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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., Sept. 7) -- impressive numbers for Republican presidential debate

By ED BARK
This has to be a first in this market.

MSNBC's Republican presidential debate, featuring the inaugural appearance by Texas Gov. Rick "Ponzi scheme" Perry, won its 7 to 9 p.m. time slot Wednesday, even nipping NBC's America's Got Talent.

The first hour had 159,291 D-FW viewers, tying CBS' competing Big Brother 13 for the lead. And the 8 to 9 p.m. second half swelled to 214,697 viewers, enough to top runnerup Talent's 207,771. In five years of local ratings chronicling for unclebarky.com, I can't recall MSNBC ever being the ratings leader at any time of the night or day.

Wednesday's 9 p.m. hour went to Fox4's local newscast, which had 180,068 viewers. MSNBC's 9 to 10 p.m. debate post mortem held onto 90,034 viewers. Also at that hour, the series finale of FX's Rescue Me had 62,331 viewers.

Fox4 also had a profitable day in the four principal local newscast competitions. It ran the table with advertiser-preferred 25-to-54-year-olds, winning at 6 a.m. and at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

Fox4 also tied CBS11 for first place at 6 p.m. in total viewers. The other golds in that measurement went to NBC5 at 6 a.m., and WFAA8 at 5 and 10 p.m.