| Topic Name: |
Houston's ratings race |
| Message Name: |
A Little Biased Mike? |
| Date Posted: |
05/27/2005 |
| Message: |
KTRK rebounds from last year
KHOU and KRIV ratings climbed for morning shows
By MIKE MCDANIEL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
After dropping to second place in the late news ratings in the past two sweeps periods, KTRK rebounded in May, though with a less-than-clear-cut win.
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KTRK (Channel 13) was No. 1 at 10 p.m. Monday-Sunday, and also had the most viewers for its newscasts in the morning, at midday and at 4 p.m. The station finished No. 2 at 5 and 6 p.m.
But KHOU (Channel 11) finished No. 1 at 10 p.m. when weekends are excluded. It also was tops at 5 and 6 p.m. It was No. 2 in the morning and at midday. (It does not air a 4 p.m. newscast.)
Call it the Desperate Housewives effect. Channel 13's 10 p.m. newscast benefits when it keeps the viewers who watch Housewives and Grey's Anatomy.
The stations use ratings to sell ads; the higher the rating, the more expensive the ad. But they depend less on total viewers and more on demographic breakdowns, which provide audience totals in various age and economic groups. Those numbers won't be available until June.
Channel 13 and Channel 11 have been fighting a tight battle this 2004-05 season for the title of Houston's TV news leader. KHOU emerged victorious in the sweeps months of November and February and dipped slightly in May. KTRK won the in-between months and finished strong in May.
"We don't think our 10 o'clock victory was an accident," KTRK general manager Henry Florsheim said. "We didn't back into this. If you look at the ratings, we won more 10 p.m. newscasts than everybody else in this town. We believe we're the most consistent and most-watched newscast."
If anything, the biggest ratings news for May was the climb of KHOU and KRIV (Channel 26) in the mornings. KTRK is, by far (three ratings points), the morning news leader, 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. But in May, KHOU and KRIV both surpassed NBC's falling Today Show on KPRC (Channel 2).
The change here echoes a trend nationwide in which Today is being caught in the ratings by ABC's Good Morning America.
In Houston, however, the story is more about how local content is being favored over national content.
"I'm delighted about the mornings," KHOU GM Peter Diaz said. "We're going to have the highest morning ratings since I've been here, 16 years."
"Our four hours of all-local news (5-9 a.m.) gives us a competitive advantage," KRIV GM D'Artagnan Bebel said.
It's no secret that Channel 11's Deborah Duncan has a big local following, earned while hosting a talk show for Channel 13. Duncan and Ron Trevi??o head KHOU's morning team.
Channel 26's rise can be traced directly to last November's arrival of Jan Jeffcoat to a KRIV morning team that includes Jos?? Gri??an and Tom Zizka.
While noting that Today is down nationwide, KPRC GM Steve Wasserman acknowledged that "we didn't do the show any justice. We had declines in our local ratings. They may be interrelated."
But Wasserman, whose station finished third in most news periods, was upbeat on Thursday, especially about Channel 2's performance at 10 p.m.
"I think we did a spectacular job in late news even though we finished third," he said. "Take out ABC's Sunday night, we're basically tied with KTRK."
Channel 13 may soon get a daytime ratings boost. Starting June 6, it is moving The Tony Danza Show, which regularly loses to Channel 2's Dr. Phil, to 12:05 a.m. Millionaire will move up to 3 p.m., followed by Inside Edition, picked up from Channel 2, at 3:30 p.m.
When Inside Edition moves, Channel 2 will advance Late Night With Conan O'Brien to 11:35 p.m.
O'Brien must be a happy man today. He's been fighting to return to the post-Tonight time slot ever since Wasserman relegated him to the wee hours in 1995.
mike.mcdaniel
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