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Doocy's not going, Slater's coming back

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Fox4’s Mike Doocy & new NFL Network hire Jane Slater

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Cowboys officially arrived at training camp Thursday. And for the first time since 1993, lead Fox4 sports anchor Mike Doocy wasn’t there to file a first-hand report.

Instead, Fox4 photojournalist Chris Hanks will be “handling our coverage,” Doocy said on his Facebook page Thursday. “He’ll be feeding back all the sights and sounds.”

Four summers ago, the Dallas-based station required Doocy to drive the nearly 1,500 miles to Oxnard while his competitors at NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 all flew in as usual. He had a photojournalist in tow for the roughly 22-hour trip.

“I must admit, it’s an odd feeling to be missing camp for the first time in 23 years,” Doocy said on his Facebook page. “But I hope you’ll stay with us as we begin a ‘new era’ in the way we cover this summertime sports tradition.”

A New York-based Fox corporate spokesperson said Friday that Fox4 is trying something different this time around. The decision to keep Doocy in Dallas is not due to budget concerns and he may return to future Cowboys’ training camps, the spokesperson said. By staying in Dallas, Doocy will have more time to experiment with different kinds of coverage, according to the spokesperson.

Doocy noted in his Facebook post that the station will be teaming with radio personalities from “The Ticket” (1310 AM) for on-camera commentaries from Cowboys camp. That will start this weekend when “The Musers” (George Dunham and Craig Miller) join him on Fox4’s 10 p.m. Sports Sunday program, Doocy said.

Still, his heart may have sank at least slightly if he watched any of Thursday’s 6 p.m. newscasts on rival stations. NBC5’s Newy Scruggs, TEGNA8’s Mike Leslie and CBS11’s Bill Jones all reported live from the tarmac just after the Cowboys team plane had landed.

***Meanwhile, former CBS11/TXA21 sports anchor/reporter Jane Slater will be at the Cowboys’ Oxnard training camp in her new position with the NFL Network. Slater told unclebarky.com that she starts next Friday, when head coach Jason Garrett is scheduled to address the media. She’ll otherwise be based in Dallas and also is assigned to cover the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints as part of her new beat.

Slater is parting ways with the Austin-based, ESPN-owned Longhorn Network after two years.

***KRLD radio (1080 AM) chief meteorologist Bob Goosmann has resigned that position in the wake of a racially charged post about the “Mothers of the Movement” segment at Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention. “His resignation is effective immediately,” a spokesperson confirmed to unclebarky.com Friday afternoon.

Goosmann, who previously did weathercasts at Dallas-based stations KDAF-TV (Ch. 33) and KTVT-TV (Ch. 11), said in a since deleted post, “As many of you have probably noticed, I’ve stayed away from politics on FB. The DNC parading the mothers of slain thugs around on their stage has me furious.”

Among them were the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Some delegates chanted “Black Lives Matter!” during their remarks.

Goosmann, who also works in real estate, joined KRLD in October, 2012. He so far has not returned an email asking for comment.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., July 28) -- CNN wins big on Dem's closing night

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Hill and Bill ride again at close of convention. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Democrats went into “overtime” for the fourth straight night of their convention, with presidential nominee Hillary Clinton winding up her speech at 10:27 p.m.

She started at 9:30 p.m., leaving Hillary 18 minutes shy of Donald Trump’s 75-minute acceptance speech on the climactic night of last week’s Republican convention. As they did on the three previous nights, ABC, CBS and NBC started their convention telecasts at 9 p.m. while the cable news networks and PBS had full prime-time coverage.

CNN dominated the convention ratings Thursday night in both total D-FW viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). As it did for Trump’s finishing touches, Fox4 broke away from its 9 p.m. local newscast to air Hillary’s speech in its entirety.

Here are D-FW’s convention ratings from 9 to 10:30 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds. (Fox4’s numbers are only for the 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. hour in which the station covered the Democratic nominee’s closing remarks.)

Total Viewers
CNN -- 177,060
MSNBC -- 113,318
NBC -- 106,236
PBS -- 84,989
ABC -- 70,824
Fox News Channel/Fox4 -- 56,659 apiece
CBS -- 49,577

25-to-54-Year-Olds
CNN -- 95,242
NBC -- 50,597
MSNBC -- 38,692
PBS -- 32,739
ABC -- 29,763
CBS -- 23,810
Fox4 -- 20,834
Fox News Channel -- 17,858

The combined numbers for the Democrats’ closing night add up to 715,322 total viewers and 300,535 in the 25-to-54 age range. In both cases, Night 4 of the Republicans nipped the Democrats in D-FW with respective totals of 722,104 and 303,583 viewers.

On Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers’ 3-2 home win over Oakland drew 127,483 total viewers.

Here are Thursday’s local news derby numbers, with the 10 p.m. editions once again omitted due to convention overruns.

For the first time during convention week, a station other than Fox4 or NBC5 broke through for a ratings victory. TEGNA8 edged the Peacock for the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m.

Otherwise, Fox4 again ran the table at 6 a.m. while NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions and had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 27) -- Fox News Channel crashes to last on Night 3 of Dem convention

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The Big Embrace climaxed Night 3 of Dem convention. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox News Channel’s descent from the penthouse to the outhouse escalated to a free fall Wednesday night when its coverage of the Democratic National Convention wound up last in the D-FW Nielsen ratings in both key measurements.

FNC led in total viewers for all four nights of last week’s Republican convention and was tops among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming) on Nights 3 and 4. But the conservative-leaning network, which has been interviewing Republicans during a good part of the Democratic convention, hit the ratings basement Wednesday despite a technical glitch that short-circuited PBS affiliate KERA13’s coverage in the early minutes of President Obama’s featured speech. The station quickly recovered but the Nielsen numbers show that many viewers never returned after coverage was restored shortly after 10 p.m.

The Democrats again went well past prime-time, with Obama beginning his speech at 9:55 p.m. and ending it at 10:40 p.m. Then came an even bigger finish, with nominee Hillary Clinton taking the stage and embracing the president after he had said, among other things, that no man or woman has ever been more qualified for the job.

ABC, CBS and NBC as usual began their coverage at 9 p.m. -- and signed off by 10:45 p.m. -- while the three cable news networks and PBS again offered a full night of coverage.

Here are the D-FW numbers from 9 to 10:45 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

Total Viewers
NBC -- 120,401
CNN/MSNBC -- 106,236 apiece
CBS/PBS -- 56,659 apiece
ABC -- 49,577
Fox News Channel -- 28,330

25-to-54-Year-Olds
CNN -- 56,550
NBC -- 38,692
MSNBC -- 32,739
ABC -- 23,810
CBS/PBS -- 17,858 apiece
Fox News Channel -- 8,929

KERA13, the PBS station, had been rolling along pretty well in total viewers, peaking at 84,989 between 9:45 and 10 p.m. But then came the technical issue, plunging PBS’ audience to 28,330 total viewers between 10 and 10:15 p.m. The station recovered somewhat, but the damage had been done. From 1:15 to 10:45 p.m., KERA13 averaged 49,577 viewers.

On all seven networks, Night 3 of the Democratic convention had 524,093 total viewers and 196,436 in the 25-to-54 age range. For the first time, that put it below the Republican convention in total viewers, with Night 3 drawing 559,510. The Dems still had more 25-to-54-year-olds than the GOP (184,531 on their Night 3).

On Fox Sports Southwest, the first-place Texas Rangers continued to struggle, blowing a late-inning lead to the Oakland A’s and losing 6-4. The game averaged 162,895 total viewers.

Wednesday’s biggest single network draw again was NBC’s America’s Got Talent, which had 233,719 total viewers in the 7 p.m. hour.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results, with the 10 p.m. editions again omitted because of convention run-overs.

It was the same story as the previous two convention days. Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 ruled at 5 and 6 p.m. in both ratings measurements.

Email comments or questions to; unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 26) -- CNN's is biggest winner on Night 2 of Democratic convention while CBS again craters

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Bill Clinton tried to sell a love story as Tuesday’s featured speaker. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Tuesday’s 9 to 10 p.m. convention “window” -- where ABC, CBS and NBC grudgingly join in -- was primarily consumed by Bill Clinton’s typically elongated speech on behalf of his wife.

He began at 9:11 p.m. and ended at 9:53 p.m., out-talking his much-ridiculed, 33-minute 1988 convention keynote address by 9 minutes. With daughter Chelsea in attendance, it in large part amounted to a flowery “How I Met Your Mother” speech. Hillary’s climactic one-minute address to Democratic delegates via satellite again ended up taking the broadcast networks into “overtime,” as NBC anchor Lester Holt put it. But they all had signed off by 10:15 p.m. on a night when CNN ruled the overall ratings roost.

Here are the 9 to 10:15 p.m. D-FW Nielsen ratings in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Total Viewers
CNN -- 162,895
NBC -- 113,318
Fox News Channel -- 77,906
ABC/MSNBC -- 63,742 apiece
PBS -- 49,577
CBS -- 35,412

25-to-54-Year-Olds
NBC -- 59,526
CNN -- 53,573
ABC/FNC/MSNBC -- 26,787 apiece
PBS -- 8,929
CBS -- 5,953

As with the Republican convention, NBC was greatly aided by a big lead-in from America’s Got Talent, which had 283,296 total viewers in the 7 to 9 p.m. slot. That easily made AGT the most-watched program on any single network.

The 9 to 10:15 p.m. portion of the convention on all seven networks added up to 566,592 total viewers and 208,342 in the 25-to-54 age range. That easily blew past Night 2 of the Republican convention, which drew 432,027 total viewers and 148,816 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic.

The CW’s 8 p.m. relaunch of Mad TV fizzled with just 14,165 total viewers. But a big percentage of them -- 12,703 -- were 18-to-49-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for non-news programming).

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results, with the 10 p.m. editions again omitted due to convention over-runs.

TEGNA8 and CBS11 again were left out of the money via the same outcomes as Monday. Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 had twin wins at both 5 and 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 25) -- numbers for Night 1 of Dem convention reflect rampant viewer polarization

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Stephen Colbert went psychedelic on his live post-convention show. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox News Channel fell from first to last among the three cable news networks while MSNBC vaulted from an overall last to first for Monday’s Night 1 of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Such are the times we live in, with many viewers opting for their “home team” network while CNN remains firmly but solidly caught in the middle. Last week’s Republican convention coverage had put FNC in the ratings driver’s seat, particularly on closing night.

ABC, CBS and NBC again waited until 9 p.m. to join MSNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and PBS in covering the Dems. Everyone went long when the night’s climactic speech from Bernie Sanders began late and stretched to 10:22 p.m. The Big Three broadcast networks all had exited by 10:25 p.m. while the cable networks plowed on deep into the night.

Nielsen measures in 15-minute increments. Here are the D-FW ratings in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming) for the convention coverage from 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Total Viewers
NBC/MSNBC -- 106,236 apiece
CNN -- 99,154
Fox News Channel -- 77,906
ABC -- 70,824
CBS -- 56,659
PBS -- 35,412

25-to-54-Year-Olds
MSNBC/CNN -- 50,597 apiece
NBC -- 47,621
ABC/FNC -- 29,763
CBS -- 17,858
PBS -- 8,929

On Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers returned home and delivered a dramatic walk-off homer win to beat the Oakland A’s. Adrian Beltre hit it and the Rangers averaged 141,648 total viewers. But the biggest single-network number came from NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of American Ninja Warrior, which had 198,307 total viewers.

Monday night’s 9 to 10:30 p.m. Democratic convention coverage on all seven networks drew 552,427 total viewers and 205,365 in the 25-to-54 age range. Both exceeded the respective Night 1 numbers for the Republican convention, which had 524,098 total viewers and 181,533 in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic.

Here are Monday’s local news derby numbers, with the 10 p.m. editions not counted due to the convention run-overs.

Two stations collected all of the gold. Fox4 as usual won at 6 a.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 swept the 5 and 6 p.m. competitions in both ratings measurements.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

TEGNA8 adds reporter Kevin Reece from Houston's KHOU (updated)

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Kevin Reece, a multi-award-winning feature reporter who has spent the last nine years with Houston’s KHOU-TV, is changing Texas venues and will be joining Dallas-based TEGNA8, sources tell unclebarky.com.

Reece last year won Lone Star Emmys as both the state’s best feature reporter (his fifth such award) and video journalist. He’ll reportedly be a multi-purpose reporter at TEGNA8. KHOU also is owned by TEGNA.

Reece has a Masters Degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. He’s also worked at TV stations in Eureka, CA, Chattanooga, TN and Seattle. He initially joined KHOU in September 2007. Reece is “always looking for positive, uplifting and inspirational stories to tell,” according to his KHOU biography.

Investigative reporter Brett Ship, who has won numerous major national reporting awards during his long tenure at TEGNA8, effusively praised Reece’s hiring in comments to unclebarky.com.

“Wow, what a catch,” he said. “The guy is an amazing reporter, a storyteller, a digger and an award winner. We keep hiring quality people and I couldn’t be happier, especially in this age of austerity.”

TEGNA8 also has re-hired Mark Smith to beef up TEGNA8’s investigative team, Shipp said.

Smith, who had relocated to CBS News’ Dallas bureau, previously teamed with Shipp to produce three duPont-Columbia and a trio of Peabody award-winners.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., July 22-24) -- daytime Rangers outscore all prime-time programming

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Still hanging on in first place against the rampaging Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers’ nail-biting 2-1 win at Kansas City Sunday drew a bigger overall audience than anything else anywhere.

The late afternoon end to a prolonged batch of road games averaged 177,060 viewers on Fox Sports Southwest. And its haul of advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds tied CBS’ 7 p.m. episode of Big Brother for the top spot in that demographic with 73,041 viewers.

ABC’s 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday lineup of retro game show re-boots ran first from 7 to 9 p.m. in total viewers with Celebrity Family Feud (141,648) and The $100,000 Pyramid (134,566). Match Game (106,236) then fell to a second place tie at 9 p.m. among the Big Four broadcast networks. Fox4’s local newscast won the hour (134,566 viewers) while the second half of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior equaled Match Game’s audience.

In the 18-to-49 age range, the 7 to 10 p.m. winners were Big Brother and the full two hours of Ninja.

Saturday night’s Rangers game, a 7-4 win, was exiled to Fox Sports 1 and paid a stiff ratings price with just 35,412 total viewers. On Friday night, the Rangers’ loss to the Royals on FSS averaged 113,318 viewers.

Here are Friday’s 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).

Fox4 had twin wins at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. firsts went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., July 21) -- Fox News Channel leads ratings parade for GOP convention closer

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Post-speech: Trump, Melania & that other guy. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
On the day when its founding father resigned in disgrace, Fox News Channel scored its first decisive convention coverage ratings victories in both key measurements.

Night 4 of the GOP gathering climaxed with presidential nominee Donald Trump’s acceptance speech, which set a length record by stretching from 9:19 to 10:34 p.m. ABC, CBS and NBC all stayed around for the duration before quickly signing off. And Fox4 joined the party for the first time by televising the speech in lieu of its regularly scheduled local newscast.

Here are the D-FW ratings for the 9 to 10:30 p.m. segment. (Nielsen measures in 15-minute increments and ABC, CBS and NBC as usual didn’t start their coverage until 9 p.m., joining Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC and PBS.)

Total Viewers
Fox News Channel -- 233,419
Fox4 -- 106,236
NBC/CNN -- 92,071 apiece
ABC -- 77,906
PBS/MSNBC -- 63,742 apiece
CBS -- 56,659

25-to-54-Year-Olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming)
FNC -- 62,502
Fox4 -- 50,597
ABC/CNN/MSNBC -- 38,692 apiece
PBS -- 32,739
NBC -- 29,763
CBS -- 11,905

These are dismal numbers for CBS, which for the first night ran last in both key ratings measurements. And NBC, which had led among 25-to-54-year-olds for the convention’s first three nights, clearly had been coasting on the strength of potent 7 to 9 p.m. lead-in audiences from American Ninja Warrior and two editions of America’s Got Talent. Stuck with a lousy lead-in from Spartan Challenge Thursday night, NBC plunged to second-to-last among 25-to-54-year-olds and managed only a third-place with CNN in total viewers.

All in all, the 9 to 10:30 p.m. convention coverage on eight outlets (instead of seven for the first three nights), averaged 722,104 total viewers and 303,583 in the 25-to-54 age range. Not surprisingly, both soared past the previous highs set on Wednesday’s Night 3.

Also, for the first time, the convention coverage on a single network -- FNC -- was the highest-ranking TV attraction of the night. NBC’s aforementioned trio of “reality-competition” shows had the highest single-network numbers on Monday through Wednesday.

Here are Thursday’s local news derby results, with the 10 p.m. newscasts excluded because of convention run-overs.

Two stations collected all the spoils. Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 ran the table at both 5 and 6 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Pet Sounds: NBC5/Telemundo39's annual "Clear the Shelters" campaign is this Saturday (July 23rd)

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Former shelter kitty Bella Bark enthusiastically endorses NBC5’s third annual pet adoption drive. “I never knew I could have a life like this,” she says in a statement. Her elderly “sister,” Snickers, likewise an ex-shelter resident, joins in championing this worthy effort. “I’m firmly on board,” she said before resuming her nap. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
D-FW television stations sponsor all sorts of community initiatives. One of the very worthiest is NBC5/Telemundo39’s “Clear the Shelters” pet adoption drive, which will be on Saturday, July 23rd.

On that day, more than 65 North Texas animal shelters will offer no-cost adoptions. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Fort Worth-based station began this campaign in 2014 in partnership with the Irving Animal Shelter. Since 2015, all NBC Universal-owned TV stations are participating.

For a complete list of area animal shelters involved in this year’s effort, go here. (You can use the interactive map to click on blue dots to identify the shelter nearest you.)

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 20 -- Cruz-ing for a bruising on Night 3 of GOP convention

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Ted Cruz stole show with non-endorsement speech. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Although his controversial speech ended shortly before the 9 p.m. “magic window” Wednesday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz got the lion’s share of attention on both broadcast and cable networks.

His ringing non-endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, prolonged by boos, applause and at times deafening overall sound, also served to push vice presidential nominee Mike Pence’s speech past prime-time. He didn’t finish until 10:13 p.m., but ABC, CBS and NBC all stayed with him before quickly signing off.

Cruz, who doubled down on Thursday morning by saying he wouldn’t be a “servile puppy dog” to a man who had attacked both his wife and late father, stole virtually all of Pence’s thunder -- as well as Trump’s. With just one night to go, the Republican convention from Cleveland has turned out to be a theater of the absurd that began on Monday night when it was found that Trump’s wife, Melania, had lifted portions of First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech.

First let’s look at the convention’s 8:30 to 9 p.m. ratings, when the bulk of Cruz’s speech was delivered. Since ABC, CBS and NBC weren’t covering it live, we’ll give you just the three cable news network ratings (plus PBS) in total D-FW viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Total Viewers
Fox News Channel -- 162,895
CNN -- 56,659
PBS -- 42,494
MSNBC -- 35,412

25-to-54-Year-Olds
FNC -- 29,763
MSNBC -- 17,858
PBS -- 14,882
CNN -- 11,905

Now here are the ratings for the 9 to 10:15 p.m. coverage, during which Eric Trump and Newt Gingrich spoke before Pence came on and received a climactic air kiss at speech’s end from the head of the ticket.

Total Viewers
FNC -- 184,142
NBC -- 134,566
ABC -- 56,659
CBS/CNN/MSNBC -- 49,577 apiece
PBS -- 35,412

25-to-54-Year-Olds
NBC -- 77,384
FNC -- 41,668
MSNBC -- 20,834
ABC -- 17,858
CNN -- 11,905
PBS -- 8,929
CBS -- 5,953

Add them all up and that’s a combined 559,510 total viewers and 184,531 in the 18-to-49 age range. Both are the biggest convention audiences to date, narrowly beating the marks set on opening night. but Donald Trump’s Thursday night acceptance speech assuredly will be the week’s biggest draw in both ratings measurements.

The most-watched program on any single network, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of America’s Got Talent, had 226,637 total viewers.

On Fox Sports Southwest, the free-falling, but still first-place Texas Rangers averaged 134,566 total viewers for their road loss to the Angels. Decimated by injuries, the Rangers have gone as cold as they once were hot.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.

The 10 p.m. newscasts, save for Fox4’s were pushed significantly past their scheduled start times and won’t be counted in this roundup.

Otherwise Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 5 and 6 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Spiked punches: Cuban pummels Trump on Late Show with Stephen Colbert

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank co-star Mark Cuban, who initially greeted Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy with considerable enthusiasm, has lately rebooted and signed off.

He opened Wednesday’s live convention edition of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show with a “Takes the Gloves Off” volley of jokes targeting the fellow billionaire businessman. Below is the complete video of Cuban’s hits -- and misses.

In a subsequent interview during the show’s second half, Colbert missed an opportunity to ask Cuban about his “We Are One” t-shirt (to which he changed) tied to the July 7th sniper attack in downtown Dallas that left five officers dead. Just a single reference at interview’s end would have sufficed. But Colbert instead asked Cuban about his days as an Indiana University student and what he thought of that state’s Mike Pence, who’s Trump’s running mate. Cuban graduated with a business degree from the university in 1981, which was 19 years before Pence was first elected to Congress. So Cuban not surprisingly had no opinion and in fact seemed incredulous that the question was even asked.



Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 19) -- numbers down for Night 2 of GOP convention

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Don Jr. showed dad how to do it Tuesday night. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Donald Trump Jr. led off the 9 p.m. magic hour with a forceful and well-delivered speech on behalf of his dad.

But after that, Night 2 of the Republican National Convention filled the rest of prime-time with a discombobulated Dr. Ben Carson and a former soap star. The D-FW ratings reacted accordingly, dipping significantly from Monday’s opening night.

The night’s biggest single-network draw, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of America’s Got Talent, had more total viewers (276,214) than the combined 9 to 10 p.m. convention coverage on ABC, CBS and NBC. AGT also led among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds with 85,744 while ABC’s coverage courted “hashmarks” (no measurable audience) before ending with a sub-teeny 952 viewers in this key demographic. No, that’s not a misprint.

Here are the 9 to 10 p.m. convention numbers for both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Total Viewers
NBC/Fox News Channel -- 113,318 apiece
CBS/CNN -- 63,742 apiece
ABC/MSNBC -- 28,330 apiece
PBS -- 21,247

25-to-54-Year-Olds
NBC -- 56,550
CNN -- 32,739
FNC -- 26,787
CBS -- 17,858
ABC/MSNBC -- 5,953
PBS -- 2,976

The combined total audience of 432,027 was down from 524,098 on opening night. And the number of 25-to-54-year-olds fell from 181,533 to 148,816.

Second nights of political conventions tend to be the lowest draws. Still, the Republicans oddly scheduled Chris Christie, Paul Ryan and Trump’s youngest daughter, Tiffany, before the 9 to 10 p.m. portion carried by both broadcast and cable networks. Donald Trump himself also appeared briefly via satellite from New York City well before the “window” opened. (Fox4 again stayed with its regular 9 p.m. local newscast, which drew 84,989 total viewers and 38,692 in the 25-to-54 age range opposite convention coverage.)

Over on Fox Sports Southwest, the struggling first-place Texas Rangers lost another late night road game to the Angels. It averaged 120,401 total viewers.

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.

NBC5 had a big day, sweeping the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds. Fox4 again had twin wins at 6 a.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 18) -- Night One numbers for GOP convention

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Rudy Giuliani raged before Melania Trump served as the centerpiece on Night One of the Republican National Convention from Cleveland. Photos: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Monday’s most-watched prime-time attraction, on a single network at least, turned out to be NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of American Ninja Warrior with 198,307 D-FW viewers.

But by 9 p.m., ABC, CBS and NBC had joined CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and PBS for their “window” into the Republican National Convention. During that magic hour, FNC drew the most total viewers but NBC reigned among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

The GOP’s featured attraction, Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, coasted fairly smoothly through her 15-minute presentation but later found herself in the middle of a plagiarism controversy after it was discovered that two paragraphs of her speech basically were lifted from Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention address. It’s always something with the Trump campaign.

Before the 9 p.m. witching hour, FNC led its cable news network rivals in both the total viewers and 25-to-54 ratings. But from 9 to 10 p.m., CNN jumped ahead of FNC in the key 25-to-54 news demographic. Fox4 aired its regular 9 p.m. local newscast instead of convention coverage. The station ran fourth in total viewers among the Big Four broadcast networks, but moved up to second place among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Here are the 9 to 10 p.m. convention coverage results in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

Total Viewers
FNC -- 134,566
NBC -- 127,483
ABC/CNN -- 77,906 apiece
CBS -- 63,742
PBS -- 28,330
MSNBC -- 14,165

25-to-54-Year-Olds
NBC -- 71,431
CNN -- 38,670
ABC -- 29,763
FNC -- 26,787
CBS/MSNBC -- 5,953
PBS -- 2,976

In late night, Stephen Colbert’s live convention-themed show on CBS tied NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in total viewers (63,742 apiece). But Colbert trailed Fallon among 18-to-49-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for entertainment programming by a score of 22,230 viewers to 15,879.

On Fox Sports Southwest, the slumping first place Texas Rangers’ late night road loss to the Angels averaged 120,401 total viewers.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results in the four major four-way competitions.

TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 ran the table at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. and also drew the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. NBC5 nipped TEGNA8 for the most total viewers at 6 p.m., with Fox4 and CBS11 both close behind.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., July 15-17) -- Rangers fade with three straight daytime games

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A battle of first-place teams in beautiful, historic Wrigley Field on paper seemed like a ratings bonanza for the Texas Rangers and Fox Sports Southwest.

But all three games were played in the early afternoon, and the Rangers dropped the first two to the Chicago Cubs while scoring just five runs in the entire series. So hello, ratings loss column.

Friday’s 6-0 Cubs win, which started at 1:05 p.m., had just 70,824 D-FW viewers. Saturday’s early afternoon game, a 3-1 Rangers loss with Yu Darvish returning to the mound, perked up to 134,566 viewers. Sunday afternoon’s 4-1 Rangers’ win, fueled by a superb performance from Cole Hamels, inched up to 141,648 total viewers.

One or more night games at Wrigley might have doubled those totals. Particularly on Friday, when the Rangers played in relative obscurity during workday hours. The ratings, which remain strong for night games at home, likely will stay flat for the Monday-Wednesday late night games at Anaheim. All of them start at 9:05 p.m. Home games get underway two hours earlier.

Elsewhere on Sunday’s sports front, NBC’s final round of The Open, with Henrik Stenson out-dueling Phil Mickelson in their part-busting showdown, averaged 127,483 viewers despite a 6 a.m. start and 12:30 p.m. finish. The audience peaked at 184,142 viewers between noon and 12:15 p.m.

In prime-time, ABC won in total viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. with Celebrity Family Feud (162,895) and The $100,000 Pyramid (134,566) before Fox4’s local 9 p.m. newscast beat ABC’s Match Game by a score of 169,978 viewers to 141,648.

Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, the 7 to 10 p.m. winners were CBS’ Big Brother, Pyramid and Fox4’s news.

Here are Friday’s local news derby numbers.

NBC5 won at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. while NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions. CBS11 drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m. but was nipped by NBC5 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., July 14) -- very slow going

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
It’s a very slow night in the conventional TV-watching world when a CBS repeat of The Big Bang Theory is Thursday’s most-watched prime-time attraction in all of D-FW.

Big Bang drew 191,225 viewers while CBS’ 8 p.m. episode of Big Brother had the most advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (44,460).

The night’s loss leader among the Big Four broadcast networks, NBC’s 9 p.m. hour of Aquarius, tanked with 28,330 total viewers and 12,703 in the 18-to-49 age range.

D-FW, the No. 5 TV market in the country, houses 7.082 million potential “appointed hour” TV-watchers, with 3.176 million of them in the 18-to-49 age range.

Here are Thursday’s local news derby numbers.

CBS11 won two battles for the first time in recent memory, ranking No. 1 in total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m.

But NBC5 was the big winner, with sweeps at 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The Peacock also won at 5 and 6 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 13) -- a smackdown for the ESPYs

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
America’s Got Talent whipped the first two hours of ABC’s ESPYs awards Wednesday night before both Fox4’s local newscast and NBC’s Night Shift polished things off in the 9 p.m. hour.

The Peacock’s AGT drew 233,719 D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. before Night Shift fell to 148,730 viewers at 9 p.m. and was slightly outdrawn by Fox4’s competing news (155,813 viewers). All three performed better than the ESPYs, which averaged 141,648 viewers for its entire three hours.

In the advertiser-craved 18-to-49 age range, AGT, Fox’s 7 p.m. hour of Masterchef and Fox4’s news all outdrew the ESPYs.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby numbers.

NBC5 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while TEGNA8 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The ESPYs ran a few minutes past 10 p.m., so there’s a bit of an asterisk in play.

Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions. The 6 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 12) -- All-Stars win one, lose one vs. AGT

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The American League won the All-Star game 4-2 on Fox Tuesday night, but NBC’s America’s Got Talent shared the ratings spoils during direct competition with baseball’s mid-summer showcase.

Airing from 7 to 9 p.m., AGT averaged 254,966 D-FW viewers. The All-Star game, which started at 7:22 p.m. and ended at 10:27 p.m., drew 247,884 viewers for the portion of the game going head-to-head with AGT.

But baseball easily won among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 101,622 opposite AGT’s 53,987.

The entire All-Star game, which handily outscored all competing programming from 9 p.m. until the final out, also averaged 247,884 total viewers, with a slightly smaller 98,447 in the 18-to-49 age range.

Earlier Tuesday, Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 all preempted regular programming to air the Memorial service in honor of the five police officers gunned down by an assassin Thursday night in downtown Dallas. President Obama and an at times oddly bouncy George W. Bush were among the speakers at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center. The ceremony official got underway at 1 p.m. and ended at 2:25 p.m.

Here are the ratings during that period in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

TEGNA8 -- 134,566 total viewers and 26,787 in the 25-to-54 demographic
NBC5 -- 106,236 total viewers and 41,668 in the 25-to-54 demographic
Fox4 -- 92,071 total viewers and 26,787 in the 25-to-54 demographic
CBS11 -- 77,906 total viewers and 8,929 in the 25-to-54 demographic

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results in the four major regularly scheduled competitions.

TEGNA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 nipped TEGNA8 among 25-to-54-year-olds in a downsized three-way competition.

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at both 5 and 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 11) -- Home run derby slugs it out with trio of "reality-competition" shows

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ESPN’s annual All-Star game appetizer, the Home Run Derby, rocked, socked and overall came out OK against two-hour editions of “reality-competition” shows on ABC, NBC and Fox.

The Derby, won by the Florida Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton, ran from 7 p.m. until shortly before 9:30 p.m. Overall, it averaged 148,730 D-FW viewers and 66,690 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic.

NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. American Ninja Warrior led Monday’s prime-time attractions in both ratings measurements with 205,390 total viewers and 92,095 in the 18-to-49 age range.

ABC’s The Bachelorette, starring Dallasite JoJo Fletcher as rose distributor, ran second in total viewers (162,895) but fell behind the Derby with 18-to-49-year-olds (57,163).

Fox’s two-hour dollop of So You Think You Can Dance placed a distant fourth among this quartet with 92,071 total viewers and 15,879 in the 18-to-49 realm.

Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast than trampolined to 184,142 total viewers and 50,811 within the 18-to-49 motherlode. That easily was good enough to win the 9 p.m. hour among the Big Four broadcast networks.

ABC’s Mistresses and CBS’ Braindead, both of which aired at 9 p.m., were the night’s overall loss leaders with matching numbers of 70,824 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results.

Fox4 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). The station also again had twin wins at 6 a.m.

NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m. and had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. TEGNA8 entered the winner’s circle by running first with 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., July 8-10) -- Olympic trials, game shows offer respites

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s women’s gymnastics portion of the summer Olympics trials and ABC’s three hours of revived retro game shows led Sunday’s prime-time programming while also providing escapes from the terrible events in downtown Dallas Thursday night.

The trials, a prelude to the upcoming games in Rio, averaged 212,472 D-FW viewers and also drew the most advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (92,095). NBC’s earlier track and field trials, which ran from 6 to 7:30 p.m., were decidedly less popular with 84,989 total viewers and 19,054 in the 18-to-49 age range.

ABC’s 7 to 8 p.m. editions of Celebrity Family Feud beat the track and field/gymnastics combo in total viewers with 177,060 but CBS’ competing Big Brother had the most 18-to-49-year-olds in that hour (57,163). ABC’s $100,000 Pyramid and Match Game then ran second from 8 to 10 p.m. in both ratings measurements.

Here are Friday’s local news derby results.

NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but the Peacock won outright among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 6 p.m.

Fox4 drew the most total viewers at 5 p.m. while NBC5 and TEGNA8 tied for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.

CBS11’s 6 p.m. local newscast gave way to an expanded one-hour edition of the CBS Evening News, which outdrew Fox4 and TEGNA8 in total viewers and ran third ahead of TEGNA8 in the 25-to-54 measurement.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Sports anchor shift at CBS11 sends Keith Russell to weekends

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CBS11 sports anchors Keith Russell (left) and Bill Jones.

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Keith Russell, who became CBS11’s featured sports anchor in March 2015, is being sent to weekends, informed sources tell unclebarky.com.

His weekday 6 and 10 p.m. newscast replacement, on an interim basis at least, will be veteran CBS11 sports handyman Bill Jones. Station representatives so far have not responded to several messages asking for comment or confirmation.

Russell, who arrived from Philadelphia’s WXTF-TV, was hired to replace Babe Laufenberg after a contract impasse. Laufenberg left in mid-January of 2015 after a 17-year career at CBS11. The former Dallas Cowboys reserve quarterback continues to team with Brad Sham on the team’s radio broadcasts.

Russell’s transfer to weekends can kindly be called a reassignment, but more accurately is a demotion that likely will lead to a search for employment elsewhere. Sources say Russell was informed of the switch late last week. His frequently deployed distinctive laugh and conversational cheerleading style did not appear to be wearing well over time. Before joining CBS11, Russell was WXTF’s weekend sports anchor and also hosted the Philadelphia Eagles’ pre- and post-game shows. He was one of the early hires of news director Mike Garber, who joined CBS11 as news director in July 2014.

Jones became a full-time sports anchor/reporter at CBS11 in Sept. 2006 after earlier freelancing for the station. He is no stranger to fill-in duty and has a long history in the D-FW market. Before joining CBS11, Jones worked at NBC5 from 1990-’97 and then was the Texas Rangers’ television play-by-play man for five years. He also has worked for the Dallas Cowboys.

Meanwhile, CBS11 continues to search for a permanent successor to chief meteorologist Larry Mowry, who spent eight years in that position before leaving in April of this year for Chicago’s WLS-TV.

Mowry’s interim replacement, Scott Padgett, is currently “away on some personal family business,” he said on his Facebook page. “But I assure you all is well. I haven’t left CBS11 and will hopefully be back at the beginning of August. Having amazing fans and viewers like you on the other side of the screen makes my job even more rewarding.”

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Fox4 news is most-watched during Thursday night's continuous coverage of police ambush in Dallas

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Panic in the streets after shots rang out Thursday. Fox4 image

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
First and foremost, all four of D-FW’s major TV news operations for the most part performed ably under extreme duress during a Thursday night horror story that left five Dallas officers dead and seven others wounded by a sniper or snipers.

Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 all broke in with continuous live coverage shortly after 9 p.m. My ongoing reactions are on Twitter, as are some of yours if you happen to be a follower or interested party.

Although it’s not reflected in the ratings, CBS11 had the overall strongest coverage from this perspective. Anchor Doug Dunbar stood out, in part because he was soloing while Fox4, NBC5 and TEGNA8 had multiple people in their studios. One voice of authority oftentimes works better in these circumstances than anchor “clutter.” In Dunbar’s case, co-anchor Kaley O’Kelley had the night off.

CBS11 also led in coverage of the Hughes brothers, Cory and Mark, who now are very much in the national news as well. The latter brother was pictured and labeled a “suspect” in an official Dallas Police Department Twitter post. CBS11’s Ken Molestina was the first to interview Cory, a protest march leader and organizer who emphatically said his arms-bearing brother had nothing to do with the shootings. And CBS11’s Robbie Owens later exclusively interviewed both brothers after Mark Hughes had been questioned and released. He earlier had voluntarily turned his weapon over to police, as a video showed.

Mark Hughes, who wore a “camo” shirt, was carrying his weapon both legally and very visibly. That didn’t show an abundance of common sense on his part. Still, he didn’t deserve to be branded a “suspect” whose picture was widely circulated both locally and nationally before police downgraded him to a “person of interest.” Not surprisingly, the Hughes brothers now have an attorney.

Fox4 reporter Shaun Rabb, who kept insisting that Dallas police had never called Mark Hughes a “suspect,” was clearly wrong about that. But he was right in first reporting that a sniper holed up at El Centro college had been killed by police.

Rabb was heavily used by Fox4, and not always to optimum effect. His reporting sometimes sounded like preaching. But perhaps that’s what many viewers want these days -- a reporter whose emotions are raw and, for the most part, unchecked. The hour-by-hour D-FW Nielsen ratings say that Fox4’s coverage had and kept the largest viewership in the two key measurements -- total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (the most valued news audience for advertisers). Rabb has been around the block and then some, with 26 years as a Fox4 street reporter. He’s going to do it his way. And on Thursday night, viewers again got both the good and the bad from Rabb, whose speculations clashed with his insights.

Here are the hour-by-hour local newscast ratings -- from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. -- in total D-FW viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

9 to 10 P.M.

Total Viewers
Fox4 -- 254,966
TEGNA8/CBS11 -- 120,401 each
NBC5 -- 106,236

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 133,934
NBC5 -- 60,121
TEGNA8 -- 58,038
CBS11 -- 26,787

10 to 11 P.M.

Total Viewers
Fox4 -- 290,378
TEGNA8 -- 226,637
NBC5 -- 191,225
CBS11 -- 155,813

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 175,602
NBC5 -- 101,194
TEGNA8 -- 98,218
CBS11 -- 44,645

11 P.M. to Midnight

Total Viewers
Fox4 -- 276,214
TEGNA8 -- 184,142
NBC5/CBS11 -- 148,730 each

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 178,578
NBC5 -- 95,242
TEGNA8 -- 83,336
CBS11 -- 59,526

Midnight to 1 A.M.

Total Viewers
Fox4 -- 283,296
CBS11 -- 99,154
NBC5/TEGNA8 -- 77,906 apiece

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 172,625
NBC5 -- 47,621
TEGNA8 -- 44,645
CBS11 -- 38,692

1 to 2 A.M.

Total Viewers
Fox4 -- 177,060
TEGNA8/CBS11 -- 56,659 each
NBC5 -- 42,494

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 104,171
NBC5/TEGNA8 -- 32,739 each
CBS11 -- 17,858

Comments: Fox4’s dominance among 25-to-54-year-olds is eye-popping. From midnight to 2 a.m., the station had more viewers in this key advertiser demographic than NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 combined.

NBC5 was the overall second choice among 25-to-54-year-olds, knocking TEGNA8 into third place. CBS11 had a few moral victories, running second from midnight to 1 a.m. in total viewers and tying TEGNA8 for the runner-up spot in that measurement from 9 to 10 p.m. and from 1 to 2 a.m.

But Fox4 set a runaway pace all the way from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. in both ratings barometers. On a terrible night for both the city and the Dallas Police Department, it clearly was the news station of choice.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., July 6) -- NBC, CBS split prime-time spoils

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Another two-hour chunk of NBC’s America’s Got Talent again set the overall prime-time pace Wednesday while CBS scored highest among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds with a competing episode of Big Brother.

AGT averaged 177,060 total D-FW viewers and BB had 63,514 to lead in the 18-to-49 age range. Both hauls are notably skimpy in a No. 5 TV market with 7.082 million total viewers and 3.176 million in the 18-to-49 realm.

ABC’s wall-to-wall prime-time sitcom repeats ran last in total viewers among the Big Four broadcast networks. The 8 to 9 p.m. episodes of Modern Family and black-ish slipped into third place among 18-to-49-year-olds ahead of Fox’s competing Wayward Pines.

On Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers’ road loss to the Boston Red Sox averaged 120,401 total viewers and 44,460 in the 18-to-49-demographic.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.

TEGNA8 led at 10 p.m. in total viewers and NBC5 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and also swept the 5 p.m. competitions. NBC5 scored twin wins at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Reporter Jim Douglas retiring from TEGNA8

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Dallas-based TEGNA8 is losing another stalwart news staffer, with veteran reporter Jim Douglas planning to retire at the end of this month.

The 60-year-old, multiple award-winning general assignment reporter worked from 1985 to 1995 at Fort Worth-based NBC5 before joining TEGNA8.

“I told you I would let you know when I step away,” Douglas said in an email sent early Wednesday night to unclebarky.com. “Carolyn (news director Carolyn Mungo) started telling staff this afternoon. She held off for a few days at my request. She’s been great. It’s mostly about family. I need and want to spend more time in Cincinnati, where my parents are facing life changes. And where our oldest daughter lives.”

Douglas said he doesn’t plan to move from North Texas, but “can travel back and forth often” because his wife works for American Airlines. He left a phone number for a subsequent interview, but “I’m really not up to talking about this right now,” he said.

The Star-Telegram’s Robert Philpot, whose newspaper has a “content-sharing” arrangement with TEGNA8, first reported Douglas’ retirement Wednesday night after obtaining a memo from Mungo to her news staff. “Jim has come to the realization that his family in Ohio needs him more now,” she said. “Jim has always had the ability to combine the power of words with a keen understanding of the human condition. It’s exactly why his stories are the ones we remember. And boy, will we remember Jim.”

Philpot also briefly talked on the phone to Douglas, who said that the emotional toll of everyday reporting was starting to wear on him. “I wasn’t sure I could take too much more knocking on doors and talking to grieving families,” he said.

As previously posted, two other TEGNA8 staffers, reporter Mike Castellucci and weekend meteorologist Ashton Altieri, are leaving the station at the end of August for other pursuits. Early morning reporter Jenny Doren also recently left TEGNA8 after a short stay.

Last year, TEGNA8 lost three other highly decorated news veterans -- investigator Byron Harris, sports reporter/anchor George Riba and medical reporter Janet St. James.

Douglas is retiring without benefit of a corporate-instigated buyout package taken by 12 off-camera TEGNA8 staffers in April of this year. All met the criteria of being at least 55 years old with a minimum of 15 years of service at TEGNA-owned stations.

Douglas, news anchor John McCaa, sports anchor Dale Hansen and investigator Brett Shipp also met that criteria on paper. But on-camera personnel at TEGNA8 were not offered a buyout deal, even though many other TEGNA-owned stations across the country, including Houston’s KHOU-TV and Austin’s KVUE-TV, allowed on-camera news staffers to cash out while they could.

Douglas was never a flashy reporter, but always a solid and accurate one. He thrived as a dedicated pavement-pounder in times when TV stations increasingly are letting viewers fill local news time with their cell phone videos and photos, and responses via “social media.”

Here is a collection of stories from a real reporter -- named Jim Douglas.



Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., July 5) -- Talent, Rangers rise to top

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s America’s Got Talent set the overall prime-time pace Tuesday, but the Texas Rangers won where the bigger ratings revenues are scored.

AGT, again airing from 7 to 9 p.m., led the night in total D-FW viewers with 226,637. The Rangers’ win at Boston on Fox Sports Southwest finished second with an average of 191,225 viewers.

Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, the first-place Rangers prevailed over AGT by a score of 82,568 viewers to 79,393. That makes the FSS sales department very happy. And with the season only halfway completed, the money-making potential looms even larger as long as the Rangers stay on track for a potentially memorable post-season.

Tuesday’s least-watched prime-time attraction, Fox’s 8 p.m. hour of Coupled, had 28,330 total viewers and 12,703 in the 18-to-49 age range. (ABC’s repeats of The Middle and black-ish shared the 18-to-49 bottom rung with Coupled in competition among the Big Four broadcast networks.)

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.

TEGNA8 rolled at 10 p.m. with wins in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 6 p.m. The 5 p.m. golds went to Fox4 in total viewers and NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., July 4) -- Fireworks shootout

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fourth of July fireworks coverage dominated prime-time Monday, with CBS, NBC and PBS going national while TEGNA8 offered live coverage of the festivities at Fair Park.

NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. presentation of the Macy’s show from New York City got the most ratings kaboom, drawing 162,895 D-FW viewers and 41,284 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range.

The Peacock’s abbreviated 9 to 10 p.m. reprise had 70,824 total viewers to run a distant second behind TEGNA8’s Fair Park show (141,648 viewers). NBC and TEGNA8 tied among 18-to-49-year-olds with 12,703 apiece while Fox4’s 9 p.m. local news took the top spot with 15,879 viewers in this key audience demographic.

Over on CBS, the 8 to 10 p.m. Boston Pops Fourth of July shebang averaged 56,659 total viewers while super-fizzling with 3,157 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.

PBS offered two prime-time helpings of its annual A Capitol Fourth special. The 7 to 8:30 p.m. show had 63,742 total viewers and 9,527 in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic. PBS’ 8:30 to 10 p.m. reprise respectively had 35,412 and 3,157 viewers.

The Texas Rangers’ afternoon loss at Boston, shown on Fox Sports Southwest, averaged 169,978 total viewers and 53,987 in the 18-to-49 range.

There are no official local news derby results because Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 all took holiday ratings exemptions Monday.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., June 30) -- Big Bang, Big Brother pace prime-time

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The prime-time ratings were slow on the draw in D-FW Thursday, with CBS’ Big Bang Theory repeat drawing the most viewers while the network’s Big Brother was tops with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds.

Both shows had smallish audiences. Big Bang lured 162,895 total viewers in the 7 to 7:30 p.m. slot before Big Brother pulled in 60,338 viewers in the 18-to-49 age range.

ABC’s 8 p.m. premiere of Greatest Hits won its time slot in total viewers (134,566) and ran second to BB with 44,460 in the 18-to-49 realm.

The night’s biggest loser, NBC’s 9 p.m. episode of Aquarius, had respective totals of 28,330 and 6,315 viewers. Expect it to be exiled soon to either Saturdays (as it was last summer) or online somewhere.

On Fox Sports Southwest, the Texas Rangers’ day game loss to the Yankees averaged 70,824 total viewers and 15,879 in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic. There’s nothing like a workday afternoon game to slow ratings momentum.

Here are Thursday’s local news derby results.

TEGNA8 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers, but NBC5 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

The 6 a.m. spoils were split, with Fox4 winning in total viewers and NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

At 6 p.m., CBS11 broke a long losing streak with a first-place finish in total viewers. The station hadn’t won outright since Wednesday, May 15th. NBC5 took the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m.

Fox4 swept the 5 p.m. competitions.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Fox4 early morning anchor Tim Ryan wears out voice, recuperates

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Tim Ryan left a button to speak for him on Facebook page.

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Was it something he said?

Fox4’s Tim Ryan, D-FW’s dean of early morning news anchors, is temporarily off the air after his voice gave out.

“Went to the doc about recurring laryngitis,” he said on his Facebook page Wednesday night. “In her words, ‘your throat looks like a war zone.’ So . . . see you soon!”

Fox4 news director Robin Whitmeyer says it won’t be that long.

“He’s expected back on Monday, July 4,” she told unclebarky.com. “Rested and ready!”

The station’s Good Day, which Ryan has co-anchored for 21 years, again was a runaway No. 1 in the May “sweeps” ratings. Jenny Anchondo and Dan Godwin have filled in for him.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Subtract meteorologist Ashton Altieri from TEGNA8 news team

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
After a three-year stay, weekend meteorologist Ashton Altieri is leaving Dallas-based TEGNA8.

News director Carolyn Mungo termed it a “life move” in a memo to staffers obtained by unclebarky.com. At the end of August, Altieri will be returning to Denver, where his wife has received a “wonderful promotion,” Mungo said.

“So he will take his darling family and his wife and leave the Lone Star State,” she said. “He said this was the toughest decision he’s ever made. But in the end, he needed to put his family first. Which I totally get. We will miss the heck out of him. His dedication, commitment and his expertise.”

Altieri, who also fills in on weekday shifts, joined TEGNA8 in August 2013 from ABC affiliate KXTV-TV in Sacramento, CA, where he was the weekday morning meteorologist for two years. Before that he spent six years at KUSA-TV in Denver.

Mungo’s memo also mentioned the previously reported departure of reporter Mike Castellucci, who also will leaving at the end of August. Castellucci, who had two tours at TEGNA8, has accepted a teaching position at Michigan State University.

Mungo praised him for putting the station “on the map when it came to innovation. We were so lucky to have him . . . We will be looking for the next ‘wordsmith.’ “

“This newsroom is about work, but I take pride in the fact that this room is also human,” Mungo added. “While I will miss these guys terribly, I understand that life takes you on a journey. And I applaud both of them for following their ‘next right path.’ “

Altieri, Castellucci and early morning reporter Jenny Doren make it three TEGNA8 news staffers who have left for other pursuits in the past six weeks. Doren spent just two years at the station. All three departing staffers were hired (or in Castellucci’s case, re-hired) by Mungo, who became the station’s news director in February 2012.

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