WFAA8 anchor Shelly Slater soon will be delivering more than the news
03/11/10 10:34 PM
By ED BARK
Several vigilant readers have asked whether WFAA8 anchor Shelly Slater is an expectant first-time mother.
"Yes, I am pregnant!" she replied via email to unclebarky.com. "Let me guess . . . the open suit jackets and the teenage acne are dead give aways?"
Slater, who joined Dallas-based WFAA8 in September 2006, said she is due in early August and "we find out the sex of the baby on St. Patrick's Day!"
"I haven't announced anything on-air about the baby," she added, "but my husband and I are thrilled, nervous and anxious all at the same time."
Congratulations to both of them. Slater currently is co-anchoring WFAA8's 5 p.m. weekday newscasts while continuing to report as well. She also regularly substitute anchors on the station's 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.
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Idol voters slit show's throat (and not just by axing two North Texans)
03/11/10 09:03 PM
By ED BARK
American Idol's 12 finalists emerged Thursday night after viewers evicted two distinctive song stylists while also trimming the North Texas 4 in half.
The night's biggest surprise -- and one of the dumbest voting decisions ever -- was the elimination of 20-year-old Lilly Scott, who was born in Houston and raised in Colorado.
Scott and the equally much-praised Crystal Bowersox of Ohio had seemed like solid bets to make the Fox juggernaut's Final 4.
"A lot of incredible talent is going home tonight," a stunned Scott said after in-over-her-head Katie Stevens, 17, got the night's final Top 12 spot. "I don't know what America wants to hear. I don't." She has a point.
Toddrick Hall, 24, of Arlington, likewise took the gas. Like Scott, he brought something original to every performance. But judges more often than not deemed him too original, and he finally paid the price Thursday. That's a shame. He'll go a lot farther than most of these finalists.
Fellow North Texan Alex Lambert, 19, of North Richland Hills, also was voted off. "I wish I could've just broken out of my shell," he said in reference to judges' persistent criticisms that his voice was strong but his stage presence shaky. Katelyn Epperly of Iowa took the other knockout punch.
There's still ample North Texas flavor. Fort Worth's Casey James, the oldest contestant at 27, is in the Top 12. So is Tim Urban, 20, of Duncanville, who was re-inserted into the Top 24 after Chris Golightly of California belatedly was declared ineligible. Urban's the teen/tween-pleasing Zac Efron of the field; James is the last country boy, with "Cougar" Kara DioGuardi still judging him good enough to eat.
The six remaining women also include two with Texas ties. Lacey Brown, 24, is a native of Amarillo who still lives there. Paige Miles, 24, who was born in Florida, is now a Houstonian who auditioned for the show in Dallas.
As singers, the dozen remaining contestants are mostly a case of the bland leading the bland. Exceptions are Bowersox and plus-sized Michael Lynche of New York, who has a build reminiscent of Season 2 champ Ruben Studdard and seemingly a voice to match.
They'll all sing Rolling Stones songs next week, and it would have been intriguing to see how Hall and Scott changed them up. There's no satisfaction in knowing they'll never get the chance.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., March 10) -- Idol, crime, ballgame
03/11/10 04:39 PM
By ED BARK
American Idol's latest spin with the North Texas 4 topped Wednesday's prime-time charts before crime paid again for CBS.
Idol lured 495,400 D-FW viewers in the 8 p.m. hour with live performances by the show's eight remaining males. It didn't hurt that half of them are from these parts, although the women did almost as well Tuesday night with 475,041 viewers.
CBS' Criminal Minds (373,247 viewers) ran a solid second opposite Fox's Idol before CSI: NY won at 9 p.m. with 318,956 viewers.
Fox's prime-time lead-off hitter, the return of Human Target, took aim at 203,589 viewers, losing narrowly to CBS' Old Christine in the first half-hour before outpointing that same network's Gary Unmarried in the second. But Human Target controlled the full hour among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, as did Idol and CSI: NY.
On Fox Sports Southwest, the Dallas Mavericks rolled up their 13th consecutive win without attracting an abundance of ratings love. The narrow homecourt escape against the victory-starved New Jersey Nets ended just before 10 p.m. and averaged 149,299 viewers. Oh well, it beat ABC's 8:30 to 10 p.m. pairing of Cougar Town (142,512 viewers) and Ugly Betty (81,436).
The 8:30 p.m. premiere of The CW's sub-putrid High Society had 54,290 viewers while also cratering with 18-to-49-year-olds.
The 10 p.m. local news derby competitions went to CBS11 in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again cruised to a pair of 6 a.m. wins before the 7 to 9 a.m. portion of Fox4's Good Day righted itself to beat the three network morning shows in both ratings measurements.
Fox4 also ran the table at 5 p.m. and won at 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for first at 6 p.m. in total viewers, with both Fox4 and CBS11 just a smidgen behind in second.
American Idol's latest spin with the North Texas 4 topped Wednesday's prime-time charts before crime paid again for CBS.
Idol lured 495,400 D-FW viewers in the 8 p.m. hour with live performances by the show's eight remaining males. It didn't hurt that half of them are from these parts, although the women did almost as well Tuesday night with 475,041 viewers.
CBS' Criminal Minds (373,247 viewers) ran a solid second opposite Fox's Idol before CSI: NY won at 9 p.m. with 318,956 viewers.
Fox's prime-time lead-off hitter, the return of Human Target, took aim at 203,589 viewers, losing narrowly to CBS' Old Christine in the first half-hour before outpointing that same network's Gary Unmarried in the second. But Human Target controlled the full hour among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, as did Idol and CSI: NY.
On Fox Sports Southwest, the Dallas Mavericks rolled up their 13th consecutive win without attracting an abundance of ratings love. The narrow homecourt escape against the victory-starved New Jersey Nets ended just before 10 p.m. and averaged 149,299 viewers. Oh well, it beat ABC's 8:30 to 10 p.m. pairing of Cougar Town (142,512 viewers) and Ugly Betty (81,436).
The 8:30 p.m. premiere of The CW's sub-putrid High Society had 54,290 viewers while also cratering with 18-to-49-year-olds.
The 10 p.m. local news derby competitions went to CBS11 in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again cruised to a pair of 6 a.m. wins before the 7 to 9 a.m. portion of Fox4's Good Day righted itself to beat the three network morning shows in both ratings measurements.
Fox4 also ran the table at 5 p.m. and won at 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for first at 6 p.m. in total viewers, with both Fox4 and CBS11 just a smidgen behind in second.
Idol: No Tex hex for Lone Star foursome
03/11/10 06:17 AM
By ED BARK
American Idol's four North Texas males, composing half the remaining field, received uniformly good reviews Wednesday, marking a first for Todrick Hall in particular.
Judge Simon Cowell as usual had his quibbles amid all the cooing. Just keepin' it real.
Here's our third edition of actual excerpts from judges' comments, followed by Uncle Barky's palate-cleansers. They're presented in order of Wednesday's appearances.
ALEX LAMBERT, 19, NORTH RICHLAND HILLS
Song: "Trouble" by Ray Lamontagne
Randy Jackson -- "I think it was a good song choice for you. I liked it."
Ellen DeGeneres -- "You're becoming a mushy banana, is what's happening to you. You are ripening so fast . . . Every single week you get better and better and better. You need more confidence, but don't get cocky. Don't become a cocky banana. No one likes that."
Kara DioGuardi -- "The only thing standing in the way of you winning is you right now . . . But you are still stiff and you're not in it and you're not letting go up there."
Simon Cowell -- "You are so still concentrating on trying to deliver the performance. We've never ever seen you relax or having a good time. You've kind of got to imagine Randy in a bikini or something . . . Let yourself go."
Uncle Barky -- "Randy in a bikini might be a bit over-baring. Instead envision Simon in a grass skirt at a luau. Unlike other contestants, though, you're still peaking. The voice is really starting to stand out. Looking semi-petrified won't cut it in the long run. But Ellen's right. It's getting better all the time."
TIM URBAN, 20, DUNCANVILLE
Song: Tim Buckley's version of "Hallelujah"
Randy -- "You walked in some pretty big shoes and I thought you did a pretty good job."
Ellen -- "That was fantastic!" (after running to the stage to hug him).
Kara --- "I thought you were going to be going home a few weeks ago. And now I actually think you're kind of in it, and you may just about be in the top of the boys right now."
Simon -- "I kind of feel responsible for you doing well tonight after what I said (in recent weeks). Because I gave you a confidence boost and you needed it. . . . It's not the best version I've ever heard. But for you, it was terrific."
Uncle Barky -- "You pulled a Jason Castro -- and to pretty good effect. The Rockwall kid did Leonard Cohen's version of 'Hallelujah' two seasons ago, with even Simon melting like buttah. Castro and his li'l ukulele made it all the way to the Final Four. Your Zac Efron/mag cover looks alone could be enough to carry you to this season's Top Ten. But with the voice kicking in, there's a chance you might go even farther."
CASEY JAMES, 27, FORT WORTH
Song: "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban
Randy -- "I think it was a little bit of a safe choice for me."
Ellen -- "I thought it was great . . . You're more comfortable sitting on a stool and playing guitar, and that feels like your vibe to me."
Kara -- "I'm kinda back on the Casey train . . . I'm missing that spark. I want to see a little bit more from you. But it's definitely a move in the right direction."
Simon -- "I would say it was your second best . . . I think it made you sincere. I don't think it's going to be something we're going to be remembering or raving about in 24 hours time as a performance. But you sounded great, I have to say."
Uncle Barky -- "You're savvily milkin' that country vein again after whippin' out an electric guitar last week and heavy metal-ing your voice into background noise. In the end, I see some of the kids blowin' by you, old-timer. You've got presence, though, with age and experience still on your side for at least several weeks to come."
TODRICK HALL, 24, ARLINGTON
Song: "Somebody to Love" by Queen
Randy -- "Todrick is back! What you did just there is you proved that you can really sing. That's why you're here. That was one of the best vocals I heard all night, all the last couple of weeks."
Ellen -- "You are a brave, brave young man . . . It was almost -- it sounded like a gospel song. I thought it actually worked like that."
Kara -- "You can't listen to that and say it wasn't good singing. It was really good singing. There were moments, though, when I didn't know whether to laugh at it or love it. 'Cause it was so dramatic. It was almost like 'Godspell' a little bit. And I don't know that that's bad or good."
Simon -- "I would say it was good in parts, not the whole way, though. Look, I think what you've done tonight is tell us who you are. You're a Broadway singer. That is 'American Idol: the Musical' doing Queen. Having said that, at least you made an attempt to perform. It was a good song choice, and it may have saved you."
Uncle Barky -- "I've been your biggest fan, throughout, Todrick, to coin a puke-worthy cliche. What I see in you is Al Jarreau meeting Lou Rawls, to date myself. You're easily the best song stylist of this bunch, making everything you do a uniquely singular event amid a lotta sound-alike performances. Keep rollin' it your way. It may not get you all the way to the promised land. But I think your knack for improvisation will really shine if you can make it to the 'Mentor' rounds. Then they'd all better watch out."
CBS11 names Miami's Adrienne Roark as news director (updated with official station confirmation)
03/10/10 03:12 PM
By ED BARK
CBS11 has a new news director, with Adrienne Roark of WFOR-TV in Miami getting the nod Wednesday afternoon.
Her scheduled start date is March 23rd, president and general manager Gary Schneider told staffers. The Fort Worth-based station hasn't officially announced her hiring yet, but it's a done deal. Roark also will oversee the newscasts on sister station TXA21.
Roark had joined Miami's CBS-owned station in January 2007 as assistant news director before being promoted to news director in June, 2008. She was identified as the front-runner for the CBS11 position in a Feb. 1st post on unclebarky.com.
Roark is an Ohio State graduate whose previous stops include WESH-TV in Orlando, WTVJ-TV in Miami and WKYC-TV in Cleveland. She also was a Poynter Ethics Fellow for the Class of 2008. Roark and her husband are the parents of two sons.
She replaces Scott Diener, who left CBS11 earlier this year to join his old CBS11 boss, Steve Mauldin, at KCBS/KCAL-TV in Los Angeles.
In a resultant news release confirming Roark's hiring, Schneider termed her "a natural fit for our news operation and stations . . . Adrienne also is a forward-thinking leader who is passionate about embracing new ideas and technologies."
Roark said in a statement, "I am honored to be given the opportunity to be a part of such a distinguished news team, and I have great respect for what KTVT and KTXA mean to the Dallas-Fort Worth community."
While still at WFOR, Roark also had this to say about how very seriously she says she takes her profession.
Reliable sources say that news director Kurt Davis of KENS-TV in San Antonio also was a finalist for the news director position. But that station is owned by Belo Corp., which also is the parent company of CBS11's arch rival, Dallas-based WFAA8.
Ultimately, a decision was made to hire from within the CBS corporate chain rather than go "outside," according to sources.
Friedman tabbed to co-anchor NBC5's waker-upper
03/10/10 02:38 PM
By ED BARK
It's official, and it's as expected.
NBC5 has named Scott Friedman as the co-anchor of its local early morning newscasts, teaming him with incumbent Deborah Ferguson.
The station parted ways with Brendan Higgins in January after his contract expired. NBC5 has remained No. 1 in the two months since, with Friedman, Kevin Cokely and others sitting in.
Friedman joined NBC5 in May 2006 after a decade with WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. He's a Notre Dame graduate. Jane McGarry, co-anchor of NBC5's 5 and 6 p.m. newscast, earlier revealed Friedman's new assignment on her Facebook FanPage, where she also writes, "I'm in the attic looking for old work photos. Ed Bark is complaining that I'm only with Republicans. I can't FIND the other ones. And if you saw my attic you'd know why :)"
Actually, I think it was a reader who complained in the Comments section. But thanks for the mention anyway.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., March 9) -- Idol still a four-letter word to competitors
03/10/10 11:48 AM
By ED BARK
Fox's American Idol, downsized to an hour Tuesday night, continued to prosper against CBS' best punch.
The show's eight remaining women performed live to the tune of 475,041 D-FW viewers, with a competing new episode of CBS' NCIS hangin' in with 407,178 viewers. As usual, though, the gap was much larger among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, with Idol nabbing 247,882 of 'em while NCIS managed 133,726.
CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles won at 8 p.m. in total viewers, besting a new episode of ABC's Lost by a score of 366,460 to 291,811. But Lost again carried the day among 18-to-49-year-olds.
CBS' The Good Wife took the 9 p.m. hour in total viewers, but slid to fourth in the 18-to-49 demographic. It was a reversal of fortune for the second episode of NBC's competing Parenthood, which ran fourth in total viewers while vaulting to a very close second (behind ABC's The Forgotten) among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Ho-hum, Jay Leno's Tonight Show whipped David Letterman's Late Show for the seventh straight time in both ratings measurements. But it was the closest contest to date in total viewers, with Leno logging 108,581 to Letterman's 88,222.
Dave may have been helped by the day's earlier events, in which a former CBS News employee pleaded guilty to extortion charges involving Letterman's acknowledged affairs with Late Show interns. Letterman didn't joke around Tuesday night, praising the New York district attorney's office for its handling of the matter.
In local news derby results, WFAA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again did likewise at 6 a.m. while Fox4 ran the table at 5 p.m.
The 6 p.m. golds were won by CBS11 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demo. WFAA8 had an usually dismal time of it at 6 p.m., running fourth in both ratings measurements. The ABC station also dipped to fourth at 5 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Here's another little local news tidbit. The 33's 5:30 p.m. local newscast, still not in HD, beat both the CBS Evening News and ABC's World News in the 18-to-49 demographic after besting CBS on the previous night.
The CW station also had more 18-to-49-year-olds at 5:30 p.m. than either WFAA8 or CBS11 did at 5 p.m.
Fox's American Idol, downsized to an hour Tuesday night, continued to prosper against CBS' best punch.
The show's eight remaining women performed live to the tune of 475,041 D-FW viewers, with a competing new episode of CBS' NCIS hangin' in with 407,178 viewers. As usual, though, the gap was much larger among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, with Idol nabbing 247,882 of 'em while NCIS managed 133,726.
CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles won at 8 p.m. in total viewers, besting a new episode of ABC's Lost by a score of 366,460 to 291,811. But Lost again carried the day among 18-to-49-year-olds.
CBS' The Good Wife took the 9 p.m. hour in total viewers, but slid to fourth in the 18-to-49 demographic. It was a reversal of fortune for the second episode of NBC's competing Parenthood, which ran fourth in total viewers while vaulting to a very close second (behind ABC's The Forgotten) among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Ho-hum, Jay Leno's Tonight Show whipped David Letterman's Late Show for the seventh straight time in both ratings measurements. But it was the closest contest to date in total viewers, with Leno logging 108,581 to Letterman's 88,222.
Dave may have been helped by the day's earlier events, in which a former CBS News employee pleaded guilty to extortion charges involving Letterman's acknowledged affairs with Late Show interns. Letterman didn't joke around Tuesday night, praising the New York district attorney's office for its handling of the matter.
In local news derby results, WFAA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again did likewise at 6 a.m. while Fox4 ran the table at 5 p.m.
The 6 p.m. golds were won by CBS11 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demo. WFAA8 had an usually dismal time of it at 6 p.m., running fourth in both ratings measurements. The ABC station also dipped to fourth at 5 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Here's another little local news tidbit. The 33's 5:30 p.m. local newscast, still not in HD, beat both the CBS Evening News and ABC's World News in the 18-to-49 demographic after besting CBS on the previous night.
The CW station also had more 18-to-49-year-olds at 5:30 p.m. than either WFAA8 or CBS11 did at 5 p.m.
White vs. Perry: a view through the looker glass
03/09/10 05:32 PM
By ED BARK
What we have here, from a strictly visual standpoint, is a case of the farmer from American Gothic versus the Marlboro Man.
Or to put it another way, can a bald, decidedly plain-faced mayor from Houston confound the looks-are-everything television age and dethrone an almost criminally handsome incumbent topped with hair thicker than lasagna noodles?
The race for Texas governor, now settling in between Democrat Bill White and Republican Rick Perry, also will be a battle of have- and have-nots in the tele-genetic scheme of things.
On the surface it's a big edge for Perry, who certainly looks the part of the state's leading man. White simply wasn't blessed with such attributes. It's not his fault, but it may be ours for repeatedly electing people who "look" gubernatorial -- or presidential.
Television has been a national and local player for roughly 60 years now. In that time only one baldy has been elected president. But Dwight D. Eisenhower was a fabled war hero when he became the Republican presidential nominee in 1952. And his opponent, in both that year and 1956, was fellow chrome domer Adlai Stevenson, widely caricatured as an "egghead."
In the years since we've had one hair-challenged president, Gerald R. Ford. But he was never elected. Ford, who stepped in for Richard Nixon in 1974, lost to the abundantly coiffed Jimmy Carter in 1976. Carter then was beaten by one of the most abundantly haired presidents of all time, Ronald Reagan. And so on.
Bald, homely Texas senator Phil Gramm once upon a time thought he could be president. But five days before he even announced his candidacy in February 1995, Gramm sat down with Mike Wallace for a 60 Minutes piece that focused on his lack of good looks. Even Gramm termed himself "ugly" while the much older Wallace flaunted his comparative good looks and fetching full head of hair. Gramm's campaign was soon shoveling dirt on itself.
Texas governors mostly have been blessed with full plate pates -- at least in the television age. There's one notable exception, though. Democrat Preston Smith, who was pretty thin on top, served from 1969 to 1973 before the comparatively heavy-haired Dolph Briscoe succeeded him. It's been an unbroken string since then, with the late Ann Richards sporting the highest hair of all during her 1991-'95 tour of duty.
In the looks and hair department, Perry is the latter day equivalent of Texas governor John Connally (1963-'69), who rivaled even John F. Kennedy in those key areas. White seems to have the Paul Giamatti gene, which is good for playing mostly second bananas, albeit in some quality movies.
Down the homestretch of his demolishment of Kay Bailey Hutchison, Perry looked sturdier and studlier than than ever in an ad where strapped on his rust-colored Texas Rangers coat and preached Texas values before a Texas flag.
White lately has an ad in which he stands in light purple shirtsleeves before a mostly blank backdrop and pledges to give voters their "money's worth" if elected.
The challenger faces an uphill climb at best in his fight to unseat Perry. It'd probably help if he looked a lot more like a vintage James Garner than The Love Boat's Gavin MacLeod.
You never know, though. Maybe voters can find a way to disregard looks entirely and elect a man who otherwise might be mistaken as a botanist. For now, though, Perry is a veritable Yellow Rose of Texas while White more closely resembles a dandelion. May the best man win.
Here are those two aforementioned campaign ads:
NBC5's Jane McGarry launches Fanpage, gets word out
03/09/10 05:13 PM
By ED BARK
Unfair Park's quick-as-a-whip Robert Wilonsky, yours truly and no doubt many others got the same email Monday from NBC5 anchor Jane McGarry.
"Just wanted to let you know I'm putting up a Fanpage on Facebook . . . and would love to have you as a fan," she wrote. "I need all I can get :)."
But the veteran NBC5er, now co-anchoring weekday 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts with Mike Snyder, says she still can't divulge any more details "about my project :) Still working on that!"
Hmm, wonder if it just might have something to do with the Bushes, one of whom is pictured above in McGarry's "Texas Journalist" photo album?
Meanwhile, one of McGarry's maiden Fanpage dispatches says she's grossed out by the "breast milk cheese" being served at a New York City eatery. That's our Jane. Who can forget her classic riff on whether to shave or not to shave on NBC5's since scrapped anchor/reporter blog site?
Anyway, here's a link to her newborn Fanpage, in which you also can learn that Lindsay Lohan's getting out of the fashion design business. Love that hard-hitting stuff.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Insatiable fans of ABC's The Bachelor can get another dose Wednesday morning when Dallas pilot Jake Pavelka and his fiancee, Vienna Girardi, do their first local TV interview on WFAA8's Good Morning Texas (airing at 9 a.m.).
Pavelka, who's soft-shoeing over to the 10th edition of ABC's Dancing with the Stars (launching on March 22nd), also will bring along his pro dance partner, Chelsie Hightower.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., March 8) -- House afire, Castle a kingmaker
03/09/10 10:18 AM
By ED BARK
The return of Fox's House and a new episode of ABC's Castle gave their networks some nice boosts Monday night.
House had 285,025 D-FW viewers in the 7 p.m. hour to take that cake over NBC's runnerup Chuck (223,948 viewers). It was the same order of finish among advertiser-favored 18-to-49-year-olds.
At 9 p.m., the growingly popular Castle came within a wisp of beating CBS' tiring CSI: Miami in total viewers -- 329,136 to 326,421 -- while besting it among 18-to-49-year-olds. Castle's continued well-being is of more than passing importance to WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscasts. More on that later.
CBS won as usual in the 8 to 9 p.m. slot with new episodes of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. Fox's 24 ran a strong second in both ratings measurements while the return of NBC's Trauma was a horizontal fourth among the Big Four broadcast networks.
ABC's two-hour The Bachelor: Jake and Molly's Wedding wound up an overall bridesmaid, beating only Trauma and CBS' How I Met Your Mother in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds.
The Dallas Mavericks' 12th straight win -- on the road against Minnesota -- averaged 162,871 viewers on Fox Sports Southwest. That was good enough to beat Trauma from 8 to 9 p.m.
The newly rekindled late night wars remained one-sided, with Jay Leno's Tonight Show beating David Letterman's Late Show for the sixth straight weeknight in both total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds. Leno hasn't lost locally or nationally since returning to Tonight on March 1st. Letterman previously had been beating up on Conan O'Brien's Tonight.
In Monday's local news derby results, WFAA8 rode Castle's strong showing to comfy twin wins at 10 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again flexed at 6 a.m., running the table ahead of a close-behind Fox4.
Fox4 swept the 6 p.m. news competitions and WFAA8 did likewise at 5 p.m.
Also of note: The 33's 5:30 p.m. local newscast, which will be expanded to an hour with a 5 p.m. start time next week, outdrew the CBS Evening News among 18-to-49-year-olds. That's not the traditional target demographic for news, but The 33 and its CW network consider anyone over 34 to be dead. So it's a start.
The return of Fox's House and a new episode of ABC's Castle gave their networks some nice boosts Monday night.
House had 285,025 D-FW viewers in the 7 p.m. hour to take that cake over NBC's runnerup Chuck (223,948 viewers). It was the same order of finish among advertiser-favored 18-to-49-year-olds.
At 9 p.m., the growingly popular Castle came within a wisp of beating CBS' tiring CSI: Miami in total viewers -- 329,136 to 326,421 -- while besting it among 18-to-49-year-olds. Castle's continued well-being is of more than passing importance to WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscasts. More on that later.
CBS won as usual in the 8 to 9 p.m. slot with new episodes of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. Fox's 24 ran a strong second in both ratings measurements while the return of NBC's Trauma was a horizontal fourth among the Big Four broadcast networks.
ABC's two-hour The Bachelor: Jake and Molly's Wedding wound up an overall bridesmaid, beating only Trauma and CBS' How I Met Your Mother in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds.
The Dallas Mavericks' 12th straight win -- on the road against Minnesota -- averaged 162,871 viewers on Fox Sports Southwest. That was good enough to beat Trauma from 8 to 9 p.m.
The newly rekindled late night wars remained one-sided, with Jay Leno's Tonight Show beating David Letterman's Late Show for the sixth straight weeknight in both total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds. Leno hasn't lost locally or nationally since returning to Tonight on March 1st. Letterman previously had been beating up on Conan O'Brien's Tonight.
In Monday's local news derby results, WFAA8 rode Castle's strong showing to comfy twin wins at 10 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again flexed at 6 a.m., running the table ahead of a close-behind Fox4.
Fox4 swept the 6 p.m. news competitions and WFAA8 did likewise at 5 p.m.
Also of note: The 33's 5:30 p.m. local newscast, which will be expanded to an hour with a 5 p.m. start time next week, outdrew the CBS Evening News among 18-to-49-year-olds. That's not the traditional target demographic for news, but The 33 and its CW network consider anyone over 34 to be dead. So it's a start.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., March 5-7) -- despite no surprises, Oscars soar above last year's total
03/08/10 09:50 AM
By ED BARK
In the end, predictability didn't matter.
Despite no surprise winners and the usual sluggish pace, Sunday night's Academy Awards on ABC virtually eclipsed last year's in the D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Airing from 7:30 to 11:07 p.m. (when the final closing credit appeared), the Oscars averaged 1,024,731 viewers, way up from last year's total of 677,586. A little ratings inflation is involved, with each point equaling 1,433 more viewers than at this time last year. But that's nonetheless a remarkable surge.
This year's Oscars also drew 443,578 advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, substantially up from the 291,176 who watched the 2009 ceremony. So who says conventional TV viewing is dead? The 2010 Super Bowl and Grammy telecasts also went well beyond last year's totals both locally and nationally.
Barbara Walters' final Oscar pre-show had 285,025 viewers to easily win the 6 p.m. hour before ABC's incredibly lame half-hour red carpet preview vaulted up to 644,698 viewers. Has anybody started more fixedly at a TelePrompTer (or cue cards) than co-host Kathy Ireland?
Nothing else really mattered Sunday night. But for the record, CBS11's 10 p.m. newscast had the biggest audience opposite the Oscars in D-FW, drawing 196,803 total viewers.
In Friday's numbers, NBC's premiere of the celebrity-driven genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? drew 115,367 viewers to finish second at 7 p.m. behind CBS' venerable Ghost Whisperer (162,871 viewers). It was the same order of finish with 18-to-49-year-olds. Next Friday's subject on Think You Are? will be former Dallas Cowboys star Emmitt Smith.
Meanwhile, the piping hot, short-handed Dallas Mavericks extended their winning streak to 11 games with Friday and Saturday night victories over Sacramento and Chicago. The games, both on Fox Sports Southwest, respectively drew 142,512 and 149,299 total viewers.
Jay Leno's NBC Tonight Show again easily bested David Letterman's CBS Late Show Friday, giving him a clean sweep for the week in both total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds.
Friday's local news derby numbers yielded golds for each of the four major TV news providers.
WFAA8 nipped NBC5 and CBS11 to win in total viewers at 10 p.m. But the Peacock took first place among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 won at 6 a.m. in total viewers while sharing first place with Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
CBS11 had an uncommonly big day in the early evening news numbers, running the table at 6 p.m. and also winning at 5 p.m. in the 25-to-54 demographic. WFAA8 was tops at 5 p.m. in total viewers, just slightly ahead of CBS11.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., March 4) -- ups and downs for Marriage Ref
03/05/10 10:08 AM
By ED BARK
NBC's time slot premiere of Jerry Seinfeld's The Marriage Ref emerged as its most-watched show of the night while still drawing less than half the audience for CBS' competing The Mentalist.
Ref, sneak-previewed in the midst of the Olympics' closing ceremonies Sunday night, drew 196,803 D-FW viewers in its first outing at 9 p.m. Thursday. Mentalist doubled down with 413,364 viewers while ABC's runnerup Private Practice managed 210,375. Fox4's local newscast ran fourth (122,153 viewers).
Marriage Ref fared considerably better, though, with advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 123,941 viewers in this age range to finish just behind Mentalist (127,202).
Fox's 7 p.m. American Idol results show cruised to another easy win in both ratings measurements, with its 434,323 total viewers the night's high point.
NBC's special "One-Hour Office Baby Event," in which Pam and Jim had a girl, ran a distant third in the 8 p.m. hour with 176,444 viewers. CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (352,888 viewers) edged ABC's Grey's Anatomy (339,315 viewers) for the top spot in that slot.
Grey's dominated the 18-to-49-year-old numbers, though, with The Office a close third behind CSI.
In late night, Jay Leno's Tonight Show again bested David Letterman's Late Show in both ratings barometers. Leno hasn't lost to Letterman in D-FW since he returned to late night on Monday.
In local news derby results, CBS11 and WFAA8 split the golds at 10 p.m. CBS11 won in total viewers while WFAA8 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds, the favored target audience for news programming.
NBC5 continued its winning ways at 6 a.m. by topping both ratings measurements. The Peacock also won at 5 p.m. in total viewers.
WFAA8 paced the 6 p.m. Nielsens in total viewers, but Fox4 remained strong among 25-to-54-year-olds with wins at both 5 and 6 p.m.
NBC's time slot premiere of Jerry Seinfeld's The Marriage Ref emerged as its most-watched show of the night while still drawing less than half the audience for CBS' competing The Mentalist.
Ref, sneak-previewed in the midst of the Olympics' closing ceremonies Sunday night, drew 196,803 D-FW viewers in its first outing at 9 p.m. Thursday. Mentalist doubled down with 413,364 viewers while ABC's runnerup Private Practice managed 210,375. Fox4's local newscast ran fourth (122,153 viewers).
Marriage Ref fared considerably better, though, with advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 123,941 viewers in this age range to finish just behind Mentalist (127,202).
Fox's 7 p.m. American Idol results show cruised to another easy win in both ratings measurements, with its 434,323 total viewers the night's high point.
NBC's special "One-Hour Office Baby Event," in which Pam and Jim had a girl, ran a distant third in the 8 p.m. hour with 176,444 viewers. CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (352,888 viewers) edged ABC's Grey's Anatomy (339,315 viewers) for the top spot in that slot.
Grey's dominated the 18-to-49-year-old numbers, though, with The Office a close third behind CSI.
In late night, Jay Leno's Tonight Show again bested David Letterman's Late Show in both ratings barometers. Leno hasn't lost to Letterman in D-FW since he returned to late night on Monday.
In local news derby results, CBS11 and WFAA8 split the golds at 10 p.m. CBS11 won in total viewers while WFAA8 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds, the favored target audience for news programming.
NBC5 continued its winning ways at 6 a.m. by topping both ratings measurements. The Peacock also won at 5 p.m. in total viewers.
WFAA8 paced the 6 p.m. Nielsens in total viewers, but Fox4 remained strong among 25-to-54-year-olds with wins at both 5 and 6 p.m.
Remarkable run: half of Idol's remaining eight guys are North Texans
03/05/10 08:01 AM
By ED BARK
Todrick Hall survived another undue burst of bullets from judges while Casey James remained in play despite a clawing from The Cougar.
They join fellow North Texans Alex Lambert and Tim Urban among the final eight males on Fox's American Idol, which in Season 9 is still prime-time's most-watched weekly series.
That's an amazing show of force for a region, let alone a state. It's also a local angle gold mine for Dallas-based Fox4, which may end up having to send its entire late night reporting team to Idol "watch parties" next week.
Hall, 24, is from Arlington, while James, 27, calls Fort Worth home. Lambert, the youngest of the quartet at 19, is from North Richland Hills. Urban, 20, is from Duncanville.
Hall's improvisational song stylings took another lashing on Tuesday night's performance edition while James was found wanting by judge Kara DioGuardi, who had been swooning in his presence. But Thursday night's viewer votes said otherwise. Lambert and Urban, virtually condemned to death by judges in the previous week, received much kinder assessments from an unlikely source -- Simon Cowell.
Two women with Texas ties also are still among Idol's living. Lacey Brown, 24, is from Amarillo and Florida-born Paige Miles, 24, currently lives in Houston.
Voted off Thursday night were John Park, Haeley Vaughn, Jermaine Sellers and Michelle Delamor.
Olympics-skewed Feb. sweeps yield asterisk-emblazoned golds for WFAA8, NBC5, Fox4
03/04/10 12:35 PM
By ED BARK
WFAA8 won the biggest local newscast prizes of the February "sweeps" with closely contested first place finishes at 10 p.m. in the two major audience categories.
But advertisers and stations, including WFAA8, generally are disregarding those results because of Olympics overruns that affected 11 of the 20 weeknight newscasts. On those nights, the Winter Games drew the lion's share of viewers while Fox4, WFAA8 and CBS11 fought a down-sized three-way battle.
It should be noted that on most Olympics nights, NBC5's late-starting late nighter generally had more viewers than the most-watched, regularly scheduled 10 p.m. newscast. But on the nine nights when all four major TV news providers went head-to-head, NBC5 could only claim the bronze.
The 6 a.m. newscast competitions, which were the least-affected by the Olympics, ended with narrow wins by NBC5 in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. Three of the four early evening news matchups resulted in first-place ties, with NBC5 benefiting somewhat from being sandwiched between afternoon and prime-time Olympics coverage.
Here are the results, without year-to-year comparisons because they don't carry that much weight this time out. The true test for all four stations will be the unfettered May "sweeps."
10 P.M.
Total viewers
WFAA8 -- 217,162
CBS11 -- 203,589
Fox4 -- 122,153
25-to-54-year-olds
WFAA8 -- 101,277
CBS11 -- 85,932
Fox4 -- 58,311
6 A.M.
Total viewers
NBC5 -- 142,512
Fox4 -- 122,153
WFAA8 -- 101,795
CBS11 -- 67,863
25-to-54-year-olds
NBC5 -- 79,794
Fox4 -- 70,587
WFAA8 -- 58,311
CBS11 -- 42,966
5 P.M.
Total viewers
NBC5/WFAA8 -- 128,940 apiece
Fox4 -- 115,367
CBS11 -- 88,222
25-to-54-year-olds
WFAA8 -- 52,173
Fox4 -- 49,104
NBC5 -- 46,035
CBS11 -- 30,690
6 P.M.
Total viewers
NBC5/WFAA8 - 162,871 apiece
CBS11 -- 142,512
Fox4 -- 115,367
25-to-54-year-olds
Fox4/NBC5/WFAA8 -- 58,311 apiece
CBS11 -- 49,104
WFAA8 won the biggest local newscast prizes of the February "sweeps" with closely contested first place finishes at 10 p.m. in the two major audience categories.
But advertisers and stations, including WFAA8, generally are disregarding those results because of Olympics overruns that affected 11 of the 20 weeknight newscasts. On those nights, the Winter Games drew the lion's share of viewers while Fox4, WFAA8 and CBS11 fought a down-sized three-way battle.
It should be noted that on most Olympics nights, NBC5's late-starting late nighter generally had more viewers than the most-watched, regularly scheduled 10 p.m. newscast. But on the nine nights when all four major TV news providers went head-to-head, NBC5 could only claim the bronze.
The 6 a.m. newscast competitions, which were the least-affected by the Olympics, ended with narrow wins by NBC5 in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. Three of the four early evening news matchups resulted in first-place ties, with NBC5 benefiting somewhat from being sandwiched between afternoon and prime-time Olympics coverage.
Here are the results, without year-to-year comparisons because they don't carry that much weight this time out. The true test for all four stations will be the unfettered May "sweeps."
10 P.M.
Total viewers
WFAA8 -- 217,162
CBS11 -- 203,589
Fox4 -- 122,153
25-to-54-year-olds
WFAA8 -- 101,277
CBS11 -- 85,932
Fox4 -- 58,311
6 A.M.
Total viewers
NBC5 -- 142,512
Fox4 -- 122,153
WFAA8 -- 101,795
CBS11 -- 67,863
25-to-54-year-olds
NBC5 -- 79,794
Fox4 -- 70,587
WFAA8 -- 58,311
CBS11 -- 42,966
5 P.M.
Total viewers
NBC5/WFAA8 -- 128,940 apiece
Fox4 -- 115,367
CBS11 -- 88,222
25-to-54-year-olds
WFAA8 -- 52,173
Fox4 -- 49,104
NBC5 -- 46,035
CBS11 -- 30,690
6 P.M.
Total viewers
NBC5/WFAA8 - 162,871 apiece
CBS11 -- 142,512
Fox4 -- 115,367
25-to-54-year-olds
Fox4/NBC5/WFAA8 -- 58,311 apiece
CBS11 -- 49,104
Nguyen moves from CNN to CBS after earlier logging time at D-FW's CBS11
03/04/10 12:33 PM
By ED BARK
Betty Nguyen, a six-year veteran of CNN after formerly working at D-FW's CBS11, is moving to CBS News to be an anchor/correspondent.
A CBS publicity release says that Nguyen's duties will include anchoring the CBS Morning News and reporting for the network's Early Show.
The University of Texas at Austin grad worked for two years at Waco's KWTX-TV before joining CBS11 in 1998 as an anchor/reporter. She spent six years at the station before joining CNN in 2004 as anchor of the all-news network's weekend morning editions of CNN Newsroom.
The CBS News roster of anchors and reporters also included former D-FW newsies Bob Schieffer, Scott Pelley, Russ Mitchell and Peter Van Sant.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., March 3) -- Idol, CBS crime, Leno pace the field
03/04/10 10:54 AM
By ED BARK
Fox's American Idol again breezed through prime-time before CBS buried the 9 p.m. competition with another hour of cops 'n' corpses.
Live performances from the remaining 10 women semi-finalists on Idol lured 488,614 D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m., with CBS' Criminal Minds running a solid second at 8 p.m. with 366,460 viewers.
CBS' CSI: NY drooped a bit to 339,315 viewers at 9 p.m.; Fox4's Idol-fueled 9 p.m. newscast (223,948 viewers) claimed the silver. ABC's 9 p.m. Oprah Winfrey Oscar special bombed with just 122,153 viewers. That put it in fifth place behind Fox Sports Southwest's closing hour of the resurgent Dallas Mavericks' win over Minnesota (196,803 viewers) and NBC's Law & Order: SVU (183,230 viewers).
In the late night wars, Jay Leno's third Tonight Show after returning from his prime-time grave again bested David Letterman's Late Show despite the latter's high-profile guest list of Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Brokaw and Barbara Walters (reading a Top 10 list). It's getting closer, though, with Leno prevailing this time by a total viewers score of 169,658 to 101,795.
Leno also won among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, as did Idol and CSI: NY in prime-time.
In the final local news derby results of the Olympics-skewed February sweeps, CBS11 swept the 10 p.m. Nielsens in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again controlled the 6 a.m. faceoffs in both ratings measurements and also won at 5 p.m. in total viewers.
WFAA8 and CBS11 tied for the top spot at 6 p.m. in total viewers, with both finishing a sub-smidgen ahead of the Peacock.
WFAA8 had the 6 p.m. gold to itself in the 25-to-54 demographic, as did Fox4 at 5 p.m.
Fox's American Idol again breezed through prime-time before CBS buried the 9 p.m. competition with another hour of cops 'n' corpses.
Live performances from the remaining 10 women semi-finalists on Idol lured 488,614 D-FW viewers from 7 to 9 p.m., with CBS' Criminal Minds running a solid second at 8 p.m. with 366,460 viewers.
CBS' CSI: NY drooped a bit to 339,315 viewers at 9 p.m.; Fox4's Idol-fueled 9 p.m. newscast (223,948 viewers) claimed the silver. ABC's 9 p.m. Oprah Winfrey Oscar special bombed with just 122,153 viewers. That put it in fifth place behind Fox Sports Southwest's closing hour of the resurgent Dallas Mavericks' win over Minnesota (196,803 viewers) and NBC's Law & Order: SVU (183,230 viewers).
In the late night wars, Jay Leno's third Tonight Show after returning from his prime-time grave again bested David Letterman's Late Show despite the latter's high-profile guest list of Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Brokaw and Barbara Walters (reading a Top 10 list). It's getting closer, though, with Leno prevailing this time by a total viewers score of 169,658 to 101,795.
Leno also won among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, as did Idol and CSI: NY in prime-time.
In the final local news derby results of the Olympics-skewed February sweeps, CBS11 swept the 10 p.m. Nielsens in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 again controlled the 6 a.m. faceoffs in both ratings measurements and also won at 5 p.m. in total viewers.
WFAA8 and CBS11 tied for the top spot at 6 p.m. in total viewers, with both finishing a sub-smidgen ahead of the Peacock.
WFAA8 had the 6 p.m. gold to itself in the 25-to-54 demographic, as did Fox4 at 5 p.m.
Schack shucks WFAA8 to take top meteorologist job in old Kentucky home
03/03/10 03:25 PM
By ED BARK
Jennifer Schack, weekend meteorologist at Dallas-based WFAA8, will be leaving the station after her last shift on March 7th to become the head forecaster at ABC station WTVQ-TV in Lexington, KY.
She sent news of her move via an email Wednesday to unclebarky.com.
"I know viewers always get frustrated when TV talent move on and they are not informed," Schack said. "So I wanted to quickly update you."
Schack, who joined WFAA8 in October, 2008, grew up in California, KY and graduated with a degree in Independent Studies: Meteorology from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, KY. She came to WFAA8 after working four-plus years at 6 News, an independent TV station in Lawrence, Kansas.
"It has been an honor and a pleasure serving North Texas," Schack said. "I feel immensely blessed for my time here."
Tied to a whipping post: favorite son Casey James no longer unscathed among Idol's North Texas 4
03/03/10 10:34 AM
By ED BARK
"The Cougar" (Kara DioGuardi) clawed at her favorite hottie cub Tuesday night while fellow judge Simon Cowell head-patted two contestants he'd savaged the week before.
American Idol's contingent of four North Texas males -- among just 10 men still standing -- had another eventful go-around on the show's Tuesday performance edition. As before, we'll give you a condensation of the judges' actual comments before Uncle Barky chips in like a woodpecker among redwoods. Here we go again.
CASEY JAMES, 27, FORT WORTH
Song: "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw
Randy Jackson -- "I love you channeling like Hendrix. This is the kind of music I could see you making as an artist and winning."
Ellen DeGeneres -- "On paper everything is there . . . But there's just a stiffness about you."
Kara DioGuardi -- "We all got the memo. 'The Cougar's' a fan. But tonight, I gotta say, you took two steps backward for me . . . Tonight everything that was distinct about you -- upfront, center, honest -- went away. Still a fan, but tonight, two steps back, baby."
Simon Cowell -- "Did he not return your calls, darling? This week you turned into somebody you will see in any bar across America -- somebody trying to be a rock star."
Uncle Barky -- "Embarrassed by her previous slobbering, DioGuardi's just trying to distance herself from any Paula Abdul comparisons while also keeping her off-camera hubby at bay. But Casey's electric guitar riffs did tend to overwhelm his voice. Gargle with Southern Comfort and get those vocal chords re-tuned. Then either lose the guitar or downshift it to acoustic."
ALEX LAMBERT, 19, NORTH RICHLAND HILLS
Song: "Everybody Knows" by John Legend
Randy -- "This is such an improvement for me over last week. I really enjoyed that, actually."
Ellen -- "So much better than last week . . . You're gaining so much experience so quickly. I like it. I like it."
Kara -- "There isn't a person out there that isn't rooting for you . . . What you have is an incredible, recordable voice. People would die to have that tone."
Simon -- "That was a million times better than last week . . . Let me just give you some advice. The only time you should be nervous is if you're useless. And you're not. You've actually got a good voice . . . You have to have a killer, killer instinct now."
Uncle Barky -- "I dunno. I just don't see it. Definitely more relaxed this time, but still next to no stage presence. The voice is OK, but certainly not all that 'incredible' or 'recordable.' Or memorable."
TODRICK HALL, 24, ARLINGTON
Song: "What's Love Got to Do With It?" by Tina Turner
Randy -- "A great song doesn't need a different, wild arrangement. I didn't love this, right? I didn't love this at all . . . Just sing a nice song. Just sing. For once."
Ellen -- "I would say not 'just sing.' I would say sing and move. Because use your strength. You're a dancer . . . I don't think it was the right song. I don't think that song helped you get any votes."
Kara -- "I don't get it. What happened to Todrick with his unique spin on stuff that was not crazy, all over the place? I don't know where that Todrick went."
Simon -- "I would say, 'Tondrick (sic), move but don't sing.' Because this is not working out at all for you. It was just one of those performances I had the misfortune to see at a theme park. It was of that caliber . . . I don't know what's going through your head at the moment, but you are getting this completely and utterly wrong. Sorry."
Uncle Barky -- "WTF are you people talking about!? Todrick's interpretation of this Turner standard was nowhere near as 'off-message' as last week's rendition of Kelly Clarkson's 'Since U Been Gone.' In fact, he kept the melody completely intact while also making the song 'his own,' as you guys keep parroting. You demand originality, and then you try to stifle this kid's creativity. He needs to tune you out and stay in this groove. What're you trying to do to him? You're acting like a bunch of Lawrence Welks striving to rein in Miles Davis. Let's hope viewers are much, much smarter than this."
TIM URBAN, 20, DUNCANVILLE
Song: "C'mon, Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson
Randy -- "Tim, how was that for you, man? I didn't really get it. It was kind of very karaoke for me. There was nothing special about it. Nothing jumped out. Nothing made it unique."
Ellen -- "You should act. There's no charisma. There's no stage presence . . . But you're adorable. And if you act, you've got it made. Because you can also sing a little."
Kara -- "I actually liked the song choice . . . But you didn't make it your own. It's just frustrating with you. Because you look the part, you play the part, but it's not all there yet."
Simon -- "I think that was a marked improvement on last week . . . I thought you were more relevant tonight than a lot of the other singers we've seen before. I'm really impressed by your attitude and your work ethic."
Uncle Barky -- "Ellen's on to something. She mentioned Glee during the course of her discourse, and yeah, that'd be perfect for you. You've definitely got the heartthrob David Cassidy/Zac Efron package. And your vocals are decent enough. Don't write yourself off yet on Idol, though. Two words: Kris Allen. He's the cute 'n' cuddly defending champ, and no one every accused him of having a high-soaring vocal range. It's very unlikely you'll go the distance, but a Top 10 finish isn't inconceivable."
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., March 2) -- Leno wins again while CBS11/WFAA8 split late night election returns
03/03/10 09:22 AM
By ED BARK
Sarah Palin's visitation to Jay Leno's Tonight Show spurred him to a second lopsided win over David Letterman Tuesday.
Palin, who also contributed a hit 'n' miss comedy monologue, was not asked about her previous run-in with Letterman over a sexual joke he made about her daughter. In other words, it was a typically inconsequential Leno interview, but good enough to make the sale ratings-wise.
Tonight drew 162,871 D-FW viewers while Letterman had 67,863. For Monday's return to Tonight, Leno won by a score of 217,162 to 74,649 viewers.
Tuesday's Tonight also logged an easy win among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, with Leno luring 55,442 to Letterman's 16,308. On Monday night the margin was 75,017 to 13,046.
Tuesday's 10 p.m. local newscasts were driven by state and local election returns, with CBS11 nipping WFAA8 in total viewers by a Nielsen vote of 223,948 to 217,162. NBC5 (169,658) and Fox4 (156,085) trailed on a night when Gov. Rick Perry closed the deal early and made his victory speech from Driftwood at the start of the late night editions.
WFAA8's coverage had the largest audience among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. It drew 95,139 viewers in this age range, with NBC5 and CBS11 tying for second (82,863 viewers) and Fox4 running fourth (55,242).
In prime-time returns, the 9 p.m. premiere of NBC's Parenthood ran fourth in total viewers, drawing 203,589 opposite CBS' front-running The Good Wife (359,674 viewers). But Parenthood vaulted to first place among 18-to-49-year-olds, the target demographic for entertainment programming. So NBC will be giddy if those numbers hold up nationally.
Fox's American Idol again called the tune from 7 to 9 p.m., rolling up 495,400 total viewers and also winning among 18-to-49-year-olds. CBS' combo of NCIS/NCIS: Los Angeles ran a close second in total viewers but sagged among 18-to-49-year-olds. ABC's 8 p.m. new episode of Lost had the silver in that key demographic.
In other local news derby results, NBC5 again swept the 6 a.m. proceedings, with Fox4 close behind.
The 5 and 6 p.m. news numbers were mostly controlled by Fox4, which won at 5 p.m. in total viewers and ran the table at those hours among 25-to-54-year-olds. WFAA8 notched a 6 p.m. win in total viewers.
Sarah Palin's visitation to Jay Leno's Tonight Show spurred him to a second lopsided win over David Letterman Tuesday.
Palin, who also contributed a hit 'n' miss comedy monologue, was not asked about her previous run-in with Letterman over a sexual joke he made about her daughter. In other words, it was a typically inconsequential Leno interview, but good enough to make the sale ratings-wise.
Tonight drew 162,871 D-FW viewers while Letterman had 67,863. For Monday's return to Tonight, Leno won by a score of 217,162 to 74,649 viewers.
Tuesday's Tonight also logged an easy win among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, with Leno luring 55,442 to Letterman's 16,308. On Monday night the margin was 75,017 to 13,046.
Tuesday's 10 p.m. local newscasts were driven by state and local election returns, with CBS11 nipping WFAA8 in total viewers by a Nielsen vote of 223,948 to 217,162. NBC5 (169,658) and Fox4 (156,085) trailed on a night when Gov. Rick Perry closed the deal early and made his victory speech from Driftwood at the start of the late night editions.
WFAA8's coverage had the largest audience among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. It drew 95,139 viewers in this age range, with NBC5 and CBS11 tying for second (82,863 viewers) and Fox4 running fourth (55,242).
In prime-time returns, the 9 p.m. premiere of NBC's Parenthood ran fourth in total viewers, drawing 203,589 opposite CBS' front-running The Good Wife (359,674 viewers). But Parenthood vaulted to first place among 18-to-49-year-olds, the target demographic for entertainment programming. So NBC will be giddy if those numbers hold up nationally.
Fox's American Idol again called the tune from 7 to 9 p.m., rolling up 495,400 total viewers and also winning among 18-to-49-year-olds. CBS' combo of NCIS/NCIS: Los Angeles ran a close second in total viewers but sagged among 18-to-49-year-olds. ABC's 8 p.m. new episode of Lost had the silver in that key demographic.
In other local news derby results, NBC5 again swept the 6 a.m. proceedings, with Fox4 close behind.
The 5 and 6 p.m. news numbers were mostly controlled by Fox4, which won at 5 p.m. in total viewers and ran the table at those hours among 25-to-54-year-olds. WFAA8 notched a 6 p.m. win in total viewers.
The power of raw, mostly silent video
03/02/10 03:10 PM
Tuesday's early morning fires on Lower
Greenville Avenue leveled a quartet of popular
bar/restaurants. Fort Worth-based NBC5's website,
nbcdfw.com, has posted a two-and-a-half minute video
from the scene without any breathless reporter
additives.
The footage, shot first from ground level and then from above, has its own sad eloquence. The devastation is all too clear, with your own thoughts providing the narrative. Sometimes it just works better that way.
On the website, the video is accompanied by a print story that fills in the details, plus a headline reading, "4-Alarm Fire Devours Block of Greenville Avenue." All in all, it's a powerful combination. Take a look, with the proviso that you'll first have to experience a 15-second commercial.
Ed Bark
The footage, shot first from ground level and then from above, has its own sad eloquence. The devastation is all too clear, with your own thoughts providing the narrative. Sometimes it just works better that way.
On the website, the video is accompanied by a print story that fills in the details, plus a headline reading, "4-Alarm Fire Devours Block of Greenville Avenue." All in all, it's a powerful combination. Take a look, with the proviso that you'll first have to experience a 15-second commercial.
Ed Bark
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., March 1) -- seems like old times: Leno smacks Letterman
03/02/10 10:00 AM
By ED BARK
Jay Leno's first Tonight Show do-over Monday amounted to a rerun of his past battles with David Letterman's Late Show.
Leno drew nearly triple Letterman's audience in D-FW while annihilating him even worse among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. Of course it's early. And there was an obvious curiosity factor. But still . . .
Here are the numbers:
TOTAL VIEWERS
Tonight Show -- 217,162
Nightline -- 128,940
Late Show -- 74,649
18-to-49-YEAR-OLDS
Tonight Show -- 75,017
Nightline -- 52,186
Late Show -- 13,046
Letterman also was beaten in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds by CW33's 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. repeats of Two and a Half Men and Friends. His featured guest was Bill Murray Monday night while Leno countered with Jamie Foxx and Olympic downhill skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn.
Elsewhere on Monday's landscape, ABC's climactic two-hour The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love, starring Dallas pilot Jake Pavelka, won the 7 p.m. hour in total viewers before finishing second from 8 to 9 p.m. behind new episodes of CBS' Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.
But Bachelor beat all competing programming in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic and also ran first in that age range at 9 p.m. with its After the Final Rose recap. CBS' new hour of CSI: Miami tied After the Final Rose for first in total viewers.
Fox punted at 7 p.m. with a House rerun that ran fourth across the board before a new episode of 24 beat NBC's Law & Order for third place in both ratings measurements.
The 9 p.m. second hour of L&O, first of a wave of Jay Leno Show replacements, drew a respectable 217,162 total viewers. That was good enough to beat Fox4's 9 p.m. local newscast, and a significantly better showing than Leno had been making on most nights.
NBC's Chuck continued to be its highest-rated Monday show, this time with 223,948 total viewers and an even better showing with 18-to-49-year-olds, where it ran second at 7 p.m.
On to the local news derby results, where WFAA8 rode a strong lead-in from After the Final Rose to a doubleheader win at 10 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the preferred advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 got off to a decent 10 p.m. restart by finishing second in total viewers before dipping to third with 25-to-54-year-olds behind runnerup CBS11.
The Peacock again ran the table at 6 a.m., with Fox4 taking the silvers.
WFAA8 controlled the 5 and 6 p.m. newscast ratings in total viewers, but Fox4 again won both matchups among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The February "sweeps" ratings period, which ends Wednesday night, will be written off as largely inconsequential at 10 p.m., where NBC's Olympics overruns skewed the numbers.
NBC5's early evening newscasts also benefited from being sandwiched between afternoon and prime-time Winter Games coverage. But the 6 a.m. Nielsens are relatively pure, and NBC5 looks like a winner there.
Jay Leno's first Tonight Show do-over Monday amounted to a rerun of his past battles with David Letterman's Late Show.
Leno drew nearly triple Letterman's audience in D-FW while annihilating him even worse among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. Of course it's early. And there was an obvious curiosity factor. But still . . .
Here are the numbers:
TOTAL VIEWERS
Tonight Show -- 217,162
Nightline -- 128,940
Late Show -- 74,649
18-to-49-YEAR-OLDS
Tonight Show -- 75,017
Nightline -- 52,186
Late Show -- 13,046
Letterman also was beaten in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds by CW33's 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. repeats of Two and a Half Men and Friends. His featured guest was Bill Murray Monday night while Leno countered with Jamie Foxx and Olympic downhill skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn.
Elsewhere on Monday's landscape, ABC's climactic two-hour The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love, starring Dallas pilot Jake Pavelka, won the 7 p.m. hour in total viewers before finishing second from 8 to 9 p.m. behind new episodes of CBS' Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.
But Bachelor beat all competing programming in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic and also ran first in that age range at 9 p.m. with its After the Final Rose recap. CBS' new hour of CSI: Miami tied After the Final Rose for first in total viewers.
Fox punted at 7 p.m. with a House rerun that ran fourth across the board before a new episode of 24 beat NBC's Law & Order for third place in both ratings measurements.
The 9 p.m. second hour of L&O, first of a wave of Jay Leno Show replacements, drew a respectable 217,162 total viewers. That was good enough to beat Fox4's 9 p.m. local newscast, and a significantly better showing than Leno had been making on most nights.
NBC's Chuck continued to be its highest-rated Monday show, this time with 223,948 total viewers and an even better showing with 18-to-49-year-olds, where it ran second at 7 p.m.
On to the local news derby results, where WFAA8 rode a strong lead-in from After the Final Rose to a doubleheader win at 10 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the preferred advertiser target audience for news programming.
NBC5 got off to a decent 10 p.m. restart by finishing second in total viewers before dipping to third with 25-to-54-year-olds behind runnerup CBS11.
The Peacock again ran the table at 6 a.m., with Fox4 taking the silvers.
WFAA8 controlled the 5 and 6 p.m. newscast ratings in total viewers, but Fox4 again won both matchups among 25-to-54-year-olds.
The February "sweeps" ratings period, which ends Wednesday night, will be written off as largely inconsequential at 10 p.m., where NBC's Olympics overruns skewed the numbers.
NBC5's early evening newscasts also benefited from being sandwiched between afternoon and prime-time Winter Games coverage. But the 6 a.m. Nielsens are relatively pure, and NBC5 looks like a winner there.
Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Feb. 26-28) -- Undercover Boss gets silver/gold opposite Olympics closing ceremony
03/01/10 12:58 PM
By ED BARK
CBS' Undercover Boss achieved above and beyond Sunday night by beating NBC's last gasp of the Olympics among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds and running a competitive second in total D-FW viewers.
The 8 to 9 p.m. slice of the Winter Games' closing ceremonies had 413,964 viewers in holding off Undercover Boss (339,315 viewers), which closed strong to beat the Olympics in the 8:45 to 9 p.m. segment. But Boss slid by among 18-to-49-year-olds, racking up 172,865 viewers in this age range for the full hour compared to the Olympics' 159,818.
A new episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives, also in the 8 p.m. mix, had to settle for third in both ratings measurements.
At 9:30 p.m. Sunday, the sneak preview of NBC's Jerry Seinfeld-produced The Marriage Ref won its time slot with 298,597 total viewers while also emerging as master of its domain among 18-to-49-year-olds. The series now moves to Thursdays at 9 p.m. as part of NBC's Jay Leno Show replacement parade.
Earlier Sunday, the gold medal overtime men's hockey final between the U.S. and victorious Canada had appreciably bigger ratings than the prime-time Olympics swan song. Peaking at 712,562 total viewers between 4:45 and 5 p.m., the 3-2 finale overall averaged 536,118.
Saturday's nighttime Olympics coverage cruised to an easy win with 468,255 viewers while Friday's averaged 536,118 (identical to the men's hockey final) in also decimating all competing programming.
In Friday's local news derby tallies, CBS11 edged WFAA8 in total viewers to win the 10 p.m. gold, but Fox4 made a rare trip to the top of the podium with a win among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. With the Olympics now out of the picture, it was the last downsized weeknight race in the showcase 10 p.m. hour.
Fox4 and NBC5 tied for first place in total viewers at 6 a.m., with the Peacock tops in the 25-to-54 demographic.
CBS11 triumphed at 6 p.m. in total viewers and tied Fox4 for first with 25-to-54-year-olds. The 5 p.m. golds were split between NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
CBS' Undercover Boss achieved above and beyond Sunday night by beating NBC's last gasp of the Olympics among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds and running a competitive second in total D-FW viewers.
The 8 to 9 p.m. slice of the Winter Games' closing ceremonies had 413,964 viewers in holding off Undercover Boss (339,315 viewers), which closed strong to beat the Olympics in the 8:45 to 9 p.m. segment. But Boss slid by among 18-to-49-year-olds, racking up 172,865 viewers in this age range for the full hour compared to the Olympics' 159,818.
A new episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives, also in the 8 p.m. mix, had to settle for third in both ratings measurements.
At 9:30 p.m. Sunday, the sneak preview of NBC's Jerry Seinfeld-produced The Marriage Ref won its time slot with 298,597 total viewers while also emerging as master of its domain among 18-to-49-year-olds. The series now moves to Thursdays at 9 p.m. as part of NBC's Jay Leno Show replacement parade.
Earlier Sunday, the gold medal overtime men's hockey final between the U.S. and victorious Canada had appreciably bigger ratings than the prime-time Olympics swan song. Peaking at 712,562 total viewers between 4:45 and 5 p.m., the 3-2 finale overall averaged 536,118.
Saturday's nighttime Olympics coverage cruised to an easy win with 468,255 viewers while Friday's averaged 536,118 (identical to the men's hockey final) in also decimating all competing programming.
In Friday's local news derby tallies, CBS11 edged WFAA8 in total viewers to win the 10 p.m. gold, but Fox4 made a rare trip to the top of the podium with a win among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. With the Olympics now out of the picture, it was the last downsized weeknight race in the showcase 10 p.m. hour.
Fox4 and NBC5 tied for first place in total viewers at 6 a.m., with the Peacock tops in the 25-to-54 demographic.
CBS11 triumphed at 6 p.m. in total viewers and tied Fox4 for first with 25-to-54-year-olds. The 5 p.m. golds were split between NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.
NBC reboots, NBC5 hopes to get a leg up
03/01/10 02:03 AM
By ED BARK
Now comes the inverse of many Winter Olympics competitions -- NBC's steep uphill climb back to what it hopes will be renewed ratings respectability. It all starts Monday.
Fort Worth-based NBC5's 10 p.m. newscasts also potentially have much to gain. The station's new anchor duo of Brian Curtis and Meredith Land made their first appearance after the Games' opening ceremonies. And despite usually starting an hour or more later than their three rivals, they still drew more viewers than the 10 p.m. winner on most nights. It helps to have the Olympics as a feeding tube.
Curtis and Land will begin their regularly scheduled 10 p.m. shift without being bedeviled by The Jay Leno Show and its reliably low lead-in audiences. Instead they'll be preceded by a patchwork quilt of shows that are either new or notably long in the tooth.
The Monday-Friday 9 p.m. lineup, subject to change as winter yields to spring, will be Law & Order; the promising new drama series Parenthood; Law & Order: SVU; Jerry Seinfeld's comedy-panel show, The Marriage Ref and Dateline.
Leno, whose Olympics promotions were built around The Beatles' "Get Back," concurrently returns to The Tonight Show Monday armed with guests Lindsey Vonn, Jamie Foxx and Brad Paisley. His long-term goal is to regain the dominance he had over David Letterman's Late Show, which thumped Conan O'Brien's Tonight for much of their seven-month faceoff.
Letterman will counter Monday night with the reliably entertaining Bill Murray and Ludacris. On Tuesday, a pair of possible 2012 Republican presidential candidates square off, with Leno welcoming Sarah Palin and Letterman hosting Mitt Romney.
Letterman also has The Jay Leno Show's first guest, Jerry Seinfeld, on Wednesday, and O'Brien's last Tonightguest, Tom Hanks, on Thursday. Leno has Olympian Apolo Ono on Wednesday and Brett Favre on Thursday. They're obviously not messin' around.
NBC5's 10 p.m. newscasts ran third in the November sweeps with Leno as their nightly place-setter. Late night news ratings for the February sweeps, which end Wednesday night, are largely discounted because of the Olympics factor. That makes the May sweeps of more than usual interest -- particularly for NBC.
Can Leno heal the Tonight Show ratings after opening all those gaping ratings wounds at 9 p.m.? Will NBC be able to give its owned and affiliated stations a much-needed boost with its hastily assembled quintet of Leno replacements?
Leno's return to Tonight almost assuredly will boost the show's overall ratings. And the curiosity over Monday night's first do-over should provide him with a larger audience than Letterman on that night.
Despite NBC's manifest screwups, it's still possible that Leno in time will resume his reign as late night king. In fact it might not take that much time at all. If so, that would be a tough pill for Letterman to choke down. So he'll be going all out -- save for another sex scandal -- to stay on top of a guy he unmercifully ridiculed until making peace of sorts with their surprise Super Bowl XLIV commercial.
The Peacock's prime-time problems are far more deep-seated across the board, even if its new 9 p.m. lineup can't help but do better than Leno did. In the immediate future, NBC5 and its brethren across the land will take whatever extra table scraps they can get. For the first time since September, things actually are looking up. Then again, how could they not?