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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 30) -- NFL-less CBS yields to ABC on two fronts

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The first night of the November “sweeps” ratings period found CBS bereft of Thursday Night Football and paying a prime-time price from 8 to 10 p.m.

CBS’ twin comedy punch of The Big Bang Theory and Mom held steady before the network’s Two and a Half Men, The McCarthys and Elementary fell to second place behind ABC’s Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. CBS’ NFL telecasts previously had swept the prime-time Nielsens.

Big Bang was Thursday’s biggest draw in both total D-FW viewers (432,388) and advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (189,229). Mom likewise controlled the 7:30 to 8 p.m. slot, but with significantly diminished totals of 258,038 viewers and 107,229 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

ABC then took over. Scandal won from 8 to 9 p.m. in both ratings measurements with respective totals of 237,116 and 97,768 viewers. How to Get Away with Murder ran first in the 9 p.m. hour with 230,142 total viewers and 75,691 in the 18-to-49 age range. The 8:30 p.m. premiere of CBS’ new The McCarthys ran second across the board in its time slot but in both cases lost audiences from CBS’ preceding season premiere of Two and a Half Men.

NBC had the night’s least-watched attraction among the Big Four broadcast networks. The Peacock’s 8:30 p.m. episode of A to Z had a sub-measly 48,818 total viewers.

It was also a big night in cable sports. The New Orleans Saints-Carolina Panthers game, airing exclusively on the NFL Network, topped a four-way competition with 146,454 viewers and 53,615 in the 18-to-49 realm.

Fox Sports Southwest’s Dallas Mavericks home season opener, a rout of the visiting Utah Jazz, ran second with totals of 90,662 and 40,999 viewers.

On ESPN, the matchup between No. 2-ranked Florida State and No. 22 Louisville took the bronze with 76,714 total viewers and 34,692 in the 18-to-49 motherlode. TNT’s presentation of LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers homecoming -- against the visiting and victorious New York Knicks -- ran fourth with respective totals of 55,792 and 28,384 viewers.

D-FW’s four major local news providers also girded their loins for 20 weekdays worth of ratings sweeps warfare. There was something for everybody except NBC5 in Thursday’s opening battle.

Gannett8 edged CBS11 for the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but CBS11 surprisingly won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept both the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. competitions and also won among 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m. (with Gannett8 just a smidgen behind). CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 29) -- Game 7 classic gives Fox a clean sweep

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The ratings have shown time and again that D-FW is not very big on baseball unless the Texas Rangers are topping the American League standings or competing in the post-season. Otherwise, zzzzzzz -- compared to many other TV markets.

But attention must be paid when the World Series offers a rare Game 7 in addition to a classic clutch performance by Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner. Nielsen numbers for Wednesday’s 3-2 Giants win over the Royals at least were in the vicinity of an average Sunday Night Football game. And they were more than good enough to dominate the prime-time terrain.

Ending at 10:21 p.m., Game 7 averaged 474,232 viewers and 220,766 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. The total viewers audience peaked at 641,608 between 9 and 9:15 p.m. The 18-to-49 high came in that 15-minute segment and and during the closing minutes of the game, when 309,072 viewers were tuned in.

Opposite the World Series, CBS’ 8 p.m. episode of Criminal Minds took Wednesday night’s runner-up spot in total viewers with 251,064 while ABC’s 8 p.m. episode of Modern Family led among 18-to-49-year-olds (88,306).

On the eve of the November “sweeps” ratings period, which starts on Halloween eve, here are the local news derby results.

Gannett8 won a downsized three-way race at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

The 6 a.m. golds were split between NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

A three-way 6 p.m. race (Fox4 had a World Series pre-game show) was won by CBS11 in total viewers and Gannett8 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Gannett8 ran first at 5 p.m. in total viewers and shared the 25-to-54 lead with CBS11.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 28) -- split decision for Mavs season opener vs. Game 6 of World Series

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Mavericks’ season opener at San Antonio went head-to-head with Game 6 of the World Series throughout most of prime-time Tuesday.

You win some, you lose some, which is what happened.

From 7 to 9:30 p.m., when the two attractions squared off, the Royals’ eventual 10-0 rout of the Giants on Fox averaged 223,168 D-FW viewers to outscore the Spurs’ 101-100 win over the Mavs on TNT (181,324 viewers).

But it was a decidedly different outcome among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. In that key measurement, Mavs-Spurs had 100,922 viewers compared to 85,153 for the World Series.

CBS had Tuesday’s two biggest overall draws, though. NCIS led at 7 p.m. with 404,492 total viewers while its spinoff, NCIS: New Orleans, pulled in 376,596 viewers during the 8 p.m. hour. NBC’s The Voice, which aired from 7 to 8 p.m., had the night’s top haul of 18-to-49-year-olds (148,229).

At the other end of the ratings teeter totter, ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the network’s Great Halloween Fright Fight tied for the fewest total viewers among the Big Four broadcast networks. Each had 97,636. CBS’ Person of Interest ranked lowest with 18-to-49-year-olds (34,692).

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.

With the World Series running until 10:30 p.m., CBS11 led a downsized three-way 10 p.m. race in total viewers while Gannett8 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and Gannett8 did likewise at 5 p.m. Gannett8 and CBS11 tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m., but Gannett8 had the top spot to itself among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Oct. 27) -- deflating Cowboys thriller is also another 1.5 million-plus bestseller

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The ratings meters keep clicking for the Dallas Cowboys, whose stunning 20-17 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins is the fourth of eight games this season to soar past the 1.5 million mark in D-FW viewers.

Running from 7:30 to 10:42 p.m. under the Monday Night Football banner, the broadcast station simulcast on Gannett8 averaged 1,004,256 million viewers while ESPN drew an additional 571,868. The grand total of 1,576,124 viewers replicated Fox’s Sunday, Oct. 19th total for the Cowboys home win over the New York Giants.

This season’s D-FW record-setter is still the Cowboys’ upset of Seattle, which averaged 1,604,020 viewers on Fox. Dallas’ rout of the New Orleans Saints on NBC’s Sunday Night Football remains in the runner-up slot with 1,583,093 viewers.

Just three of last season’s 16 games hit the 1.5 million-plus mark while another three drew fewer than 1 million total viewers.

Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, Monday’s Cowboys-Redskins game drew 425,763 viewers on Gannett8 and 309,072 on ESPN.

Rival networks sent potent programming to battle the Cowboys while Gannett8 sent ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and Castle into wee morning hours for a DVR workout.

NBC’s two-hour edition of The Voice fared the best overall with 265,012 total viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. CBS’ highest scorer was an 8 p.m. episode of Scorpion (223,168 viewers) while Fox scored highest with a 7 p.m. hour of Gotham (118,558 viewers). The first half-hours of The Voice and Gotham had the good fortune to air opposite pre-game blab rather than the game itself.

For the record, the 6:30 to 7 p.m. portion of sports anchor Dale Hansen’s homegrown Gannett8 warmup show drew 251,064 total viewers and 88,306 in the 18-to-49 demographic. During that half-hour, the ESPN network’s buildup had respective totals of 139,480 and 56,768 viewers.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results.

NBC5 had the most total viewers in a downsized three-way 10 p.m. race while Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming. Ratings were greatly deflated by the competing Cowboys game, allowing NBC5 to run first in total viewers with just 111,584.

Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. competitions and also took both golds at 6 p.m. NBC5 notched a doubleheader win at 5 p.m. Gannett8’s 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts, saturated with cheerleading Cowboys pre-game coverage, ran second across the board.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Oct.24-26) -- Sunday Night Football doubles up on competing Game 5 of World Series

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Saints’ rout of the Packers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football dominated prime-time while Fox’s competing Game 5 of the World Series battled CBS’ regular lineup for a distant second place.

SNF averaged 509,102 D-FW viewers while the Giants’ 5-0 win over the Royals drew 244,090. CBS’ prime-time attractions were pushed back an hour because of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Indianapolis Colts over-run. Here’s how it looked in each one-hour prime-time increment.

7 to 8 P.M.

The World Series and 60 Minutes tied with 299,882 total viewers apiece.

8 to 9 P.M.

Madam Secretary -- 299,882
World Series -- 223,168

9 to 10 P.M.

The Good Wife -- 230,142
World Series -- 223,168

Saints-Packers also drew twice as many advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds as the World Series, which in turn out-scored the CBS lineup in each hour to finish second in this key demographic among the Big Four broadcast networks. But as usual, AMC’s The Walking Dead flexed among 18-to-49-year-olds, beating everything but Sunday Night Football from 8 to 9 p.m.

Saturday’s Game 4 of the World Series, which stretched all the way to 11:08 p.m., fared better by controlling that night’s ratings in both audience measurement. Overall, the game averaged 230,142 total viewers while also cruising with 18-to-49-year-olds. Despite the lopsided 11-4 Giants win, the Series even beat the first half-hour of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, with host Jim Carrey, in the 18-to-49 demographic.

As a warmup for Game 4, Fox spent much of the afternoon and early evening with TCU’s 82-27 mega-crushing of Texas Tech. The game mercifully ended at 6:30 p.m. and dominated its time slot with an average of 195,272 total viewers. Then came ESPN’s prime-time matchup between LSU and Mississippi, which led the entire Saturday college football parade with an average of 209,220 total viewers.

On Friday night, the closest game of the World Series, a 3-2 win by the Royals, still fell short of CBS’ The Amazing Race and Blue Bloods in the total viewer Nielsens from 7 to 8 p.m. and 9 to 10 p.m. Game 3 also barely beat ABC’s Shark Tank in the 8 p.m. hour. Running until 10:25 p.m., Royals-Giants overall averaged 223,168 total viewers.

But Game 3 of the Series was the top draw all night among 18-to-49-year-olds. And in an otherwise ratings-starved fall for Fox, even diminishing returns for recent World Series match-ups amount to a late October windfall.

Also on Friday, the premiere of NBC’s supernatural Constantine ran fourth in total viewers from 9 to 10 p.m. with 90,662. It was the same story with 18-to-49-year-olds.

OK, let’s finish up with Friday’s local news derby results.

At 10 p.m., CBS11 won a downsized three-way race in total viewers while Gannett8 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and CBS11 topped the total viewer Nielsens at both 5 and 6 p.m. Gannett 8 took the 5 and 6 p.m. golds in the 25-to-54 measurement.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Former CBS11 morning anchor Brendan Higgins reaches agreement with Aspen authorities

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
There has been a resolution in the case involving Aspen, Colo. authorities and former CBS11 early morning news anchor Brendan Higgins.

In a statement sent Friday afternoon to unclebarky.com and other outlets, Higgins said he will have no further comment on the matter. As first reported on unclebarky.com in August, Higgins was arrested in August by Aspen authorities and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A police report said that Higgins, 46, allegedly was severely intoxicated at the time. CBS11 then quickly dropped him.

Here is Higgins’ complete statement:

“I have entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the City of Aspen that will ensure all the municipal court charges against me will be dropped within six months. As I said shortly after my arrest, I am deeply sorry for the negative attention this situation brought to my family, our friends, my coworkers and the hard-working authorities in Aspen. While unfortunate, this incident has provided a valuable lesson that I will not soon forget, and I dearly appreciate the many messages of support sent to my family and me over the past couple months. We are looking forward to moving on to bigger, brighter things.”

CBS11 news staffer Jason Allen has been co-anchoring the station’s early morning newscasts with incumbent Adrienne Bankert after Higgins’ departure. But CBS11 representatives say no decision has been made regarding a full-time early morning anchor.

The No. 4-rated program’s picture got blurrier Friday after unclebarky.com’s post that traffic reporter Whitney Drolen has resigned and plans to get out of the television business.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Traffic reporter Whitney Drolen leaves CBS11 (updated)

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Whitney Drolen, early morning traffic reporter for D-FW’s CBS11 since August 2012, has left the station.

Drolen confirmed, in an email to unclebarky.com, that she resigned on Friday morning, Oct. 24th.

“I’m always grateful for the opportunities I have been given,” she said. “However, I’m really looking forward to the next chapter. A chapter that I feel will be much more healthy for me emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally.”

She did not specify further. Drolen’s bio already has been removed from CBS11’s website. Lori Conrad, the station’s director of communications, said Drolen “told us that she has decided to leave the (TV) business.”

Drolen, who joined CBS11 from CBS-owned stations KCBS and KCAL in Los Angeles, previously received heavy promotion in “Rollin’ with Drolen” spots that touted her traffic expertise. She replaced Teresa Frosini, who became a general assignment reporter for CBS11 but left the station in July of this year.

There’s no word yet on Drolen’s permanent replacement. Former longtime NBC5 traffic reporter Tammy Dombeck has been CBS11’s fill-in traffic reporter since March of last year. Conrad said that Dombeck “will fill in until a replacement is named.”

CBS11 currently ranks fourth in the early morning news ratings. The station has been without early morning co-anchor Brendan Higgins since August. He was dropped by CBS11 after unclebarky.com reported his arrest in Aspen, Colorado on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Staffer Jason Allen has been filling in since.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 23) -- CBS closes out Thursday Night Football on another winning note

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS said goodbye to its inaugural telecasts of Thursday Night Football by again dominating the prime-time Nielsens.

The only dent was the first half-hour of the Broncos-Chargers matchup, which lost among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds to ABC’s 7:30 to 8 p.m. portion of Grey’s Anatomy.

The Broncos’ 35-21 win otherwise averaged 395,518 total viewers in D-FW, with 157,690 in the 18-to-49 realm. The NFL Network’s simulcast tacked on another 55,792 total viewers, with 18,923 in the 18-to-49 age range.

CBS resumes its regular entertainment lineup next week while the rest of the Thursday night football schedule will be shown solely on the NFL Network. The CBS team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will remain in the booth, though.

ABC had another solid second place finish Thursday night, led by How to Get Away with Murder in total viewers (285,934) and Grey’s Anatomy among 18-to-49ers (138,767). The least-watched show among the Big Four broadcast networks, NBC’s new A to Z sitcom, drew just 69,740 total viewers. A to Z also ranked in the basement with 18-to-49-year-olds (15,769).

In Thursday’s local news derby results, Gannett8 cleaned up in a downsized 10 p.m. race with lopsided wins in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and Gannett8 did likewise at 6 p.m. The 5 p.m. golds went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 22) -- Game 2's a gamer

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Facing less formidable competition, Fox’s Game 2 of the World Series won from start to stop with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds while being outdrawn in total D-FW viewers by just one viewing alternative.

That would be CBS’ Criminal Minds, which had 278,960 total viewers in the 8 p.m. hour compared to 271,986 for the Series. From 7 to 7:30 p.m., ABC’s The Middle and Fox’s combo of pre-game stuff and the game itself tied in total viewers with 223,168 apiece.

Running until 10:33 p.m., the Kansas City Royals’ 7-2 win over the San Francisco Giants averaged 265,012 total viewers and 122,998 in the 18-to-49 demographic. The most-watched competing program among 18-to-49-year-olds, ABC’s 8 p.m. episode of Modern Family, had 116,691 viewers.

So that’s not bad overall and great if you’re Fox, whose regular fall prime-time lineup has for the most part played dead.

NBC’s The Mysteries of Laura and ABC’s The Goldbergs tied for the least-watched program among 18-to-49-year-olds in the Big Four broadcast network universe. Each drew 31,538.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby numbers.

In a downsized 10 p.m. race, Gannett8 and CBS11 tied in total viewers while Gannett8 was alone on top with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

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

Local Programming Note: As you may have noticed, for “One Incredible Night,” Gannett8 will be next week’s Dallas Cowboys-Washington Redskins Monday Night Football game. NFL rules dictate that its games also be made available on a free over-the-air broadcast station in the two competing teams’ markets. Cable’s ESPN otherwise has the sole rights to Monday Night Football in the rest of the country.

This is the first time in memory that WFAA has bought the rights to a Monday Night Football game after ABC bequeathed the rights to ESPN following the 2005 season.

In this case there’s no D-FW “sister station” to carry the displaced programs. So ABC’s Dancing with the Stars is scheduled to air at 12:57 a.m. Tuesday followed by Castle at 2:58 a.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 21) --Tough at bat for Fox's Game 1 of World Series

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A one-sided and elongated Game 1 of the World Series fared far better for Fox than its usual weak-kneed Tuesday night lineup.

Still, it was no home run. Maybe a ground rule double, though.

The San Francisco Giants’ 7-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals seemed to go on forever, but actually ran only from 7:09 to 10:41 p.m. In its last full 15-minute segment, the World Series was outdrawn in total D-FW viewers by the second halves of local newscasts on WFAA8 and NBC5 while barely beating CBS11.

Let’s look at the hour-by-hour prime-time results, in which only ABC completely struck out.

7 to 8 P.M.

Total Viewers
NCIS (CBS) -- 418,440
The Voice (NBC) -- 334,752
World Series -- 230,142
The Flash (CW) -- 69,740
Selfie (ABC) -- 27,896
Manhattan Love Story (ABC) -- 34,870

Advertiser-prized 18-to-49-Year-Olds
The Voice -- 145,075
World Series -- 97,768
NCIS -- 50,461
The Flash -- 25,230
Manhattan Love Story -- 9,461
Selfie -- 6,308

8 to 9 P.M.

Total Viewers
NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) -- 355,674
World Series -- 265,012
Marry Me (NBC) -- 160,402
About a Boy (NBC) -- 111,584
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) -- 97,636
Supernatural (CW) -- 34,870

18-to-49-Year-Olds
World Series -- 116,691
Marry Me -- 53,615
NCIS: New Orleans -- 40,999
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. -- 37,846
About a Boy -- 34,692
Supernatural -- 22,077

9 to 10 P.M.

Total Viewers
World Series -- 223,168
Person of Interest (CBS) -- 209,220
Chicago Fire (NBC) -- 209,220
Forever (ABC) -- 76,714

18-to-49-Year-Olds
World Series -- 104,075
Chicago Fire -- 59,922
Person of Interest -- 28,384
Forever -- 25,230

A close game would have meant an uptick from 9 to 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds. Instead the opposite happened, although the World Series still won comfortably among 18-to-49-year-olds from 8 to 10 p.m. and also edged Person of Interest and Chicago Fire from 9 to 10 p.m. in total viewers.

Here are Tuesday’s local news derby results.

Gannett8 bucked a lousy lead-in from Forever to win a downsized three-way 10 p.m. race in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

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

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Oct. 20) -- Gotham hangs in there

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox is having an overall miserable season in the prime-time ratings, but its investment in Gotham continues to slowly pay off.

Housed in TV’s toughest time slot -- Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. -- the Batman prequel logged its best D-FW finish to date among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. In the Big Four broadcast network universe, it beat both ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and CBS’ 7:30 p.m. season premiere of The Millers while also holding its own against CBS’ The Big Bang Theory and the first hour of NBC’s The Voice.

The 7 p.m. new episode of Big Bang drew 154,536 viewers in the 18-to-49 range while The Voice had 122,998. Gotham came in a respectable third with 107,229 and DWTS limped in with 37,846.

Gotham, which has been picked up for a full season, also edged the first hour of DWTS in total viewers before Fox’s Sleepy Hollow again drooped badly with less than half the totals of Gotham in both ratings measurements.

ESPN’s Monday Night Football attraction, the Steelers vs. the Texans, again flexed with an average of 334,752 total viewers and 173,459 in the 18-to-49 demographic. Airing from 7:30 to 10:37 p.m., it won across the board in that time frame with 18-to-49-year-olds and was outdrawn in total viewers by only the 7:30 to 8 p.m. portion of The Voice.

The 9 p.m. winner among the Big Four broadcast networks again was NBC’s The Blacklist, which easily repelled ABC’s competing Castle in both ratings barometers. CBS’ 9 p.m. entrant, NCIS: Los Angeles in its new time slot, continued to struggle with a third place finish in total viewers and a distant fourth place standing among 18-to-49-year-olds. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast moved up to second place with 18-to-49-year-olds in the non-football arena.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results.

Gannett8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming). CBS11 fell off the map among 25-to-54-year-olds, drawing less than one-half the audience for third-place Fox4. Frontrunner Gannett8 and NBC5, which placed a close second, both quadrupled the 25-to-54 viewership for CBS11.

Fox4 scored doubleheader wins at both 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. while NBC5 took both golds at 5 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Oct. 17-19) -- Another 1.5 million-plus crowd for Cowboys' latest win

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The ratings windfalls just keep on coming as the Dallas Cowboys just keep on winning.

Sunday’s 31-21 victory over the New York Giants, which improved the Cowboys’ record to a stunning 6-1, became the third this season to cross the 1.5 million viewer threshold in D-FW.

Running from 3:25 to 6:25 p.m. on Fox, the game averaged 1,576,124 viewers to rank just below the Sunday, Oct. 12th upset of Seattle (1,604,020) and the Sept. 28th prime-time rout of the Saints (1,583,093).

Cowboys-Giants drew 690,682 viewers in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49 age range. That’s also short of the 747,451 for Cowboys-Seahawks.

In prime-time, Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre’s career touchdown pass mark by tossing four of ‘em against the powerless San Francisco 49ers, who handed the Cowboys their only loss so far in the season-opener for both teams. The 42-17 rout, which ended at 10:38 p.m., averaged 599,764 total viewers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Manning broke the record at 8:42 p.m. (central). During the 8:30 to 8:45 increment measured by Nielsen, 690,426 viewers were tuned in. By the end of the game, that number had shrunk to 299,882 viewers.

Saturday’s collège football cavalcade not surprisingly was led by ABC’s prime-time match between No. 2 Florida State and No. 5 Notre Dame. Florida State’s down-to-the-wire 31-27 win (in which a Notre Dame TD pass was negated by a penalty in the closing seconds), averaged 278,960 total viewers.

Earlier Saturday on CBS, Alabama’s 59-0 demolition of Texas A&M drew 174,350 viewers to rank second among the day’s football attractions.

Friday’s prime-time ratings again were led in total viewers by CBS’ Blue Bloods (195,272). CBS’ The Amazing Race was the top draw among 18-to-49-year-olds with 75,691. TXA21’s Dallas Mavericks-Cleveland Cavaliers pre-season game had 90,662 total viewers and 34,692 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

The second episode of ABC’s Dallas-set Cristela sitcom ranked second from 7:30 to 8 p.m. in total viewers (132,506) but only fourth among 18-to-49-year-olds behind Amazing Race, Fox’s second half of Utopia and that portion of the Mavs-Cavs game.

Here are Friday’s local news derby numbers.

Gannett8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m.; Gannett8 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m. and tied Fox4 for the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.

At 5 p.m., NBC5 won in total viewers while Fox4 and CBS11 shared the lead in the 25-to-54 measurement.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

None do it better than Fox4's pet smart duo

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Jennifer Myers, Jenny Anchondo and Little Boy Blue. Photo: Ed Bark

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Adopt-a-pet segments are staples of weekend morning newscasts. On D-FW’s Fox4, they’re also something of an art form.

Anchor Jenny Anchondo and meteorologist Jennifer Myers make these spots purr -- to the point where they’ve become almost mandatory feel-good viewing at unclebarky.com central.

Near the end of Saturday’s show, Anchondo and Myers welcomed inquisitive Little Boy Blue, who licked his way through their makeup when not trying to see himself in a nearby TV monitor. His human acquaintances again seemed more than happy to roll with it. Myers generally is more of the hands-on handler while Anchondo gives viewers the Operation Kindness specifics on how and where to adopt. But just as often as not, they each get temporary custody of a play-along pet.

Your friendly content provider with the pet-friendly surname invites you to take a look some Saturday morning. You’ll see that Fox4 clearly is best of show in this realm, with Anchondo and Myers making the very most of their time whatever furry buddy or buddies show up.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Updating former KDFW-TV sports anchor Ted Dawson (who's still in there pitching)

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By ED BARK
Hundreds of D-FW news, sports and weather anchors have come and gone during your friendly content provider’s way-too-long tenure as a TV critic.

So let’s play catchup once in a while.

Back in September, 1987, a sonic boom of a sports anchor, Ted Dawson, became the featured scorekeeper at KDFW-TV (now known as Fox4). He was the only guy capable of sometimes making Gannett8’s Dale Hansen seem like a drizzle to his thunderclap.

“I tell ya what, I love the Dallas-Fort Worth area! I tell ya what!” he exclaimed on his opening sportscast while seated next to news anchors Steve Bosh and Clarice Tinsley. Dawson then gave the anchor desk a couple of fist raps for emphasis.

After surviving for 10 years at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, Dawson arrived in these parts as a veritable Godzilla stomping through Manhattan. His first two sportscasts for KDFW were a TV critic’s dream.

Dawson on Texas Rangers catcher Geno Petralli inadvertently beaning the Oakland A’s’ base-stealing Carney Lansford: “Here’s the throw from Petralli. Bang! Right in the head! That’s why ya always wear a helmet.”

Dawson touting a Rangers home run: “Storm Davis makes a mistake. Ka-boom!!! Bob Brower takes him for a ride to right field. Get outta here! That ball is a memory, folks.”

Excitable Ted also made a sure-fire Monday Night Football prediction during his first “Ted’s Tout” segment. The New York Giants were favored by only a single point over the Chicago Bears. But Dawson picked the New Yorkers to win “by at least 10” over a team that was “a mere shadow of the one that beat New England in Super Bowl XX.”

“Ya gotta love it!” he added, referring to the teensy one-point spread. “Ya can bet the family farm on this one! This is a dead solid lock!”

Except that The Bears won by 15 points.

Yes, Dawson was the gift that kept on giving during his tenure at KDFW, which ended in 1993. He’s dropped a few market sizes since then after being the TV voice for the Boise State Broncos for Boise’s KCBI-TV. Since January 2011, Dawson, 70, has been sports director/sports anchor for KBZK-TV in Bozeman, Montana and KXLF-TV in Butte, Montana.

In that capacity, he took the “Go Figure Slim Down” challenge with KBZK/KXLF sales and business development manager Greg Metzger. Below is video of Ted touting his weight loss with the same enthusiasm he once brought to KDFW. Guess you gotta love it.



Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., Oct. 15-16) -- a close Thursday Night Football game again does the prime-time trick

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS’ Thursday Night Football as usual ruled prime-time while ABC’s three-pronged Shonda Rhimes night again ran a solid second.

Gifted with a second close game after four consecutive blowouts, the Patriots’ 27-25 win over the Jets (7:25 to 10:29 p.m.) averaged 355,674 D-FW viewers while the NFL Network’s simulcast tacked on another 76,714.

Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, CBS had 154,536 viewers and the NFL Network, 53,615.

ABC’s prime-time lineup was led by an 8 p.m. episode of Scandal, which drew 251,064 total viewers and 126,152 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

NBC’s two freshman sitcoms, Bad Judge and A to Z, respectively finished third and fourth in total viewers from 8 to 9 p.m. The second half of Fox’s Gracepoint managed to beat A to Z but lost decisively among 18-to-49-year-olds to both Peacock comedies.

In Wednesday’s prime-time competition, CBS’ Survivor won at 7 p.m. in total viewers before ABC’s Modern Family beat the first half of CBS’ Criminal Minds in that measurement. Minds then ran first from 8:30 to 9 p.m., as did CBS’ Stalker in the 9 p.m. hour.

Wednesday’s 18-to-49 winners were Survivor, Modern Family, the second half of Criminal Minds and Fox4’s resilient 9 p.m. local newscast, which doubled the audience for Fox’s preceding Red Band Society.

Here are the Wednesday and Thursday local news derby results.

Wednesday -- CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m., but Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and CBS11 had the most total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m. The 5 and 6 p.m. wins among 25-to-54-year-olds respectively went to Gannett8 and Fox4.

Thursday -- Gannett8 comfortably won a downsized three-way competition at 10 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 and Gannett8 tied for the most total viewers at 6 a.m., with Fox4 alone atop the 25-to-54 heap.

NBC5 swept the 5 p.m. competitions and also won at 6 p.m. among 25-to-54-year-olds. CBS11 had the most total viewers at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

CBS11 tabs Gilma Avalos as weekend morning news anchor

Gilma Avalos
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
D-FW’s CBS11 has hired Gilma Avalos to anchor its fledgling weekend morning newscasts.

She’ll join the station on Oct. 27th, teaming with recently hired meteorologist Lisa Villegas, CBS11 announced Thursday.

Avalos, a Columbia University graduate, arrives from Miami’s NBC station, WTVJ-TV, where she spent three years. As a 12-year-old, she broke into the TV biz as the host of Paleokids, a Discovery Channel Latin America children’s show.

CBS11’s weekend morning newscasts run from 8 to 9 a.m. on Saturday and from 7 to 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Harry Shearer is the latest fitting choice for Dallas VideoFest's Kovacs Award

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Harry Shearer, recipient of the Dallas VideoFest’s 2014 Kovacs Award, hasn’t quite been around forever. You could make a case, though.

The comedian/impressionist/writer/actor is best known for voicing a multitude of characters on The Simpsons (including Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders) and as Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls. These alone are more than enough for pop culture enshrinement. But Shearer’s back story as a child actor is way cool, too, in a sunken treasure “Who knew?” kind of way.

Born on Dec. 23, 1943, Shearer’s first credit dates to the 1953 film Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, in which he’s uncredited as “Boy.” In that same year he briefly appeared in the big Biblical bash The Robe.

Shearer also played Jack Benny as a boy in two episodes of the late great comedian’s television program. And in 1957 he was the prototype for Eddie Haskell as mischievous Frankie Bennett in the pilot episode of Leave it to Beaver. Shearer’s parents, as the story goes, didn’t want him to compromise his “normal childhood” by taking a weekly role on a TV series. That opened the door for Ken Osmond as Haskell. Those are the breaks.

Through the many years since, Shearer has been an outspoken iconoclast who plays well with others as long as the others stimulate him creatively.

He first became best known a member of The Credibility Gap, a 1970s radio comedy troupe that took their act on the road when the show was canceled. This eventually led to a writer/performer slot on Saturday Night Live. But Shearer felt both under-used and ill-used, never really clicking with executive producer Lorne Michaels or his successor at the time, Dick Ebersol. So he asked to leave.

“I’m not the tantrum type, although I think I’m better at hiding my feelings than I am,” Shearer says in the superb 2002 book Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. “I’m told that when I’m unhappy in a situation, people know it just by the cloud that gathers over me.”

Ebersol saw it a bit differently, saying in the same book of Shearer: “He’s a gifted performer but a pain in the butt, unfortunately. He’s just so demanding on the preciseness of things . . . He’s intolerant of other people’s issues. He’s just a nightmare-to-deal-with person.”

In other words, Shearer can be a lot like the mercurial, ultra-creative Kovacs, who fought the “suits” throughout his up-and-down career during the dawn of network television. He died at the age of 42 in a single-car crash.

Shearer, at age 70, is still in there punching, both as a charter voice-actor on The Simpsons and as host of public radio’s comedy/music program Le Show since 1983. He also directed the 2010 documentary The Big Uneasy, an up-close look at a post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, where Shearer now teaches at Loyola University.

His latest venture, Nixon’s the One, is a youtube series in which Shearer plays the title role while re-enacting various real-life speeches and excerpts from the Watergate tapes. No further embellishments are needed.

The Kovacs Award presentation, including an interview with Shearer, will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17th at Dallas’ Angelika Film Center, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane. Previous recipients include Paul Reubens, Martin Mull, Mike Judge, Joel Hodgson, Terry Gilliam, Robert Smigel and, last year, George Schlatter.

Harry Shearer fits very well within this group during a big year in which he also won his first Emmy Award for his voiceovers in the “Four Regrettings and a Funeral” episode of The Simpsons.

Check out his website for more, more, more.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Oct. 14) -- nice opening night for NBC's Marry Me

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC got what it wanted Tuesday night -- a big sampling for its new Marry Me in a cushy time slot following The Voice.

The 8 p.m. premiere of the generally favorably reviewed sitcom drew 265,012 D-FW viewers in running a solid second to the first half-hour of CBS’ competing NCIS: New Orleans (411,466 viewers). But of much more import to NBC, Marry Me comfortably won its time slot among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, drawing 122,998 to NCIS: NO’s 69,384.

The Peacock also won among 18-to-49-year-olds with The Voice and its 9 p.m. episode of Chicago Fire. NBC’s 8:30 p.m. season premiere of About a Boy ran second in both measurements to the second half of NCIS: NO. CBS also drew the most total viewers at both 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. with NCIS and Person of Interest.

Prime-time’s lowest achiever among the Big Four broadcast networks, ABC’s 7:30 p.m. episode of Manhattan Love Story, bottomed out with just 34,870 total viewers and 12,612 in the 18-to-49 demographic. It’s emerged as the favorite to be the first new fall series to be canceled. Manhattan Love Story and ABC’s preceding Selfie also were beaten from 7 to 8 p.m. in total viewers and 18-to-49-year-old by the second episode of CW’s competing The Flash.

Another new ABC series, Forever, likewise ran fourth at 9 p.m. in both ratings measurements. But its numbers were more than double those for Manhattan Love Story.

In Tuesday’s local news derby results, CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while NBC5 won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions, although NBC5 was just a hair behind in total viewers.

Fox4 likewise ran the table at 6 p.m. The 5 p.m. golds both went to CBS11.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

NBC5's "Texas Connects Us" campaign (in full)

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
If any D-FW TV station has ratings momentum right now, it’s Fort Worth-based NBC5.

As the November ratings “sweeps” near (Oct. 30th to Nov. 26th), the station continues to put its best promotional foot forward with the homegrown “Texas Connects Us” campaign, which easily is this year’s best image-enhancer.

The extended version, which you can see below, is beautifully shot and manages to make even a cavalcade of anchor selfies work to perfection. Principal reason: they’re shot amid regular folk. Or at least it sure seems that way.

Only complaint: let’s give a few of the longstanding reporters a little face time, too. Scott Gordon in particular. The “Night Ranger” has been pounding NBC5’s after-dark pavement for more than a decade now. Few D-FW reporters present a more familiar face.

Otherwise this is a homey, irresistible spot with an instantly likable theme song. In times when Gannett-controlled WFAA8 has put its longstanding “Spirit of Texas” campaign out to pasture, “Texas Connects Us” definitely hits home.

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., Oct. 13) -- CBS/NBC/NFL (again)

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
It again went like clockwork for Monday night’s ruling class.

CBS led off the prime-time festivities with a new episode of The Big Bang Theory, which topped the 7 to 7:30 p.m. D-FW Nielsens in both total viewers (502,128) and advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (204,997).

NBC then flexed with the concluding 90 minutes of The Voice, which drew 446,336 total viewers and 173,459 in the 18-to-49 demographic. CBS’ competing new Scorpion was hardly a pushover, though, particularly in the total viewers measurement. It amassed 355,674 of ‘em but fell well behind The Voice and ESPN’s Monday Night Football among viewers in the 18-to-49 age range.

The 9 to 10 p.m. hour of MNF, with the 49ers beating the Rams, then won that time period with 320,804 total viewers and 148,229 in the 18-to-49 realm. In competition among the Big Four broadcast networks, NBC’s The Blacklist took the 9 p.m. hour in both measurements.

The premiere of The CW’s favorably reviewed Jane the Virgin had a tough time in the 8 p.m. hour. It pulled in just 41,844 total viewers, but a solid majority of 31,538 were 18-to-49-year-olds. In contrast, ABC’s two-hour Dancing with the Stars had 244,090 total viewers, but only 47,307 were in the 18-to-49 sweet spot.

Fox’s Gotham, which has been picked up for a full season, comfortably beat the first hour of DWTS in the 18-to-49 demographic. Fox’s still slumping 8 p.m. episode of Sleepy Hollow nonetheless edged the second hour of DWTS among 18-to-49-year-olds.

Here are Monday’s local news derby results.

Gannett8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while also running first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

NBC5 otherwise had a big day, winning at 6 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Oct. 10-12) -- big Cowboys win also a new season numbers high

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A marquee weekend for pro and college football was capped by the whipped cream on the sundae -- Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys’ win at Seattle.

Running from 3:25 to 6:32 p.m. on Fox, the Cowboys’ stunning 30-23 win set a season high of 1,604,020 D-FW viewers, nipping Dallas’ Sept. 28th rout of the New Orleans Saints on NBC’s Sunday Night Football (1,583,093 viewers). The TV crowd for Cowboys-Seahawks peaked between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., when 1,896,928 viewers were tuned in.

Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, Cowboys-Seahawks averaged 747,451 viewers with a high of 864,141 in the last full 15-minute segment.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football game, in which the Eagles throttled the Giants, drew 509,102 total viewers with 230,227 in the 18-to-49 motherlode. The 8 to 9 p.m. portion of the game had strong competition in the 18-to-49 demographic from AMC’s latest season premiere of The Walking Dead. It drew 220,766 viewers in the 18-to-49-age range, falling short of the 280,688 viewers in that hour for SNF.

Saturday’s college football parade was led by three big match ups involving Texas teams. All were on the ABC/ESPN sports machine, which also outdrew all competing programming from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. In order of their air times, here’s how it looked:

Texas-Oklahoma (ABC, ending at 2:27 p.m.) -- 509,102 total viewers with 227,074 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Baylor-TCU (ABC, ending at 7:02 p.m.) -- 453,310 total viewers with 167,151 in the 18-to-49 age range.
Texas A&M-Mississippi (ending at 11:24 p.m. on ESPN) -- 223,168 total viewers with 113,437 in the 18-to-49 age range.

No, Saturday night’s Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Fox didn’t have much of a chance. The Giants’ win over the Cardinals averaged 76,714 total viewers with 34,692 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

OK, let’s move to Friday, where the premiere of ABC’s new Dallas-set Cristela sitcom drew 153,428 total viewers from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Just 28,384 of them were 18-to-49-year-olds. But Cristela still ran second in its time slot in both ratings measurements. The competition wasn’t much, though. Fox threw on another episode of its doomed Utopia while NBC punted with a rerun of the new comedy A to Z.

CBS’ Blue Bloods again led all Friday prime-time offerings with 237,116 total viewers. And it tied CBS’ The Amazing Race as the night’s biggest draw among 18-to-49-year-olds.

Here are Friday’s local news derby results.

CBS11 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers while NBC5 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

NBC5 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and CBS11 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 9) -- blowout-free Thursday Night Football blows out competition

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS’ first competitive Thursday Night Football game of the season dominated the prime-time Nielsens from start to finish.

The Colts’ 33-28 win over the Texans, which ran from 7:25 to 10:41 p.m., averaged 397,518 D-FW viewers on CBS and added another 76,714 for the NFL Network’s simulcast. Among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, the respective totals were 141,921 and 37,846. That’s not a great demographic percentage for the CBS telecast.

ABC’s drama lineup of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal andHow to Get Away with Murder ran second all night in both ratings measurements. Murder, newly picked up for a full first season run, had the most total viewers for ABC with 258,038. But Scandal drew the most 18-to-49-year-olds (116,691).

That left a trio of freshman series with mostly scraps. NBC’s 8 p.m. episode of Bad Judge had 139,480 total viewers before the Peacock’s A to Z fell only slightly to 132,506. Fox’s competing 8 p.m. episode of Gracepoint ran fourth with 104,610 viewers. It was the same order of finish among 18-to-49-year-olds.

Here are Thursday’s local news derby numbers.

Gannett8 comfortably won a downsized three-way 10 p.m. race in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

NBC5 had the most total viewers at 6 a.m., but Fox4 ran first with 25-to-54-year-olds.

CBS11 ran the table at 5 p.m. and added a 6 p.m. win in total viewers. Fox4 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 8) -- only NBC left out of prime-time winner's circle

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS’ Survivor was the only prime-time attraction to win in both principal Nielsen measurements Wednesday.

The venerable franchise, now in its 2,945th season, drew 265,012 D-FW viewers in the 7 p.m. hour while also winning its time slot among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (100,922 viewers).

CBS’ Criminal Minds also led in total viewers at 8 p.m. with an identical 265,012. But ABC’s comedy combo of Modern Family and black-ish won among 18-to-49-year-old with respective counts of 129,306 and 91,460.

Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast and CBS’ Stalker shared the 9 p.m. golds in total viewers with 202,246 apiece. Fox4’s news won comfortably with 18-to-49-year-olds, though, with a haul of 85,153.

NBC’s new The Mysteries of Laura continued to show signs of slippage, with its 7 p.m. episode ranking as NBC’s least-watched show among 18-to-49-year-olds. But it did edge Fox’s competing Hell’s Kitchen to run third in that key demographic as the Peacock’s lead-off hitter. Both shows trailed far behind both Survivor and ABC’s 7 to 8 p.m. pairing of The Middle and The Goldbergs.

Here are Wednesday’s local news derby results.

Gannett8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. in a tight fight with Fox4 and NBC5. Fox4 took the gold among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

Fox4 also swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. winners were CBS11 in total viewers and Gannett8 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon.-Tues., Oct. 6-7) -- the ABCs of a really lousy night

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Fox is having a very tough season so far, but ABC turned out the lights on itself Tuesday with a lineup that even gave The Mindy Project a moral victory.

New comedies Selfie and Manhattan Love Story did manage to outdraw Fox’s competing one-hour repeat of Family Guy in the 7 p.m. hour. They otherwise were drubbed in the D-FW Nielsens by CBS’ NCIS, NBC’s opening hour of The Voice and the first episode of CW’s The Flash.

ABC came up even emptier among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, with Manhattan Love Story only able to tie the second half of Family Guy while getting soundly whipped by everything else, including the opening half-hour of the Dallas Mavericks’ first pre-season game on TXA21.

ABC’s 8 p.m. episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. then lost in both ratings measurements to the Mavs game plus competing programming on CBS, NBC and Fox. Tuesday’s 9 p.m. ABC entry, the new drama series Forever, also ran fifth across the board on a night when NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans tied for the most total viewers with 369,622 apiece while the 9 to 10 p.m. hour of the Mavs-Rockets game had the biggest haul of 18-to-49-year-olds (81,999).

In contrast, ABC’s highest scorer in both measurements was Selfie, with 104,610 total viewers and 28,384 in the 18-to-49 age range.

Monday night’s prime-time Nielsens were paced by CBS’ new 7 p.m. episode of The Big Bang Theory, which had 425,414 total viewers. ESPN’s Monday Night Football game between Seattle and Washington ran an overall second in total viewers (390,544) while leading all programming in the 18-to-49 demographic (186,074).

Among non-football attractions, NBC’s 7 to 9 p.m. edition of The Voice beat everything but Big Bang in total viewers with 376,596. It was the same story among 18-to-49-year-olds.

At 9 p.m., NBC’s The Blacklist led non-football programming with 278,960 total viewers. Blacklist also had the most 18-to-49-year-olds in that hour (113,537).

Here are the local news derby results.

Monday -- NBC5 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (the main advertiser target audience for news programming).

The Peacock also ran the table at 5 p.m. and added a 6 a.m. win in total viewers. Fox4 had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 6 a.m.

Gannett8 rebounded from a pair of uncommon last place finishes at 6 a.m. to uncommonly sweep the 6 p.m. competitions.

Tuesday -- Fox4 and NBC5 tied for the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 was alone in first with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and had another doubleheader win at 6 p.m. NBC5 ran first in both measurements at 5 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., Oct. 3-5) -- more than 1.2 million reasons to watch winning Cowboys

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The Dallas Cowboys’ 20-17 overtime home win over Houston Sunday built steadily toward its big finish in the D-FW Nielsen ratings.

More than twice as many fans were on hand for the end than the beginning, with the noon-starting Game 5 of the regular season averaging 1,241,372 viewers on CBS. That number ballooned to 1,590,072 when Dan Bailey kicked the game-winning field goal between 3 and 3:15 p.m. Between noon and 12:15 p.m., 746,218 viewers were on hand.

Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the game averaged 558,223 viewers with a peak audience of 731,682 in the closing minutes.

Cowboys-Texans ranked third on the season-to-date charts, ahead of the Titans and Rams wins but a bit behind the opening game loss to the 49ers and well behind the Sunday Night Football Cowboys’ blowout of the New Orleans Saints.

NBC’s latest Sunday Night Football matchup, in which the New England Patriots pasted the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, averaged a modest-sized 404,492 total viewers. That beat all competing programming, although CBS put up a decent fight with a strong No. 2 finish in prime-time.

CBS’ Cowboys’ Sunday afternoon followup act, the 49ers win over the Kansas City Chiefs, drew a significantly larger audience than SNF with 523,050 total viewers.

In Saturday’s college football parade, TCU’s thrilling, high-scoring win over visiting Oklahoma ranked as the top draw. Airing on Fox, the game averaged 209,220 total viewers opposite ABC’s Baylor-Texas game (202,246 viewers). Texas A&M’s earlier loss to Mississippi State ran close behind with 174,350 viewers on ESPN.

CBS won from start to stop in total viewers Friday night with a lineup of The Amazing Race, Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods, which again had the biggest audience haul with 258,038 viewers. CBS also ran the table among 18-to-49-year-olds, which is a rare occurrence on this night.

Meanwhile, the reaper may be nearing the doorstep for Fox’s Utopia, which ran last from 7 to 8 p.m. in total viewers among the Big Four broadcast networks. It did, however, salvage a third-place finish with 18-to-49-year-olds, beating ABC’s competing one-hour season premiere of Last Man Standing.

Here are Friday’s local news derby results.

NBC5 logged twin wins at 10 p.m. in total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming.

The 6 a.m. golds were split between the Peacock in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 measurement.

CBS11 muscled up in the early evening with a sweep at 6 p.m. and a first-place tie at 5 p.m. with NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 was alone in first at 5 p.m. in the total viewer Nielsens.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Lisa Villegas is CBS11's new weekend morn meteorologist

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS11 has hired Lisa Villegas as its new weekend morning meteorologist, the station confirmed Friday. She’ll start on Saturday, Oct. 4th.

Villegas arrives from KRGV-TV, the ABC affiliate station servicing the Rio Grande Valley. She joined that station in September 2011 and has a degree in meteorology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Villegas’ arrival means that CBS11 no longer will be the only D-FW station without a woman on their weather team. NBC5 has three while Fox4 and Gannett8 each have two.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., Oct. 2) -- Thursday Night Football survives another blowout

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
A fourth blowout in as many weeks again didn’t stop CBS’ Thursday Night Football from running the table in prime-time.

The Green Bay Packers’ 42-10 romp over the Minnesota Vikings, which ran from 7:25 to 10:29 p.m., faced its toughest competition at 9 p.m. from ABC’s second episode of How to Get Away with Murder.

Football drew 306,856 D-FW viewers in that hour while Murder finished a close second with 292,908. The gap was considerably wider among advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds, with Packers-Vikes beating Murder by a score of 170,305 viewers to 94,614.

Thursday Night Football overall averaged 320,804 total viewers and 135,613 in the 18-to-49 demographic.

NBC and Fox sent a combined three new series into combat with the NFL. The Peacock’s two comedies, Bad Judge and A to Z, ran third from 8 to 9 p.m. in both ratings measurements while Fox’s competing Gracepoint was a disaster.

Bad Judge had 188,298 total viewers before A to Z fell to 160,402. Both were giants compared to Gracepoint, which had 97,636.

Among 18-to-49-year-olds, the totals were A to Z, 72,537; Bad Judge, 59,922; and Gracepoint, 22,077. For a serial murder drama, that’s a terrible opening night that likely will mean diminishing returns in future weeks. But hey, I really liked this Americanized version of the acclaimed British whodunit Broadchurch.

Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast again built something out of basically nothing, jumping to 181,324 total viewers and 88,306 in the 18-to-49 age range to outdraw NBC’s competing Parenthood in both measurements.

Here are Thursday’s four-way local news derby results.

The 10 p.m. newscasts, fueled by reports of the night’s storm damage, were paced by Gannett8 in both total viewers and 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). Gannett8 also beat the closing half-hour of Thursday Night Football on both counts.

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and NBC5 had twin wins at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. spoils went to NBC5 in total viewers and CBS11 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local NIelsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Oct. 1) -- CBS deals winning hand with crime shows/Survivor

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The collective worst reviews of the new season didn’t stop CBS’ premiere of Stalker from winning its 9 p.m. slot Wednesday.

Stalker drew 244,090 D-FW viewers and 78,845 in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic. That respectively beat NBC’s competing Chicago P.D. (188,298 total viewers) and Fox4’s local newscast (69,384 in the 18-to-49 range).

CBS also won from 7 to 9 p.m. in total viewers with Survivor (258,038) and the season premiere of Criminal Minds (292,908). Survivor likewise prevailed with 18-to-49-year-olds (91,460). ABC’s Modern Family won from 8 to 8:30 p.m. in the 18-to-49 demographic before the network’s second episode of black-ish tied the second half of Criminal Minds.

Another freshman series, NBC’s The Mysteries of Laura, finished second at 7 p.m. in total viewers and third in that hour with 18-to-49-year-olds behind Survivor and the ABC comedies The Middle and The Goldbergs.

Fox’s new season miseries continued with fourth place finishes across the board for Hell’s Kitchen and the new Red Band Society. Fox4’s newscast then doubled the ratings for Red Band in both measurements.

Here are Wednesday’s four-way local news derby results.

CBS11 ran a comfortable first at 10 p.m. in total viewers but as usual fell to fourth among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). Fox4 led that parade, with NBC5 a close second.

Fox4 swept both the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. competitions. The 6 p.m. golds went to CBS11 in total viewers and NBC5 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., Sept. 30) -- three ABC newcomers are all slow on the draw

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The new ABC sitcoms Selfie and Manhattan Love Story joined the network’s Forever Tuesday night. All are more than a little weak downstairs.

Forever continued its losing ways in the 9 p.m. hour, running fourth in both total D-FW viewers and advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds opposite NBC, CBS and Fox4’s local newscast.

The 7 to 8 p.m. premieres of Selfie and Manhattan Love Story placed third in total viewers, edging Fox’s languishing Utopia. In the key 18-to-49 demographic, the two comedies fell behind Utopia but nipped CBS’ competing NCIS, which otherwise easily won its time slot in total viewers with a Tuesday night leading 453,310. But NCIS skews really old -- north of Forest Lawn in fact. Its haul of 18-to-49-year-olds -- 40,999 -- was less than 10 percent of its total audience.

CBS’ new NCIS: New Orleans also won its 8 p.m. slot in total viewers, holding off the second hour of NBC’s The Voice. But the Peacock easily took the hour with 18-to-49-year-olds.

The 9 p.m. winner in total viewers, NBC’s Chicago Fire, finished just a hair ahead of CBS’ Person of Interest. Chicago Fire doubled Person of Interest’s 18-to-49-year-old viewership.

Fox continued to badly falter, particularly with its 8:30 p.m. episode of The Mindy Project. It drew a scant 27,896 total viewers, with just 9,461 in the 18-to-49 motherlode. Fox4’s local news, then pole-vaulted to 160,402 total viewers, with 63,076 in the 18-to-49 range. It’s not unusual for Fox4’s news to greatly improve on its meager Fox network lead-in, although the ebola virus-fueled breaking news in D-FW couldn’t have hurt from a ratings standpoint.

KERA13’s 8 p.m. Texas gubernatorial debate between Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis had 48,818 total viewers, with 12,615 in the 18-to-49 age range.

Here are Tuesday’s four-way local news derby results.

NBC5 drew the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and tied Fox4 for the lead among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions while NBC5 ran the table at 5 p.m. The two stations tied for the most total viewers at 6 p.m.; Fox4 won outright with 25-to-54-year-olds.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: The new locally produced DFW Outdoorsman premieres Saturday, Oct. 4th on CBS11/TXA21. It’s hosted by former Dallas Cowboy Marcus Spears, who perhaps might even go spear-fishing at some point.

For now, though, he’s slated to take weekly celebrity guests on “an outdoor adventure in North Texas, from bow fishing at Lake Ray Roberts to dove hunting near Decatur.”

DFW Outdoorsman will air on Saturdays at 10 p.m. on TXA21 and on the same day at 5:30 a.m. on CBS11. TXA21 also will carry the show on Sundays at 10 a.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net