the 25-to-54 gold at 5 p.m. and TEGNA8 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Baseball’s annual All-Star game gave Fox a nice ratings boost Tuesday night, although NBC’s America’s Got Talent still outscored it in the 7 to 9 p.m. slot.
AGT drew 278,960 D-FW viewers in beating both pre-game All-Star coverage and the game itself, which ran from 7:32 to 10:34 p.m. The 7 to 7:30 p.m. portion had 223,168 viewers before the American League’s 6-3 win averaged 230,142 viewers.
AGT also drew the most advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year--olds from 7 to 9 p.m., with 100,922. The All-Star pre-game had 85,153 viewers in this key demographic before the game averaged 100,922 viewers. (Ratings went up for the All-Star game from 9 to 10 p.m., when AGT gave way to NBC’s Hollywood Game Night.)
In terms of big Fox sports attractions, the All-Star Game came up far short of the network’s July 5th World Cup women’s soccer final between the U.S. and Japan. It averaged 543,972 total viewers and 230,227 in the 18-to-49 demographic. The All-Star game drew less than half those crowds in both ratings measurements.
ABC played dead all night opposite NBC and the All-Star game while CBS’ biggest scorer in total viewers was an 8 p.m. episode of the new Zoo (202,246). That’s a solid showing, with Zoo also ranking as Tuesday’s No. 3-rated prime-time attraction among 18-to-49-year-olds (66,230).
On Monday night, ESPN’s re-formatted and crowd-pleasing All-Star game home run derby drew 160,402 total viewers and 81,999 in the 18-to-49 realm. That’s a better percentage of 18-to-49-year-olds than Tuesday’s game.
CBS’ 7 p.m. repeat of 2 Broke Girls narrowly emerged as prime-time’s top draw in total viewers with 174,350. NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. American Ninja Warrior edged the home run derby among 18-to-49-year-olds with 85,153 viewers. The Peacock’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls matched the derby’s 81,999 viewers.
Here are the Monday and Tuesday local news derby results.
Monday -- CBS11 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 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and NBC5 in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Tuesday -- NBC5 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while the Peacock won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Fox4 notched another pair of 6 a.m. wins and CBS11 had the most total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. (Fox’s All-Star pre-game coverage preempted Fox4’s 6 p.m. news.)
NBC5 and CBS11 shared the 25-to-54 gold at 5 p.m. and TEGNA8 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., July 10-12) -- Spieth puts Deere in the headlines
07/13/15 03:09 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallasite Jordan Spieth’s latest PGA tour win, in a playoff at the John Deere Classic, gifted CBS with total ratings dominance Sunday afternoon and early evening.
The unflappable 21-year-old’s victory over 46-year-old Tom Gillis in a who’s your daddy matchup averaged 97,636 D-FW viewers with a peak of 174,350 between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m.. The match ended at 5:36 p.m. on the second overtime hole.
Shortly before Spieth holed out, Leonys Martin struck out at 5:22 p.m. to end a Texas Rangers’ comeback attempt in a 2-1 loss to San Diego. A total of 111,584 viewers were tuned in when Martin swung and missed with the tying run in scoring position. Not a great way to enter the All-Star break.
Sunday’s overall biggest draw came in prime-time, when ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud drew 271,986 viewers in the 7 p.m. hour. The Steve Harvey-hosted reboot has become one of summer’s hottest attractions. On Saturday night, the network’s 7 to 10 p.m. parade of Celebrity Feud repeats won all three hours in total viewers.
Advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds aren’t as excited, though. Sunday’s first-run Celebrity Feud was handily beaten in this key demographic by CBS’ competing Big Brother (119,844 viewers to 88,306). The Deere Classic peaked at 53,514 viewers in the 18-to-49 age range.
D-FW ratings weren’t available for Donald Trump’s cobbled together Miss USA pageant on ReelzChannel Sunday night. National ratings won’t be released until Tuesday by the still obscure cable network.
Friday’s prime-time pacesetters were CBS’ rerun of Blue Bloods in total viewers (118,558) and NBC’s Dateline among 18-to-49-year-olds, (31,538).
Here are Friday’s local news derby numbers.
CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but NBC5 won among 25-to--54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 ran the table as usual at 6 a.m. and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m.
NBC5 ran first at 6 p.m. in total viewers and tied Fox4 for the lead in that measurement at 5 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallasite Jordan Spieth’s latest PGA tour win, in a playoff at the John Deere Classic, gifted CBS with total ratings dominance Sunday afternoon and early evening.
The unflappable 21-year-old’s victory over 46-year-old Tom Gillis in a who’s your daddy matchup averaged 97,636 D-FW viewers with a peak of 174,350 between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m.. The match ended at 5:36 p.m. on the second overtime hole.
Shortly before Spieth holed out, Leonys Martin struck out at 5:22 p.m. to end a Texas Rangers’ comeback attempt in a 2-1 loss to San Diego. A total of 111,584 viewers were tuned in when Martin swung and missed with the tying run in scoring position. Not a great way to enter the All-Star break.
Sunday’s overall biggest draw came in prime-time, when ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud drew 271,986 viewers in the 7 p.m. hour. The Steve Harvey-hosted reboot has become one of summer’s hottest attractions. On Saturday night, the network’s 7 to 10 p.m. parade of Celebrity Feud repeats won all three hours in total viewers.
Advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds aren’t as excited, though. Sunday’s first-run Celebrity Feud was handily beaten in this key demographic by CBS’ competing Big Brother (119,844 viewers to 88,306). The Deere Classic peaked at 53,514 viewers in the 18-to-49 age range.
D-FW ratings weren’t available for Donald Trump’s cobbled together Miss USA pageant on ReelzChannel Sunday night. National ratings won’t be released until Tuesday by the still obscure cable network.
Friday’s prime-time pacesetters were CBS’ rerun of Blue Bloods in total viewers (118,558) and NBC’s Dateline among 18-to-49-year-olds, (31,538).
Here are Friday’s local news derby numbers.
CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but NBC5 won among 25-to--54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 ran the table as usual at 6 a.m. and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m.
NBC5 ran first at 6 p.m. in total viewers and tied Fox4 for the lead in that measurement at 5 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., July 9) -- CBS/Fox4 news pace prime-time
07/10/15 03:26 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS won with sitcom reruns and Big Brother from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday before Fox4’s local news made its usual strong showing in prime-time’s closing hour.
A Big Bang Theory repeat drew the biggest overall crowd with 258,038 D-FW viewers. Mom held serve with 209,220 viewers for its 7:30 p.m. reprise and BB won the 8 p.m. hour despite drooping to 146,454 viewers. CBS also ran first in those two hours among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. news took over at 9 p.m., drawing 167,376 total viewers to best CBS’ new episode of Under the Dome (153,428 viewers). The news won by a wider margin with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Over on NBC, the officially canceled Hannibal continued to be the summertime definition of “cult series.” It ranked lowest among the Big Four broadcast networks in both total viewers (27,896 in a market of nearly 7 million) and 18-to-49-year-olds (12,615). The Peacock is playing out the string anyway while the show’s producers continue to look for a new home for a possible Season 4.
Also of note: The NBC Nightly News without Brian Williams and with Lester Holt rolled up big victory margins in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). Its 209,220 total viewers crushed ABC’s runner-up World News Tonight (118,558). Nightly News’ 25-to-54-year-old haul of 80,012 viewers easily bested Fox4’s second place local newscast (44,451 viewers).
Here are Thursday’s four-way local news derby results.
TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 topped the 25-to-54 Nielsens.
Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. competitions as usual while winning at 5 and 6 p.m. in the 25-to-54 measurement.
Fox4, NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the total viewers lead at 5 p.m. and NBC5 ranked No. 1 in that realm at 6 p.m.
After a slow start at 6 a.m. with new additions Russ McCaskey and Chelsey Davis (as co-anchor and traffic reporter), CBS11 is showing signs of regrouping in the 25-to-54 demographic. This was especially true Thursday, when CBS11 ran second with 23,707 viewers while TEGNA8 fell to a distant fourth (5,927 viewers). In the May “sweeps” ratings period, CBS11 ran better than fourth at 6 a.m. for the first time in its history, edging TEGNA8 in the key 25-to-54 measurement.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS won with sitcom reruns and Big Brother from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday before Fox4’s local news made its usual strong showing in prime-time’s closing hour.
A Big Bang Theory repeat drew the biggest overall crowd with 258,038 D-FW viewers. Mom held serve with 209,220 viewers for its 7:30 p.m. reprise and BB won the 8 p.m. hour despite drooping to 146,454 viewers. CBS also ran first in those two hours among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.
Fox4’s 9 p.m. news took over at 9 p.m., drawing 167,376 total viewers to best CBS’ new episode of Under the Dome (153,428 viewers). The news won by a wider margin with 18-to-49-year-olds.
Over on NBC, the officially canceled Hannibal continued to be the summertime definition of “cult series.” It ranked lowest among the Big Four broadcast networks in both total viewers (27,896 in a market of nearly 7 million) and 18-to-49-year-olds (12,615). The Peacock is playing out the string anyway while the show’s producers continue to look for a new home for a possible Season 4.
Also of note: The NBC Nightly News without Brian Williams and with Lester Holt rolled up big victory margins in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). Its 209,220 total viewers crushed ABC’s runner-up World News Tonight (118,558). Nightly News’ 25-to-54-year-old haul of 80,012 viewers easily bested Fox4’s second place local newscast (44,451 viewers).
Here are Thursday’s four-way local news derby results.
TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 topped the 25-to-54 Nielsens.
Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. competitions as usual while winning at 5 and 6 p.m. in the 25-to-54 measurement.
Fox4, NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the total viewers lead at 5 p.m. and NBC5 ranked No. 1 in that realm at 6 p.m.
After a slow start at 6 a.m. with new additions Russ McCaskey and Chelsey Davis (as co-anchor and traffic reporter), CBS11 is showing signs of regrouping in the 25-to-54 demographic. This was especially true Thursday, when CBS11 ran second with 23,707 viewers while TEGNA8 fell to a distant fourth (5,927 viewers). In the May “sweeps” ratings period, CBS11 ran better than fourth at 6 a.m. for the first time in its history, edging TEGNA8 in the key 25-to-54 measurement.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 8) -- Big Brother's in the house
07/09/15 10:44 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS’ Big Brother turned the tables Wednesday on Fox’s Masterchef, beating it for the first time in three tries in the 7 p.m. hour.
BB drew 202,246 D-FW viewers to Masterchef’s 167,376 while also winning among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds by a closer score of 78,845 viewers to 75,691.
The first hour of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior then won from 8 to 9 p.m. in both ratings measurements. At 9 p.m., Fox4’s local newscast had the most total viewers and Ninja remained the No.1 choice of 18-to-49-year-olds.
The second episode of CBS’ Extant also beat Ninja at 9 p.m. in total viewers but fell to third in its time slot among 18-to-49-year-olds.
ABC had another lousy go of it, running fourth for the most part in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds with four comedy reruns and Wife Swap. The only exceptions were the network’s 8 to 9 p.m. combo of Modern Family and black-ish, which moved up to third in both ratings measurements. Fox’s competing Bullseye placed last among the Big Four broadcast networks in total viewers and CBS’ Criminal Minds rerun hit bottom at 8 p.m. with 18-to-49-year-olds.
On Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers’ home loss to Arizona averaged 118,558 total viewers. Not great, but good enough to beat ABC throughout prime-time.
Here are Wednesday’s four-way local news derby results.
TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but was edged by Fox4 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. competitions and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m. TEGNA8 otherwise ruled, running the table at 6 p.m. and drawing the most total viewers at 5 p.m.
Also of note: With school in recess and vacations also kicking in, the early morning news ratings have taken their customary summertime nose dives. On Wednesday, Fox4 won at 6 a.m. with just 69,740 total viewers. The station drew appreciably larger audiences for all of its other local newscasts, topping out at 181,324 total viewers for the 9 p.m. edition.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS’ Big Brother turned the tables Wednesday on Fox’s Masterchef, beating it for the first time in three tries in the 7 p.m. hour.
BB drew 202,246 D-FW viewers to Masterchef’s 167,376 while also winning among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds by a closer score of 78,845 viewers to 75,691.
The first hour of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior then won from 8 to 9 p.m. in both ratings measurements. At 9 p.m., Fox4’s local newscast had the most total viewers and Ninja remained the No.1 choice of 18-to-49-year-olds.
The second episode of CBS’ Extant also beat Ninja at 9 p.m. in total viewers but fell to third in its time slot among 18-to-49-year-olds.
ABC had another lousy go of it, running fourth for the most part in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds with four comedy reruns and Wife Swap. The only exceptions were the network’s 8 to 9 p.m. combo of Modern Family and black-ish, which moved up to third in both ratings measurements. Fox’s competing Bullseye placed last among the Big Four broadcast networks in total viewers and CBS’ Criminal Minds rerun hit bottom at 8 p.m. with 18-to-49-year-olds.
On Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers’ home loss to Arizona averaged 118,558 total viewers. Not great, but good enough to beat ABC throughout prime-time.
Here are Wednesday’s four-way local news derby results.
TEGNA8 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. but was edged by Fox4 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. competitions and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m. TEGNA8 otherwise ruled, running the table at 6 p.m. and drawing the most total viewers at 5 p.m.
Also of note: With school in recess and vacations also kicking in, the early morning news ratings have taken their customary summertime nose dives. On Wednesday, Fox4 won at 6 a.m. with just 69,740 total viewers. The station drew appreciably larger audiences for all of its other local newscasts, topping out at 181,324 total viewers for the 9 p.m. edition.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Through the looking glass to "The Spirit of Texas on 8"
07/08/15 04:52 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Now owned from afar by TEGNA (a scrambling of Gannett’s letters after it split its television and print properties), WFAA-TV (Channel 8) for decades billed itself as “The Spirit of Texas” station under homegrown Belo stewardship.
This 1985 promo spotlights some of the featured news personalities from 30 years ago. Only one of them remains with the station. (Hint: he’s the highly opinionated guy shown nuzzling a horse long before flaunting his utter boredom with soccer.)
Otherwise look for the likes of Tracy Rowlett, Midge Hill, Phyllis Watson, Troy Dungan, John Criswell and David Margulies. It’s all done to the homey “Spirit of Texas” theme music back before Belo sold all its TV properties and KDFW, KXAS and KTVT respectively became beholden to their Fox, NBC and CBS owners.
Yeah, it wasn’t really all that simple back then. And anchors and star reporters were and have never been as impossibly happy together as their stations depict them. Still, the “old days” had more than just nostalgia going for them. D-FW stations pretty much charted their own courses without having to run hires, fires and image campaigns up the ladder to out-of-state corporate masters.
Take a look at this throwback spot. You can feel the difference.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Now owned from afar by TEGNA (a scrambling of Gannett’s letters after it split its television and print properties), WFAA-TV (Channel 8) for decades billed itself as “The Spirit of Texas” station under homegrown Belo stewardship.
This 1985 promo spotlights some of the featured news personalities from 30 years ago. Only one of them remains with the station. (Hint: he’s the highly opinionated guy shown nuzzling a horse long before flaunting his utter boredom with soccer.)
Otherwise look for the likes of Tracy Rowlett, Midge Hill, Phyllis Watson, Troy Dungan, John Criswell and David Margulies. It’s all done to the homey “Spirit of Texas” theme music back before Belo sold all its TV properties and KDFW, KXAS and KTVT respectively became beholden to their Fox, NBC and CBS owners.
Yeah, it wasn’t really all that simple back then. And anchors and star reporters were and have never been as impossibly happy together as their stations depict them. Still, the “old days” had more than just nostalgia going for them. D-FW stations pretty much charted their own courses without having to run hires, fires and image campaigns up the ladder to out-of-state corporate masters.
Take a look at this throwback spot. You can feel the difference.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Tues., July 6-7) -- extreme fall-off for ABC
07/08/15 09:36 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Bosses at ABC affiliate stations across the nation, including D-FW’s TEGNA8, can rightly storm into their offices Wednesday morning and shout, “They’re givin’ us nothin’!”
That’s basically what their network gave them Wednesday night with two hours of prime-time’s overall loss leader, Extreme Weight Loss. In D-FW, it tipped the ratings scales at a bantam-sized 48,818 viewers. That helped to drag down TEGNA8’s 10 p.m. newscast to a rare fourth place finish, even though it more than doubled the audience for its puny lead-in by drawing 118,558 viewers.
NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of America’s Got Talent led all prime-time programming with 244,090 viewers while the second episode of CBS’ Zoo held steady from 8 to 9 p.m. with a nice-sized 223,168 viewers. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then won the 9 p.m. hour with 174,350 viewers, outdrawing the return of NBC’s Hollywood Game Night and CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans rerun (146,454 viewers each).
Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, AGT remained on top from 7 to 9 p.m. with 85,153 viewers. The Peacock’s Hollywood Game Night won at 9 p.m. (59,922 viewers), with Fox4’s news close behind. Zoo meowed its way to just 25,230 viewers in this key demographic. That’s only a bit better than 10 percent of its total audience.
In the cable universe, the Texas Rangers’ home loss to Arizona on Fox Sports Southwest competed with Fox Sports 1’s Gold Cup soccer match in Frisco between the winning U.S. team and Honduras. It was a split decision in the ratings, with baseball easily drawing more total viewers (104,610 to 41,844) while soccer narrowly prevailed among 18-to-49-year-olds (25,230 to 22,077). Note that soccer drew more than half of its audience from the 18-to-49 realm. Advertisers are noting that, too.
Let’s move briefly to Monday night, where ABC’s The Bachelorette and NBC’s American Ninja Warrior squared off from 7 to 9 p.m. and led the prime-time parade with 174,350 total viewers apiece. Fox4’s local news won the 9 p.m hour with 167,376 viewers.
The 7 to 9 p.m. pacesetter among 18-to-49-year-olds, American Ninja Warrior, also had the night’s biggest haul with 97,768 viewers. Fox4 chalked up another 9 p.m. gold with 63,076 viewers in this key demographic. ABC’s 9 p.m. episode of The Whispers could barely be heard with a prime-time low (among the Big 4 broadcast networks) of 6,308 viewers in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are the four-way local news derby results for Monday and Tuesday.
Monday -- Impressively surmounting a lousy lead-in from Whispers, TEGNA8 ran first at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and added a 5 p.m. first in the 25-to-54 demographic.
NBC5 had the most total viewers at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds were split between CBS11 in total viewers and TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Tuesday -- NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Both 6 a.m. golds went to Fox4 while TEGNA8 swept the 5 p.m. competitions and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. CBS11 won in total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Bosses at ABC affiliate stations across the nation, including D-FW’s TEGNA8, can rightly storm into their offices Wednesday morning and shout, “They’re givin’ us nothin’!”
That’s basically what their network gave them Wednesday night with two hours of prime-time’s overall loss leader, Extreme Weight Loss. In D-FW, it tipped the ratings scales at a bantam-sized 48,818 viewers. That helped to drag down TEGNA8’s 10 p.m. newscast to a rare fourth place finish, even though it more than doubled the audience for its puny lead-in by drawing 118,558 viewers.
NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of America’s Got Talent led all prime-time programming with 244,090 viewers while the second episode of CBS’ Zoo held steady from 8 to 9 p.m. with a nice-sized 223,168 viewers. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast then won the 9 p.m. hour with 174,350 viewers, outdrawing the return of NBC’s Hollywood Game Night and CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans rerun (146,454 viewers each).
Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, AGT remained on top from 7 to 9 p.m. with 85,153 viewers. The Peacock’s Hollywood Game Night won at 9 p.m. (59,922 viewers), with Fox4’s news close behind. Zoo meowed its way to just 25,230 viewers in this key demographic. That’s only a bit better than 10 percent of its total audience.
In the cable universe, the Texas Rangers’ home loss to Arizona on Fox Sports Southwest competed with Fox Sports 1’s Gold Cup soccer match in Frisco between the winning U.S. team and Honduras. It was a split decision in the ratings, with baseball easily drawing more total viewers (104,610 to 41,844) while soccer narrowly prevailed among 18-to-49-year-olds (25,230 to 22,077). Note that soccer drew more than half of its audience from the 18-to-49 realm. Advertisers are noting that, too.
Let’s move briefly to Monday night, where ABC’s The Bachelorette and NBC’s American Ninja Warrior squared off from 7 to 9 p.m. and led the prime-time parade with 174,350 total viewers apiece. Fox4’s local news won the 9 p.m hour with 167,376 viewers.
The 7 to 9 p.m. pacesetter among 18-to-49-year-olds, American Ninja Warrior, also had the night’s biggest haul with 97,768 viewers. Fox4 chalked up another 9 p.m. gold with 63,076 viewers in this key demographic. ABC’s 9 p.m. episode of The Whispers could barely be heard with a prime-time low (among the Big 4 broadcast networks) of 6,308 viewers in the 18-to-49 realm.
Here are the four-way local news derby results for Monday and Tuesday.
Monday -- Impressively surmounting a lousy lead-in from Whispers, TEGNA8 ran first at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 as usual notched twin wins at 6 a.m. and added a 5 p.m. first in the 25-to-54 demographic.
NBC5 had the most total viewers at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds were split between CBS11 in total viewers and TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Tuesday -- NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.
Both 6 a.m. golds went to Fox4 while TEGNA8 swept the 5 p.m. competitions and also had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. CBS11 won in total viewers at 6 p.m.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Fox4 reporters Latoya Silmon, Calvert Collins are both putting the station behind them (updated with new comments)
07/06/15 12:56 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Two young Fox4 women reporters, hired in the same year within several months of one another, have decided to leave the Dallas-based station after relatively short tenures.
Calvert Collins and Latoya Silmon are the departing twosome. Collins currently is vacationing in Peru with her husband, but said via email that her last day will be on July 17th. Silmon confirmed that she’s already left Fox4. The station handles personnel inquiries through corporate offices in New York. An earlier email inquiry on the status of Collins and Silmon was not answered Monday.
Collins joined the station on June 18, 2012 from KLAS-TV in Las Vegas and has been working the weekday nightside shift. She had a baby girl, Vivienne, in January 2014, and acknowledges an effort to move to the morning or mid-day shift in order to spend more time with her child. But after making no progress on that front in either October or the spring of this year, Collins said she “figured I could make nights work for a year until my contract was up.”
“I am NOT leaving Fox4 over scheduling issues,” she said in her email reply Monday evening. “Nor was I seeking another job. But I was courted for a public relations manager position.”
The offer came “out of the blue” in early June from Methodist Health System, which “made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Collins said. She’ll start at Methodist on July 27th after Fox4 “ultimately agreed to release me from my contract.”
Collins added that she’s “thoroughly enjoyed my three years at Fox4, working with an incredible team of journalists. And I am very grateful to the station for the many opportunities and wish everyone there continued success.”
“I was never unhappy at Fox,” she added. “This was just an incredible opportunity to be a manager and pursue a different challenge and learn new skills while still using my news background. I’ve always been passionate about health care . . . And the ultimate perk was a normal schedule so I can see my daughter more than an hour a day, which would have been the case had I stayed on nights.”
Collins has been a key, featured reporter on Fox’s 9 and 10 p.m. newscasts. Both continue to draw strong Nielsen numbers this summer after major successes in the May “sweeps” ratings period.
Silmon arrived at Fox4 on Nov. 5, 2012 from KTUL-TV in Tulsa. She’s mainly been a field reporter for Fox4’s Good Day, on both weekends and some weekdays. The program remains No. 1 in the early morning ratings and is especially strong among 25-to-54-year-old viewers (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).
“I grew up watching and admiring the anchors and reporters in Dallas,” she said via email. “So landing a position at one of the stations was a dream true . . . I took pride in giving a voice to the voice-less and keeping people informed about what was happening in our city.”
Silmon said she now has “a new story to tell” as a representative of Plexus Worldwide. “These plant-based products have transformed my personal health. When 2 a.m. wake-up calls and a rigorous work schedule took a toll on my health, Plexus helped put me on the road to wellness, and that’s what I want to do for others . . . I hope my story becomes an inspiration to others who want to embrace a healthier lifestyle and those who want to become financially free in the process.”
Silmon grew up in Dallas and is a graduate of Lake Highlands High School. She initially replaced Good Day reporter/anchor Krystle Gutierrez, who joined her husband, Kris Gutierrez, in Chicago after he got an anchoring job there. But Kris now is back in D-FW, and began co-anchoring NBC5’s weekday 5 p.m. newscasts in March.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs.-Sun., July 2-5) -- World Cup runneth over
07/06/15 10:33 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The United States’ 5-2 rout of Japan in the Women’s World Cup Final made Fox look like a sports property-buying genius Sunday night.
Running from 6 to 7:50 p.m., the match blasted past the half-million viewers mark in D-FW, averaging 543,972. The peak crowd came during the 7:45 to 8 p.m. increment, when 788,062 viewers watched the U.S. clinch the win and then celebrate.
In the key advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic, U.S.-Japan averaged 230,227 viewers with a high of 312,226 in the 7:45 to 8 p.m. segment.
Fox’s post-match coverage, which ended at 8:40 p.m., also easily won its time slot with an average of 411,466 total viewers and 182,920 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Meanwhile on NBC, the Peacock went into a ratings tailspin with a NASCAR Coke Zero 400 race from Daytona that was delayed by rain throughout prime-time. The network kept vamping anyway, averaging just 48,818 total viewers from 6:30 to 10 p.m., with 18,923 hitting the 18-to-49 motherlode. The crash-pocked race finally got the checkered flag at 10:42 p.m., drawing 83,688 total viewers in the first full 15-minute increment.
The race ended at 1:41 a.m., with Dale Earnhardt the winner. By that time, 41,844 viewers were still tuned in -- or fast asleep with the TV still on.
NBC5 management eventually had the good sense to abandon plans to do a mega-delayed 10 p.m. newscast, allowing the late night crew to go home at midnight. It’s exceedingly rare when a scheduled 10 p.m. newscast is entirely wiped off the books, but this was one of those occurrences.
From 7 to 9 p.m. on the Fourth of July, NBC led the way with a Macy’s song-and-fireworks special that drew 132,506 total viewers and 40,999 in the 18-to-49 realm. The Texas Rangers’ home slaughtering at the hands of the Angels then won the 9 p.m. hour with 104,610 total viewers. TEGNA8’s locally produced Fourth of July special from Fair Park ran second with 90,662 total viewers, beating NBC’s condensed reprise of the Macy’s special (62,766 viewers).
Rangers-Angels also won from 9 to 10 p.m. among 18-to-49-year-olds while the TEGNA8 special and NBC tied for second.
Friday’s top prime-tie scorers were CBS’ 8 p.m. Hawaii Five-0 repeat in total viewers (132,506) and NBC’s 9 p.m. Dateline with 18-to-49-year-olds (37,846).
On Thursday, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and CBS 7 p.m. repeat of The Big Bang Theory tied for the most total viewers in prime-time (174,350). CBS’ 8 p.m. hour of Big Brother led all network programming in the 18-to-49 demographic with 72,537.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results. (All four major competitors took Fourth of July holiday weekend exemptions on Friday.)
TEGNA8 led in total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. competitions, had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m. and tied NBC5 for first in that demographic at 6 p.m.
NBC5 nipped Fox4 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and shared the total viewers gold at 6 p.m. with CBS11.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The United States’ 5-2 rout of Japan in the Women’s World Cup Final made Fox look like a sports property-buying genius Sunday night.
Running from 6 to 7:50 p.m., the match blasted past the half-million viewers mark in D-FW, averaging 543,972. The peak crowd came during the 7:45 to 8 p.m. increment, when 788,062 viewers watched the U.S. clinch the win and then celebrate.
In the key advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic, U.S.-Japan averaged 230,227 viewers with a high of 312,226 in the 7:45 to 8 p.m. segment.
Fox’s post-match coverage, which ended at 8:40 p.m., also easily won its time slot with an average of 411,466 total viewers and 182,920 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Meanwhile on NBC, the Peacock went into a ratings tailspin with a NASCAR Coke Zero 400 race from Daytona that was delayed by rain throughout prime-time. The network kept vamping anyway, averaging just 48,818 total viewers from 6:30 to 10 p.m., with 18,923 hitting the 18-to-49 motherlode. The crash-pocked race finally got the checkered flag at 10:42 p.m., drawing 83,688 total viewers in the first full 15-minute increment.
The race ended at 1:41 a.m., with Dale Earnhardt the winner. By that time, 41,844 viewers were still tuned in -- or fast asleep with the TV still on.
NBC5 management eventually had the good sense to abandon plans to do a mega-delayed 10 p.m. newscast, allowing the late night crew to go home at midnight. It’s exceedingly rare when a scheduled 10 p.m. newscast is entirely wiped off the books, but this was one of those occurrences.
From 7 to 9 p.m. on the Fourth of July, NBC led the way with a Macy’s song-and-fireworks special that drew 132,506 total viewers and 40,999 in the 18-to-49 realm. The Texas Rangers’ home slaughtering at the hands of the Angels then won the 9 p.m. hour with 104,610 total viewers. TEGNA8’s locally produced Fourth of July special from Fair Park ran second with 90,662 total viewers, beating NBC’s condensed reprise of the Macy’s special (62,766 viewers).
Rangers-Angels also won from 9 to 10 p.m. among 18-to-49-year-olds while the TEGNA8 special and NBC tied for second.
Friday’s top prime-tie scorers were CBS’ 8 p.m. Hawaii Five-0 repeat in total viewers (132,506) and NBC’s 9 p.m. Dateline with 18-to-49-year-olds (37,846).
On Thursday, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and CBS 7 p.m. repeat of The Big Bang Theory tied for the most total viewers in prime-time (174,350). CBS’ 8 p.m. hour of Big Brother led all network programming in the 18-to-49 demographic with 72,537.
Here are Thursday’s local news derby results. (All four major competitors took Fourth of July holiday weekend exemptions on Friday.)
TEGNA8 led in total viewers at 10 p.m. and Fox4 drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. competitions, had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 p.m. and tied NBC5 for first in that demographic at 6 p.m.
NBC5 nipped Fox4 for the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and shared the total viewers gold at 6 p.m. with CBS11.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 1) -- Masterchef keeps cooking
07/02/15 09:53 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Wednesday’s biggest summertime battleground is the 7 p.m. matchup between Fox’s Masterchef and CBS’ Big Brother.
MC again bested BB in the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings, drawing 202,246 total viewers and 100,922 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. BB had 146,454 total viewers while lagging badly in the 18-to-49 realm (56,768).
Fox’s 8 p.m. hour of the new Bullseye then plunged to respective totals of 62,766 and 34,692 viewers before Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast trampolined to a timeslot-winning 174,350 total viewers and 59,922 in the 18-to-49 range.
The Season 2 premiere of CBS’ Extant ran fourth at 9 p.m. in both total viewers (104,610) and 18-to-49-year-olds (a dismal 18,923).
Amid a big load of new and returning hot weather network series, Fox4’s 9 p.m. news remains the most reliable night-to-night ratings performer in D-FW. It continues to rebound from oft-feeble lead-ins from the Fox network while going against rafts of first-run programming on ABC, CBS and NBC. The market’s most-watched prime-time performers are the Fox4 9 p.m. news team of Steve Eagar, Heather Hays, Dan Henry and Mike Doocy. Halle Berry? The Extant star was a ratings flea Wednesday night.
Here are the four-way local news derby results.
TEGNA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station also ran the table at 5 p.m. and had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Fox4 as usual swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added a 6 p.m. win among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Wednesday’s biggest summertime battleground is the 7 p.m. matchup between Fox’s Masterchef and CBS’ Big Brother.
MC again bested BB in the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings, drawing 202,246 total viewers and 100,922 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. BB had 146,454 total viewers while lagging badly in the 18-to-49 realm (56,768).
Fox’s 8 p.m. hour of the new Bullseye then plunged to respective totals of 62,766 and 34,692 viewers before Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast trampolined to a timeslot-winning 174,350 total viewers and 59,922 in the 18-to-49 range.
The Season 2 premiere of CBS’ Extant ran fourth at 9 p.m. in both total viewers (104,610) and 18-to-49-year-olds (a dismal 18,923).
Amid a big load of new and returning hot weather network series, Fox4’s 9 p.m. news remains the most reliable night-to-night ratings performer in D-FW. It continues to rebound from oft-feeble lead-ins from the Fox network while going against rafts of first-run programming on ABC, CBS and NBC. The market’s most-watched prime-time performers are the Fox4 9 p.m. news team of Steve Eagar, Heather Hays, Dan Henry and Mike Doocy. Halle Berry? The Extant star was a ratings flea Wednesday night.
Here are the four-way local news derby results.
TEGNA8 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station also ran the table at 5 p.m. and had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.
Fox4 as usual swept the 6 a.m. competitions and added a 6 p.m. win among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., June 30 -- soccer scores big, Zoo is so-so
07/01/15 09:10 AM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The U.S. women’s team’s 2-0 soccer win over vaunted Germany rolled up a far bigger score ratings-wise Tuesday.
Airing from 6 to 7:54 p.m. on Fox, the semi-final World Cup match averaged 285,934 D-FW viewers with a peak crowd of 411,466 for the final minutes plus six minutes of post-game coverage in the 7:45 to 8 p.m. segment.
Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, soccer drew 132,460 viewers with a high of 189,228 for the 7:45 to 8 p.m. portion.
Fox’s following premiere of Beat the Champions, in which Rob Gronkowski, Missy Franklin and Scottie Pippen took on commoners, sunk to 97,636 total viewers and 47,307 in the 18-to-49 demographic before mercifully ending at 9:11 p.m.
CBS’ 8 p.m. premiere of Zoo had a respectable crowd of 181,324 total viewers to run second in its time slot behind NBC’s 8 to 9 p.m. portion of America’s Got Talent (237,116 viewers). The 8 to 9 p.m. slice of the Texas Rangers’ road win at Baltimore bulked up its audience after soccer ended and finished barely behind Zoo with 174,350 viewers on Fox Sports Southwest.
In the 18-to-49 realm, Zoo ran behind both AGT and the Rangers while nipping Beat the Champions.
The night’s biggest overall loser by far, ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss, drew a starvation 48,818 total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
Gannett8 overcame a substantial lead-in disadvantage from ABC to win at 10 p.m. in total viewers. Fox4 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 and NBC5 tied for first in total viewers at 6 a.m., with Fox4 alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds. The Peacock then romped to sweeps of the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions; Fox4’s news got benched in deference to soccer and pre-game network coverage.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The U.S. women’s team’s 2-0 soccer win over vaunted Germany rolled up a far bigger score ratings-wise Tuesday.
Airing from 6 to 7:54 p.m. on Fox, the semi-final World Cup match averaged 285,934 D-FW viewers with a peak crowd of 411,466 for the final minutes plus six minutes of post-game coverage in the 7:45 to 8 p.m. segment.
Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, soccer drew 132,460 viewers with a high of 189,228 for the 7:45 to 8 p.m. portion.
Fox’s following premiere of Beat the Champions, in which Rob Gronkowski, Missy Franklin and Scottie Pippen took on commoners, sunk to 97,636 total viewers and 47,307 in the 18-to-49 demographic before mercifully ending at 9:11 p.m.
CBS’ 8 p.m. premiere of Zoo had a respectable crowd of 181,324 total viewers to run second in its time slot behind NBC’s 8 to 9 p.m. portion of America’s Got Talent (237,116 viewers). The 8 to 9 p.m. slice of the Texas Rangers’ road win at Baltimore bulked up its audience after soccer ended and finished barely behind Zoo with 174,350 viewers on Fox Sports Southwest.
In the 18-to-49 realm, Zoo ran behind both AGT and the Rangers while nipping Beat the Champions.
The night’s biggest overall loser by far, ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss, drew a starvation 48,818 total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m.
Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.
Gannett8 overcame a substantial lead-in disadvantage from ABC to win at 10 p.m. in total viewers. Fox4 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).
Fox4 and NBC5 tied for first in total viewers at 6 a.m., with Fox4 alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds. The Peacock then romped to sweeps of the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions; Fox4’s news got benched in deference to soccer and pre-game network coverage.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net