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Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Tues., May 24-28) -- NBC wins with AGT; former Daybreak co-anchors Conomos & Corning re-teaming for podcast

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The return of America’s Got Talent gave NBC the expected big boost Tuesday night before the launch of Songland sang a bit out of tune.

AGT won from 7 to 9 p.m. with the night’s biggest numbers in both total D-FW viewers (267,113) and with advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-olds (72,461).

Songland then dipped to 168,703 total viewers and 51,326 in the 18-to-49 age range. That made it the 9 p.m. runner-up to Fox4’s local newscast, which drew 196,820 viewers overall, with 63,403 in the 18-to-49 realm.

On Memorial Day, Fox4’s 9 p.m. news set the prime-time pace in both audience measurements, with 182,762 total viewers and 51,326 in the 18-to-49 motherlode.

In Friday’s prime-time festivities, CBS’ 9 p.m. repeat of Blue Bloods had the most total viewers (112,469) while Fox4’s 9 p.m. news easily won among 18-to-49ers (42,269).

Here are the Friday and Tuesday local news derby results, with Monday excluded because three of the four competitors (excluding WFAA8) opted for holiday exemptions.

Friday -- WFAA8 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers, but CBS11 ran first among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 as usual/always swept the 6 a.m. competitions. At 6 p.m., WFAA8 was tops in total viewers and tied Fox4 for first place with 25-to-54-year-olds. The 5 p.m. wreaths went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Tuesday -- NBC5 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both ratings measurements and Fox4 did likewise at both 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. golds were won by WFAA8 in total viewers and Fox4 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

LOCAL MEDIA NOTE: Alexa Conomos and Ron Corning, who used to co-anchor WFAA8’s early morning Daybreak program, are reuniting to do a once-a-week podcast titled Morning After with Ron and Alexa. The first one is due on Thursday, May 30th.

Conomos and Corning are partnering with North Texas-based On-Air Media, which gave The Dallas Morning News an exclusive. You can find reporter Sarah Blaskovich’s detailed story right here.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., May 22-23) -- Fox4's 9 p.m. news again is leader of prime-time pack

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
The May ratings “sweeps” are over, but on the night after it was the same story for Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast.

It paced all of Thursday’s prime-time TV attractions with 168,703 D-FW viewers and 54,346 within the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old age range.

Early in the night, ABC scored by digging up Farah Fawcett for a two-hour special that won the 7 to 9 p.m. slot in total viewers (154,645) and tied Fox’s competing Paradise Hotel for the lead among 18-to-49ers (27,173 apiece).

On Wednesday, the last day of the sweeps, NBC’s prime-time Chicago trilogy (Med, Fire, P.D.) led from start to stop in total viewers, with P.D. pulling in the biggest haul of 224,938. ABC’s reenactments of All in the Family and The Jeffersons also did well, running a solid second in total viewers from 7 to 9 p.m. before Whiskey Cavalier drooped to a last place finish among the Big Four broadcast networks at 9 p.m.

In the 18-to-49-year-old arena, ABC took the top spot from 7 to 9 p.m., with Fox4’s local newscast then controlling the 9 p.m. hour.

Here are the Wednesday-Thursday local news derby results.

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

Fox4 cruised to twin wins at 6 a.m. and NBC5 swept the 6 p.m. races. The two stations split the 5 p.m. firsts, with the Peacock tops in total viewers and Fox4 winning with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Thursday -- Two stations split all the spoils. WFAA8 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. and also at 5 and 6 p.m. Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. competitions and pulled in the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

LOCAL TV NEWS NOTE: -- Carolyn Mungo has been promoted from executive news director at WFAA8 to vice president and station manager of the Dallas-based, TEGNA-owned station. She’ll continue to report to president and general manager Brad Ramsey, whose new duties will include spread-eagling himself as senior vice president overseeing TEGNA’s TV stations in Austin and San Antonio (KVUE and KENS respectively).

in a memo, TEGNA executive vice president and chief operating officer Lynn Beall said that Mungo’s “efforts to innovate, experiment and build a deep and loyal connection with DFW audiences across platforms make her perfectly suited for this leadership role at WFAA.”

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

May "sweeps" finals: CBS11 makes it a 10 p.m. threepeat in total viewers while Fox4 again sweeps 25-to-54-year-old demographic

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS11 has logged a full TV season’s worth of 10 p.m. “sweeps” wins by reigning in May with total viewers after also winning November and February.

Meanwhile, Fox4 repeated last May’s four-bagger in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic (main advertiser target audience for news programming) while NBC5 and WFAA8 joined CBS11 in logging one win apiece.

Here are the complete results of Nielsen Media Research’s latest report card, with year-to-year audience gains or losses in parentheses.

10 P.M.

Total Viewers
CBS11 -- 147,615 (plus 19,419)
WFAA8 -- 140,586 (plus 5,266)
NBC5 -- 119,498 (minus 8,698)
Fox4 -- 112,469 (minus 1,485)

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 51,543 (plus 1,541)
NBC5/WFAA8 -- 34,362 apiece (minus 3,875 & plus 2,008 respectively)
CBS11 -- 31,499 (plus 2,086)

Comments: CBS11 now has gone a full year without hiring anyone to replace anchor Doug Dunbar’s desk mate, Kaley O’Kelley, who’s now anchoring early mornings in Phoenix. No problem. Dunbar has soloed his way through three straight sweeps periods, with CBS11 winning all of them in total viewers. Not only that, the station recorded the biggest year-to-year gains in this measurement while also picking up a couple of thousand 25-to-54-year-olds.

The CBS network continues to provide the strongest total viewer lead-ins with its 9 p.m. entertainment programming. So that doesn’t hurt at all. In contrast, WFAA8 deserves credit for finishing a close second in total viewers despite worst-in-the-market lead-ins from ABC entertainment attractions. May also marked Chris Lawrence’s first sweeps month as longtime anchor John McCaa’s successor.

Fox4 again ran last in total viewers but again won by a solid margin in the 25-to-54 demographic most important to station bean-counters. This is a big face-saver for elder stateswoman Clarice Tinsley. Her 10 p.m. edition basically is a condensed version of Fox4’s one-hour 9 p.m. news, which continues to roll opposite network entertainment programming.

NBC5 is the only station to lose viewers in both ratings measurements from a year ago. That’s not a good look.

6 A.M.

Total Viewers
Fox4 -- 105,440 (minus 8,514)
WFAA8 -- 70,293 (plus 6,194)
NBC5 -- 49,205 (minus 14,894)
CBS11 -- 35,147 (minus 7,586)

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 54,407 (minus 7,360)
WFAA8 -- 34,362 (plus 2,008)
NBC5/CBS11 -- 14,318 apiece (minus 9,032 & minus 6,262 respectively)

Comments: Fox4’s Good Day continues to win by relatively comfortable margins, but WFAA8 lately is moving on up while making this a two-station race in both of the main audience measurements. It’s the only station to show year-to-year audience gains, with May being the first sweeps month without co-anchor Ron Corning, who left after an eight-year tenure on Daybreak.

NBC5 in particular has fallen off the map in the early mornings, and now has a two-woman anchor team after staffer Laura Harris replaced Marc Fein and joined veteran incumbent Deborah Ferguson. In the May 2018 sweeps, the Peacock tied WFAA8 for a distant second place in total viewers. Pulling into a third-place tie with NBC5 in the 25-to-54 barometer counts as a moral victory for CBS11.

6 P.M.

Total Viewers
WFAA8 -- 140,586 (plus 19,510)
NBC5 -- 133,557 (plus 12,481)
Fox4 -- 119,498 (plus 12,666)
CBS11 -- 112,469 (plus 5,637)

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 51,543 (plus 10,365)
NBC5/WFAA8 -- 34,362 apiece (plus 4,949 & plus 16,714 respectively)
CBS11 -- 22,908 (plus 2,319)

Comments: All four stations can throw confetti in the air for showing year-to-year improvements in both ratings measurements. But WFAA8 can add a full-blown ice cream social for logging the biggest rebound. The station particularly improved among 25-to-54-year-olds after finishing a disastrous last a year ago.

5 P.M.

Total Viewers
NBC5 -- 126,527 (plus 5,451)
Fox4 -- 119,498 (plus 19,789)
WFAA8 -- 112,469 (plus 27,004)
CBS11 -- 56,234 (minus 14,987)

25-to-54-Year-Olds
Fox4 -- 37,226 (plus 7,813)
NBC5 -- 28,635 (plus 2,163)
WFAA8 -- 17,181 (plus 5,419)
CBS11 -- 11,454 (minus 6,194)

Comments: This is the least important of the four battlegrounds, but CBS11 still has to wonder what hit it. The station lost substantial ground in both measurements while its three rivals all showed year-to-year improvements. NBC5 and Fox4 both defended their crowns from last May.

In other May sweeps ratings highlights:

*** Fox4’s 9 p.m. news routed the competing network programming among 18-to-49-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for entertainment fare) and ran a close second to CBS in total viewers. That’s quite an achievement.

*** At 4 p.m., NBC5 continued to run a comfy first in total viewers against one-hour local editions on WFAA and CBS11. But Fox4’s double dose of the syndicated Judge Judy won the 4 p.m. hour by solid margins with both 25-to-54-year-olds and 18-to-49ers.

*** CBS11’s syndicated Wheel of Fortune rolled anew with 6:30 p.m. sweeps in total viewers and both of the younger viewer measurements. WFAA8 continues to pay for making the worst programming decision in D-FW history by dumping Wheel back in 2005 because station management thought it skewed too old in comparison to its replacement part, Entertainment Tonight. In the 14 years since, Wheel hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White have both survived high-definition and continued to whip ET and the two other competing entertainment rag mags.

*** The network evening newscasts are supposed to be dinosaurs, right? Not exactly. Although airing at a time (5:30 p.m.) when the viewing pool is considerably smaller, both NBC’s Nightly News and ABC’s World News Tonight averaged more total viewers than their respective network’s 7 to 10 p.m. slates of prime-time entertainment programming. And it’s not even close, with World News Tonight flexing the biggest gap by drawing 175,733 viewers per edition while ABC’s prime-time lineup averaged 91,381 viewers.

*** Fox4’s 7 to 10 a.m. portion of Good Day continued to dominate all competing network and local programming, winning in total viewers and with both younger audience measurements. This is what is known as a cash cow.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Tues., May 21) -- NCIS and Masterchef Junior take prime-time golds on penultimate night of May "sweeps"

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NCIS wrapped its 16th season Tuesday with -- what else -- a number one overall ranking among all prime-time TV attractions.

CBS’ most enduring scripted series drew 309,289 D-FW viewers before the network’s two-hour premiere of Blood & Treasure dipped to 175,733. But that still was almost good enough to win its 8 to 10 p.m. slot, with NBC’s The Voice narrowly prevailing (189,791 viewers).

In the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic, Fox’s Masterchef Junior took the 7 p.m. hour with a night’s high 54,346 viewers before ABC’s black-ish and Bless This Mess won from 8 to 9 p.m. and Fox4’s local newscast commanded the 9 p.m. hour.

In Tuesday’s local news derby results, Fox4 for the second straight day came within one win of a very rare double grand slam. The station again topped the 6 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. Nielsens in both total viewers and among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). But NBC5 broke in with a 10 p.m. first in total viewers while Fox4 took the 25-to-54 crown. The May “sweeps” ratings period ends on Wednesday and we’ll have a full report tomorrow unless your friendly content provider takes to a sick bed or something.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Mon., May 20) -- all in a night's work for Fox4 news

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Despite the presence of two-hour doses of NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s The Bachelorette, Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast paced all prime-time programming in both key audience demographics Monday.

The news drew 231,967 D-FW viewers, with 78,499 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old age range. The respective runners-up were The Voice (168,703 total viewers) and Fox’s Beat Shazam (72,461 in the 18-to-49 realm).

Meanwhile, The Voice is starting to skew older than NCIS or Blue Bloods in the key 18-to-49 demographic. It averaged a sub-paltry 9,058 in running fourth from 7 to 9 p.m.

In the four-way local news derby results, Fox4 came within inches of a very rare double grand slam. The station ran first at 6 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming). But at 10 p.m., WFAA8 impressively trampolined off a garbage 9 p.m. lead-in from ABC’s The Fix to beat Fox4 in total viewers. Fox4 won the 10 p.m. Nielsens among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Sun., May 17-19) -- a big yawn for latest Idol finale

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ABC closed down its second season of American Idol Sunday night while D-FW viewers barely took notice.

Most of them likely had their attention fixated on the series finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones, which aired directly opposite Idol. Unfortunately, local numbers for HBO still aren’t available on the otherwise detailed listings available to your friendly content provider. Nationally, though, HBO says that GOT hit all-time highs of 13.6 million viewers at the appointed hour on the main HBO outlet and 19.3 million on the network’s various “platforms,” including streaming.

Idol particularly bottomed out with advertiser-coveted 18-to-40-year-olds, with its full three hours (7 to 10 p.m.) averaging a paltry 21,134 viewers in this key demographic. Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast led all prime-time programming with 60,384 viewers while CBS’ 60 Minutes (30,192), NBC’s Dateline and Fox’s Hotel Transylvania (27,173 viewers each), and NBC’s Good Girls (24,154) also outdrawing Idol.

Idol’s overall average of 147,615 total viewers trailed 60 Minutes (217,908) and Fox4’s news (168,703).

On Saturday, NBC’s telecast of The Preakness, which had a truncated field and little buzz, averaged 98,410 total viewers during the 5 p.m. hour to at least win its time slot.

Friday’s prime-time pacesetter, CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Hawaii Five-0, had just 140,506 total viewers. NBC’s 7 p.m. hour of The Blacklist was tops with 18-to-49ers (27,173).

Here are Friday’s local news derby results for the 17th weekday of the May “sweeps” ratings period, which ends on Wednesday.

WFAA8 swept the 10 p.m. competitions in both total viewers and with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and NBC5 did likewise at 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. winners were the Peacock in total viewers and Fox4 among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Thurs., May 16) -- Big Bang boom times for series finale

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
CBS closed out The Big Bang Theory with a one-hour finale Thursday, and as expected it dominated D-FW’s prime-time Nielsens.

But the numbers may have exceeded expectations, with Big Bang becoming the first broadcast network series episode in quite some time to exceed half a million viewers in these parts. It officially clocked in at 506,110, with spinoff Young Sheldon (316,319 viewers) and an 8:30 p.m. Big Bang behind-the-scenes special (238,896) also easily winning their time slots.

CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of S.W.A.T. then tied Fox4’s local newscast for the lead in that hour with 147,615 viewers apiece.

Among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, Big Bang likewise set the prime-time pace with 102,653. Young Sheldon and the BB special also won their slots but S.W.A.T. lost the 9 p.m. hour to Fox4’s news.

Here are the local news derby results for the 16th weekday of the May “sweeps” ratings period, which ends next Wednesday.

CBS11 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 ran first with 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 CBS11 did likewise at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed., May 15) -- NBC's Chicago trilogy still can't be beat among all viewers

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC again dominated the prime-time competition Wednesday, sweeping the Nielsens from start to stop in total D-FW viewers with Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago PD.

Fire ranked as the night’s top scorer with 274,143 viewers.

Advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds were less inclined to go along, with CBS’ first two hours of its latest Survivor season finale winning from 7 to 9 p.m. before Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast topped the field in that hour.

Here are the local news derby results for the 15th weekday of the May “sweeps” ratings period, which concludes next Wednesday.

NBC5 and WFAA8 shared the 10 p.m. lead in total viewers while the Peacock barely won outright among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m.

WFAA8 drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m. and tied Fox4 for first with 25-to-54-year-olds. At 5 p.m., Fox4 and WFAA8 tied for the top spot in total viewers, with Fox4 alone in first among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Tues., May 10-14) -- CBS' crime shows take another bite out of rivals' numbers

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
As the May “sweeps” near the homestretch, CBS’ wall-to-wall crime lineup swept another Tuesday in D-FW’s total viewers ratings.

NCIS as usual led the pack, drawing 302,260 viewers in the 7 p.m. hour before FBI weighed in with 267,1113 and NCIS: New Orleans had 196,820 in edging Fox4’s competing 9 p.m. local newscast (189,791).

FBI also won its 8 p.m. slot with advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds (33,212) while Fox’s Masterchef Junior took the 7 p.m. hour (51,326) and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news led all programming in this key demographic with 63,403 viewers.

In Monday’s prime-time Nielsens, CBS’ Bull topped all TV attractions in total viewers (288,201) while Fox had the 18-to-49 leader with 9-1-1 (66,422).

On Sunday, the final round of Dallas’ Byron Nelson golf tournament peaked at 154,645 total viewers on CBS. The network’s following 60 Minutes then pole-vaulted to 267,113 viewers. Among 18-to-49ers, the Byron Nelson ran a distant second to ABC’s competing Game 7 of the Portland Trailblazers-Denver Nuggets playoff series, which drew almost four times as many viewers in this key demographic.

Friday’s overall prime-time pacesetter again was CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods, which pulled in 238,996 total viewers. ABC’s two-hour edition of 20/20 led the way among 18-to-49-year-olds with 45,288. The program again pawed over the murder case of Rowlett housewife Darlie Routier, who remains on death row after being convicted in 1997 of murdering one of her two little sons.

Here are the local news derby results for the 12th, 13th and 14th weekdays of the May “sweeps” ratings period.

Friday -- CBS11 topped the 10 p.m. field in total viewers, which is common. But the station also uncommonly won among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m. and also ran first at 5 and 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for the total viewers lead at 5 p.m. while WFAA8 was the sole winner in that measurement at 6 p.m.

Monday -- CBS11 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers and Fox4 was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds.

At 6 a.m., Fox4’s longtime dominance gave way to a tie for first in total viewers with WFAA8. Among 25-to-54-year-olds, Fox4 edged WFAA8 for No. 1.

WFAA8 swept the 6 p.m. competitions, where it’s been coming on strong of late. Fox4 had twin wins at 5 p.m.

Tuesday -- WFAA8 took the total viewers gold at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 swept both the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. races. WFAA8 recorded its second straight doubleheader win at 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., May 8-9) -- big bops for Big Bang and its spinoff

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Near the end of its long, ratings-rich run, CBS’ The Big Bang Theory again delivered the goods Thursday.

It led all prime-time programming in total D-FW viewers (316,319), with spinoff Young Sheldon right behind (295,231).

The network’s Mom and Life In Pieces likewise won their time slots before Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast took command at that hour with 217,908 viewers.

The newscast impressively trampolined off a feeble lead-in from the two-hour premiere of Fox’s sleazy Paradise Hotel, which had few check-ins. It drew just 49,205 viewers, beating only NBC’s Abby’s (28,117 viewers).

In the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old age range, ABC’s amazingly durable Grey’s Anatomy and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news tied for Thursday’s prime-time top spot with 63,403 viewers apiece. Paradise Hotel had a scant 18,115 viewers in this key demographic. But in today’s fractured TV-watching terrain, that was good enough to outdraw NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Abby’s, plus CBS’ Mom and Life In Pieces.

Let’s move to Wednesday night, shall we? NBC’s Chicago trilogy -- Med, Fire, PD -- swept the prime-time festivities in total viewers while Fox’s Empire and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news won their hours with 18-to-49ers. At 8 p.m., ABC’s Modern Family ran first in its half hour before the second half of Fox’s Star prevailed from 8:30 to 9 p.m.

Here are the four-way local news derby results for the 10th and 11th weekdays of the May “sweeps” ratings period.

Wednesday -- CBS11 topped the 10 p.m. competition in total viewers, with Fox4 winning among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 swept the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. races. The 6 p.m. winners were NBC5 in total viewers and WFAA8 with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Thursday -- CBS11 remained in strong position to win its third straight 10 p.m. sweeps title in total viewers with another first-place finish. But Fox4 again ruled the 25-to-54 roost.

Fox4 again ran the table at 6 a.m. while scoring 5 and 6 p.m. wins with 25-to-54-year-olds. NBC5 took the total viewers crowns at both 5 and 6 p.m.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Tues., May 3-7) -- lights out for Stars while numbers shine through

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Although again relegated to cable’s NBC Sports Net, the Dallas Stars’ Game 7 exit vs. the St. Louis Blues drew a higher peak audience than all other Tuesday TV attractions.

The Blues prevailed 2-1 in double overtime in a match that stretched to 10:58 p.m. The biggest D-FW crowd, 281,172, tuned in between 10:15 and 10:30 p.m. That’s more viewers than CBS’ longtime juggernaut, NCIS, drew with a new episode in the 7 p.m. hour. It averaged 260,084 viewers.

Overall, Stars-Blues averaged 189,791 viewers, putting them behind NCIS plus CBS’ FBI (253,055) and Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast (217,908) while tying CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans.

But among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds, the entire Stars-Blues match drew more viewers (84,538) than any other program Tuesday. The peak crowd of 129,826 viewers again tuned in between 10:15 and 10:30 p.m. Fox4’s 9 p.m. news ran second in the 18-to-49 range with 81,518 for the full hour.

In Monday’s prime-time festivities, Fox’s 8 p.m. episode of 9-1-1 led all attractions in both total viewers (267,113) and with 18-to-49ers (84,538).

Sunday’s daytime Game 6 of Stars-Blues, carried on the NBC broadcast network’s bigger stage, averaged 189,791 total viewers (the same as Tuesday night’s Game 7), pulling in a bigger crowd than ABC’s down-the-stretch prime-time two hours of American Idol (168,703).

Saturday’s TV scorecard featured NBC’s annual telecast of the Kentucky Derby and its highly controversial aftermath. The race itself was run between 5:45 and 6 p.m. (Nielsen measures in 15-minute increments) and drew Saturday’s biggest audience by far (351,465 total viewers). From 6 to 6:30 p.m., when the winner on the track, Maximum Security, was disqualified because of a bumping foul, the audience amounted to 288,201 viewers.

NBC’s Saturday Night Live, with former cast standout Adam Sandler hosting and returning for the first time in 24 years, paced the late night Nielsens with 161,674 viewers. It drew a relatively small percentage of 18-to-49ers, though, averaging 45,288 of ‘em. In contrast, ABC’s prime-time Houston Rockets-Golden State Warriors playoff game averaged 72,461 viewers in this key demographic while the actual running of the Kentucky Derby won by a couple of lengths with 81,518.

Friday’s prime-time leaders were CBS’ Blue Bloods in total viewers (253,055) and Fox4’s 9 p.m. news in the 18-to-49 demographic (33,211).

OK, at last, here are the Friday, Monday and Tuesday local news derby results for the 7th, 8th and 9th weekdays of the May “sweeps” ratings period.

Friday -- CBS11 ran first at 10 p.m. in total viewers while Fox4 won with 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming).

Fox4 had twin wins at 6 a.m. and also was tops with 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m. Fox4 and WFAA8 shared first place in total viewers at both 5 and 6 p.m.

Monday -- WFAA8 ran the table at 10 p.m. and Fox4 did likewise at 6 a.m. while also repeating its 5 and 6 p.m. wins with 25-to-54-year-olds.

NBC5 had the most total viewers at 5 p.m. and tied WFAA8 for first in that measurement at 6 p.m.

Tuesday -- CBS11 had the most total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 won with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 remained in charge at 6 a.m. with another doubleheader win and NBC5 enjoyed a sweep of the 5 p.m. competitions.

At 6 p.m., WFAA8 won in total viewers and Fox4 prevailed with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Fox4 adds Jeff Kolb to sports staff

JEFF KOLB HEADSHOTset

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Jeff Kolb is the newest addition to Fox4’s sports staff, the Dallas-based station announced Monday.

The Emerson College graduate replaces Edward Egros, who recently left to pursue a full-time career in sports analytics.

“Jeff’s love of storytelling, production experience and deep understanding of sports make him a great addition to our team,” Fox4 Vice President and News Director Robin Whitmeyer said in a publicity release.

Kolb, who joins the station on May 28th, will be arriving from Fox affiliate KOKI-TV in Tulsa, OK, where he was a multi-tasking sports anchor, reporter, photographer and producer. He also has worked at WJAR-TV in Providence, Rhode Island and WBKB-TV in Alpena, Michigan.

Earlier this year, Fox4 hired Samantha Gannon to join longtime incumbent sports anchor Mike Doocy on the station’s late night Free 4 All sports show. Kolb also will contribute to that program, Whitmeyer said.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Wed.-Thurs., May 1-2) -- Fox4's 9 p.m. news still a prime-time force

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Even a new episode of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, now in its final weeks, couldn’t outdraw Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast Thursday night.

The very idea of this happening seemed preposterous not so long ago. But it now happens with regularity in the face of potent prime-time network entertainment programming.

The news led all of Thursday night’s TV attractions with 231,967 D-FW viewers, edging Big Bang’s 224,938. The Fox network’s preceding two-hour Miss USA pageant averaged just 119,498 viewers in running behind CBS’ 7 to 9 p.m. comedy block while also trailing ABC’s 7 p.m. episode of Grey’s Anatomy. NBC ran a distant fourth with its 7 to 9 p.m. sitcoms before perking up a bit in the 9 p.m. hour, where Law & Order: SVU finished third.

Among advertiser-craved 18-to-49-year-olds, Fox4’s news and Grey’s shared the prime-time top spot with 66,422 viewers.

Wednesday’s prime-time ratings also were paced by Fox4’s 9 p.m. news in total viewers (231,967). NBC’s three-hour Billboard Music Awards ran a solid second for the night with 217,908 viewers. In the 18-to-49 age range, the Billboard awards ran first from start to finish, averaging 81,581 viewers. Fox4’s news was second with 66,422 viewers.

Over on NBC Sports Net, the Dallas Stars’ 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues, which evened their Stanley Cup playoff series at two games apiece, averaged 105,440 total viewers and 54,346 in the 18-to-49 realm.

Here are the four-way local news derby results for the fifth and sixth days of the May “sweeps” ratings period.

Wednesday -- NBC5 won in total viewers at 10 p.m. while Fox4 ran first 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 5 p.m. The 6 p.m. wreaths went to the Peacock in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Thursday -- WFAA8 topped the 10 p.m. race in total viewers, but Fox4 again won among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 also ran the table at 6 a.m. and had the most 25-to-54-year-olds at 5 and 6 p.m.

WFAA8 ran first at 6 p.m. in total viewers and tied Fox4 and NBC5 for the 5 p.m. win in that measurement.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

WFAA8's Daybreak goes softer with hiring of sports/entertainment/game show host Marc Istook as co-news anchor

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By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
Texas Christian University graduate Marc Istook, who for the past 18 years has hosted a wide variety of entertainment, sports and game shows, will be the new co-anchor of WFAA8’s early morning Daybreak, where he’ll replace Ron Corning and join incumbent Kara Sewell.

Istook, who once interned at WFAA8, disclosed his new position on his Instagram account.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to bring my enthusiasm for news, sports, current events and pop culture back to Texas,” he said. “I’m thrilled for this job and this move and this chance to be around old friends and family. And I’m also heartbroken to say goodbye to a city and state I love filled with people who have influenced me and shaped me beyond belief.”

Istook has been based in Los Angeles since 2001, according to his website. “It was here I learned to fend for myself. It was here I learned the value of never quitting.” he said.

On his website, Istook says his first national network show was Gotta Get It for the Food Network. He also worked at the TV Guide Network, hosting Hollywood 411 besides doing red carpet interviews and reporting on movie premieres. In recent years, Istook has been with the NFL Network, where he primarily hosted the online show NFL Now. He also found time to host Punchline!, a game show tested on Fox-owned stations (including D-FW’s Fox4) during the summer of 2017. It wasn’t picked up.

Istook’s only experience as a traditional newscast anchor came shortly after his 1998 graduation from TCU, when he co-anchored the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts for KTEN-TV, the NBC affiliate station in Denton, TX. He also served as the station’s sports director before heading to L.A. Earlier, according to his website, Istook interviewed Billy Joel as a 14-year-old for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s teen section.

His fairly wild and crazy resume for the past 18 years includes stints with the BBC (as a tech correspondent); ABC.com (as host of online “after parties” for Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor); the Speed Channel (as host of Car Warriors); Yahoo (as host of Comic Connoisseurs); AOL (as host of AOL Travel Guide) and Pilgrim Studios (as host of America’s Luckiest Person).

Istook also has played a reporter on a variety of TV series, including Castle, Revenge and The Young And the Restless. And he hosted a podcast titled Dream Job.

His start date with Daybreak is yet to be determined. Corning left the program in March after eight years with WFAA8. He currently is exploring other career options.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net

Local Nielsen ratings snapshot (Fri.-Tues., April 26-30) -- weathering heights for Fox4

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
D-FW’s four major TV news providers went wall-wall with severe weather coverage Tuesday evening, preempting the 5:30 p.m. network evening newscasts and the 6:30 p.m. syndicated programming, including Wheel of Fortune on CBS11.

The coverage also bled into the 7 p.m. start of network entertainment programming, with CBS11 briefly shifting a new episode of NCIS to sister station Texas21 for a portion of the 7 to 7:30 p.m. slot.

In the head-to-head 5 to 7 p.m. competition, Fox4 drew the most eyeballs overall, losing only the 5 to 5:30 p.m. slot. But among 25-to-54-year-olds (main advertiser target audience for news programming), the station ranked No. 1 for the full two-hour period.

Let’s look at the highs and lows, first in total viewers.

NBC5 narrowly led from 5 to 5:30 p.m., drawing 189,791 viewers to nip WFAA8 (182,762) and also outdraw Fox4 (161,674) and CBS11 (84,352), which ran last throughout these two hours.

Fox4 then took over, winning from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with a peak audience of 267,113 viewers between 5:30 and 6 p.m. NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for second place in the 5:30 to 6 p.m. slot before the Peacock took sole command of the runner-up position from 6 to 7 p.m.

Fox4’s 9 p.m. local newscast also outdrew all competing network entertainment programming, with 217,908 viewers. CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans ran second (196,820 viewers).

Among 25-to-54-year-olds, Fox4 stole the thunder throughout, winning comfortably from 5 to 7 p.m. and in the 9 p.m. hour. The station hit its peak in this key news demographic with 111,677 viewers from 6 to 7 p.m. NBC5 and WFAA8 tied for second place among 25-to-54-year-olds from 5 to 5:30 p.m. before the Peacock ran second by itself for the remaining 90 minutes until 7 p.m. CBS11 again held down last place throughout.

In Monday’s Nielsen ratings, NBC’s first hour of The Voice won from 7 to 8 p.m. in total viewers. Fox and Fox4 then reigned with 9-1-1 and the 9 p.m. local news.

In the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old age range, Fox and Fox4 had a clean sweep in the Big Four broadcast network universe with The Resident, 9-1-1 and the local news. But over on cable’s NBC Sports Net, the Dallas Stars’ 4-3 loss to the visiting St. Louis Blues in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup playoff series took the 9 to 10 p.m. hour with 57,365 viewers compared to 51,326 for Fox4’s newscast.

On Sunday night, CBS fared fairly well in total viewers with the two-premiere of The Red Line, an eight-hour limited series running weekly from 7 to 9 p.m. The first Sunday night installment averaged 126,527 viewers to run second in the broadcast network universe to ABC’s competing American Idol (210,879 viewers).

Among 18-to-49ers, Red Line fell to third place, outdrawing only NBC’s competing two hours of World of Dance. Sorry, but the D-FW ratings for HBO’s Game of Thrones, which almost assuredly ranked No. 1 Sunday night, are not immediately available.

On Saturday afternoon, Game 2 of the Stars-Blues series, airing on the more visible NBC broadcast network, pulled in 126,527 total viewers, with 45,288 in the 18-to-49 realm. Those were both bigger crowds than anything airing in prime-time.

Friday’s overall prime-time pacesetter, CBS’ 9 p.m. episode of Blue Bloods, drew 224,938 total viewers. But it was beaten in the 9 p.m. hour among 18-to-49ers by the waning stages of ABC’s NFL draft presentation, which had 33,211 viewers.

OK, here we go with the local news derby results for Friday, Monday and Tuesday, the second, third and fourth weekdays of the still embryonic May “sweeps” ratings period.

Friday -- WFAA8 again had its 10 p.m. newscast obliterated by ABC’s ongoing NFL draft coverage, which also rubbed out the station’s 6 p.m. news.

The downsized three-way 10 p.m. battle was won by CBS11 in total viewers, with NBC5 taking the top spot with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 again swept the 6 a.m. competitions, but barely held off WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 measurement.

Fox4 also won at 5 and 6 p.m. with 25-to-54-year-olds. The total viewers golds went to WFAA8 at 5 p.m. and CBS11 at 6 p.m.

Monday -- NBC5 took the 10 p.m. gold in total viewers while Fox4 prevailed with 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 ran the table at 6 a.m., this time by a more comfortable margin over WFAA8 in the 25-to-54 realm.

The Peacock drew the most total viewers at 6 p.m., with Fox4 tops among 25-to-54-year-olds. At 5 p.m., WFAA8 had the most total viewers while Fox4 again won among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Tuesday -- CBS11 won at 10 p.m. in total viewers, and Fox4 again reigned among 25-to-54-year-olds.

Fox4 had twin wins at both 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The 5 p.m. firsts went to NBC5 in total viewers and Fox4 in the 25-to-54 realm.

Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net