Super Bowl Brings Big Ratings to WBZ, CBS
By Michael Page | February 8, 2010
Last night’s match up between the Colts and Saints was not only great for sports fans, but also for CBS execs.
The game launched into television history, becoming the most watched program ever. According to CBS, 106.5 million people tuned in for the game, passing the 105.97 million viewers who watched the finale of M*A*S*H in the 1980s. Keep in mind that the overall viewing audience was smaller in the ’80s, however.
Locally, WBZ was also thrilled with the game. At the peak of viewership (around 9:15 PM), 2,378,500 people were tuned in to channel 4.
You also might be interested to know that the :30 local spots WBZ got to sell for the game went for as much as $200,000, according to The Boston Globe.
Topics: National, WBZ (Channel 4) | No Comments »
January ‘10 Ratings
By Michael Page | February 4, 2010
This past month included big news, from Scott Brown’s surprise win to the devastation in Haiti. Here’s how the ratings played out locally:
The following numbers are total viewers P2+ Monday through Friday (1/7-2/3).
5-6 AM
WCVB: 57,000
WFXT: 33,000
WHDH: 31,000
WBZ: 25,000
6-7 AM
WCVB: 105,000
WHDH: 71,000
WFXT: 65,000
WBZ: 42,000
7-9 AM
WCVB (GMA): 86,000
WHDH (Today): 69,000
WFXT (Local): 67,000
WBZ (Early): 44,000
Noon
WCVB: 111,000
WBZ: 89,000
WHDH: 69,000
5-6 PM
WCVB: 181,000
WHDH: 116,000
WBZ: 92,000
6PM
WCVB: 225,000
WHDH: 118,000
WBZ: 113,000
WFXT: 45,000
11 PM
WBZ: 153,000
WCVB: 134,000
WHDH: 128,000
WFXT: 76,000
Keep in mind that WHDH is hoping that the Winter Olympics are a ratings and advertising boon for them in February.
Topics: WBZ (Channel 4), WCVB (Channel 5), WFXT (Channel 25), WHDH (Channel 7) | 21 Comments »
WBZ Moves
By Michael Page | January 24, 2010
Alana Gomez Dong joined WBZ-TV as a general assignment reporter last Monday. Prior to joining WBZ-TV, Alana worked at KPRC-TV in Houston, Texas.
Also at WBZ, it was announced that today was Dawn Hasbrouck’s last day at the station. Dawn will be returning to her native Chicago to serve as the co-anchor of WFLD-TV’s Noon newscast beginning February 15.
Topics: WBZ (Channel 4) | 25 Comments »
Special Election Coverage
By Michael Page | January 19, 2010
This special Senatorial election has gone from uninteresting to feverish. We have been bombarded with commercials as of late (a boon to local stations), and the national media has been flocking to the Bay State to cover this race which may have national implications.
However, just one broadcast station is on air with special coverage tonight. Here’s what’s going on as of the 8 PM hour.
WBZ: Ticker results showing on air, special webcast with Lisa, Jack, and Jon online.
WCVB: Full coverage on air with Ed and Heather anchoring, and streaming online.
WHDH: Ticker results showing on air.
WFXT: Um, is anyone in the building? They have a webcast set for 9 PM.
NECN: Full coverage on air.
In my mind this seems like a substantial local (and national) issue that deserves extended coverage. What do you think?
Ratings (Households)
Here are the ratings from Tuesday evening, as supplied by WCVB. The numbers show WCVB was the dominant source for news during the evening. The data also reflects pretty good numbers for WHDH, while WBZ pulled in lower numbers. This stands in contrast to general rating trends as of late. Fox 25’s 10 PM newscast suffered, likely because they all but ignored the election for much of the evening.
8 PM
WFXT (American Idol): 404,000
WBZ (NCIS): 240,000
WCVB (Election Coverage): 178,000
WHDH (Biggest Loser): 141,000
9 PM
WCVB (Election Coverage): 228,000
WBZ (NCIS/Election Coverage): 199,000
WHDH (Biggest Loser): 175,000
WFXT (Human Target): 130,000
10 PM
WCVB (Election Coverage): 224,000
WHDH (Election Coverage): 155,000
WBZ (Election Coverage): 123,000
WFXT (Election Coverage): 108,000
11 PM
WCVB: 122,000
WHDH: 121,000
WBZ: 76,000
WFXT: 45,000
Topics: WBZ (Channel 4), WCVB (Channel 5), WFXT (Channel 25), WHDH (Channel 7) | 27 Comments »
New Age Media to Run WZMY
By Michael Page | January 12, 2010
According to TVNewsCheck, the licensee of WZMY-TV (ShootingStar Broadcasting of New England) has signed a three year deal with New Age Media that would allow New Age to manage all aspects of the Derry, New Hampshire based station.
The announcement comes just weeks after the station’s last on air personality, meteorologist Al Kaprielian, was let go after more than two decades with WNDS/WZMY. Based on the report, it seems as though this managerial move is being made to make the station more competitive in the face of larger media companies.
While we are talking about MyTV, it is worth noting that Al is still on the radio in Lowell, and now in Boston as well. His forecasts will be on Oldies 103.3 Friday mornings :55 past the hour.
Topics: WZMY | 13 Comments »
NECN Going HD
By Michael Page | January 11, 2010
As NECN goes HD this week, the station is debuting new graphics, including a new weather graphics system. TruView Max from WSI has some cool features which station meteorologists have been brushing up on recently. The weather team is also now issuing a 7 day forecast, as opposed to a 5 day forecast.
Topics: NECN | 12 Comments »
More Morning Changes
By Michael Page | January 7, 2010
I can now confirm reports regarding Doug Meehan of FOX 25. The station has decided not to renew his contract, and eliminate his position altogether. Doug may be used to freelance in the future, however.
This change was likely foreseen by most FOX 25 viewers, as Doug was taken out of the air when WBZ/WFXT joined into a chopper sharing program last year.
Topics: WFXT (Channel 25) | 44 Comments »
December Numbers & 2009 Review
By Michael Page | December 31, 2009
As 2009 draws to a close I have a look at this month’s P2+ numbers. After the monthly numbers I have added some notes about how the ratings have shifted over the course of this year.
5-6 AM
WCVB: 51,000
WBZ: 34,000
WHDH: 29,000
WFXT: 26,000
6-7 AM
WCVB: 88,000
WBZ: 63,000
WFXT: 60,000
WHDH: 59,000
7-9 AM
WCVB (GMA): 90,000
WHDH (Today): 69,000
WFXT (Local): 65,000
WBZ (Early): 61,000
Noon
WCVB: 113,000
WBZ: 100,000
WHDH: 65,000
5-6 PM
WCVB: 176,000
WBZ: 97,000
WHDH: 94,000
6 PM
WCVB: 206,000
WBZ: 119,000
WHDH: 97,000
WFXT: 36,000
11 PM
WBZ: 159,000
WCVB: 146,000
WHDH: 106,000
WFXT: 66,000
2009 Comments
Here are a few observations I have after comparing the end of the year numbers with the March book earlier in the year.
- Mornings: Early in 2009, WHDH owned the morning time slots. However, towards the end of the year WCVB shot to the top (likely with the help of Randy Price at the anchor desk). WBZ also gained ground, moving into second place during the morning shows. That means WHDH took a serious hit, as it now brings up the rear in morning programming. WHDH has also declined at midday over the course of the year, while WBZ has slipped into 2nd place.
- Evenings: WCVB has remained dominant during the evenings, but again WBZ has shown good growth while WHDH has fallen. I think this is in part due to some of the changes BZ has made recently (such as DYC and other initiatives discussed in previous posts). This year also featured a shift in news from 5 PM to 6 PM on FOX 25, but they are still pulling in pretty low numbers during the early evening news.
- Late Night: WBZ still owns at 11 PM, with WCVB in second. Keep in mind WFXT is still all over the 10 PM show as well, even though those numbers are not featured here.
Happy New Year, and I hope you keep reading in 2010!!
Topics: WBZ (Channel 4), WCVB (Channel 5), WFXT (Channel 25), WHDH (Channel 7) | 58 Comments »
Examples of Getting Local
By Michael Page | December 16, 2009
No real news in this post, just a few observations from WBZ-TV.
Did anyone catch Jonathan Elias’ report on the Massachusetts fishing industry this week? If you didn’t, the bottom line was that fishermen are facing huge regulation from the government which is hurting business. Whether or not you agree with the fishing industry and how it treats the environment, I commend WBZ for taking a sizable chunk of time (two parts, the first being about 3 minutes 30 seconds and the other 5 minutes 20 seconds) to investigate the topic. In my mind this is a perfect example of hunting down unique, local stories. As a viewer, THIS is what I want to see on local news. In the so called 24/7 news cycle local and important stories like this will keep local news alive in my mind.
Jonathan also started the “One Last Thing” segment which generally highlights a topic submitted by a viewer. Again, this is a great way to really hit on some local stories that may not otherwise get covered. Plus most of the stories are “feel good”, which is always good to balance out some of the more unpleasant news that comes across the airwaves.
As we have talked about before on this blog, local news is really trying to get back into the groove of proving it is relevant in such a harsh media environment. Please post any other examples of solid, local coverage you have found on other stations. I don’t mean to gush over WBZ, but these two examples just caught my eye recently.
Topics: WBZ (Channel 4) | 11 Comments »
Meteorologist Laid Off
By Michael Page | December 13, 2009
After 25 years at WNDS/WZMY-TV, meteorologist Al Kaprielian is being laid off effective December 31. The station, which once produced evening newscasts, has been getting away from news and moving more towards syndicated programming over the past several years. As a result, Al has been the only on air personality at MyTV for some time now.
Topics: WZMY | 28 Comments »
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