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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., May 7-9) -- White brightens SNL scorecard

By ED BARK
Betty White's much-hyped hosting of NBC's Saturday Night Live nearly made it the entire weekend's most-watched attraction.

Assisted by musical guest Jay-Z and a reunion of top women cast members, SNL drew 278,238 D-FW viewers. Only ABC's new Sunday night episode of Desperate Housewives made a bigger haul, with 346,101 viewers. DH also had more advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds than White's runner-upSNL.

CBS' latest Jesse Stone movie, with another strong performance by sturdy Tom Selleck, had 230,734 total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday. That was a slight dip from the network's preceding Amazing Race 16 finale, which had 237,521 to win its time slot while Stone ran second overall. Race also topped the 18-to-49 numbers at 7 p.m., but Stone dropped to fourth in that key demographic.

On Friday night, NBC's season premiere of Austin-made Friday Night Lights (which first ran on DirecTV) drew 115,367 total viewers to finish second at 7 p.m. behind CBS' Ghost Whisperer (142,512). Lights nipped Ghost Whisperer among 18-to-49-year-olds, but both ran behind the first hour of TXA21's Texas Rangers Friday night game of the week. That's an impressive demographic showing by the first-place Rangers, who swept their four-game home series against Kansas City.

In local news derby results, WFAA8 prevailed in total viewers at 10 p.m., but again lost out among 25-to-54-year-olds, the main advertiser target audience for news programming. NBC5 took the gold with that age group.

At 6 a.m., Fox4 made it a second straight doubleheader win over NBC5, which had been dominating at that hour.

The Peacock won at 6 p.m. in total viewers, but Fox4 dominated in the 25-to-54 measurement.

The 5 p.m. golds went to WFAA8 in total viewers and NBC5 among 25-to-54-year-olds by a hair over Fox4.