Florida (and Atlanta) November sweeps results

[johnnya2k6 171]

MIAMI: WSVN was tops in every time slot except 11:00, which belonged to WPLG. WTVJ was third at 6:00 and 11:00, while WFOR remained at the bottom. Keep in mind that we're counting English-language stations only, unlike the last sweeps period.

 

TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG: WFTS was still tops from 5:00-6:30, followed by WTVT, WFLA, WTSP, and Bay News 9. WTSP was second though at 11:00.

 

ORLANDO: WFTV was still the leader in most slots, with WESH and WOFL winning 4:00 and 10:00 respectively. In primetime, it was WKMG in front among total viewers.

 

By the way...in case you're wondering, here's how my new home did: https://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/media/story/48/48455/documents/WSB-TV%20November%202013%20%20Ratings%20Report%20Final%20opt.pdf The big surprises? WGCL actually gaining ground in all time slots, while in primetime, the power of The Voice and Sunday Night Football -- as well as all the hype leading up to that live "Sound of Music" musical starring Carrie Underwood -- has helped WXIA surge to #2 (with 'GCL third and WAGA fourth)!!! In late night however, Jay Leno increased a bit, while Jimmy Fallon drew even with WAGA's 10:00 news repeat.

 

By the way...WAGA's Facebook page has 50,000 more "likes" than WSB's (11 Alive has 208,000 and WGCL, 68,000).

[Mrtraveler01 737]

 

MIAMI: WSVN was tops in every time slot except 11:00, which belonged to WPLG. WTVJ was third at 6:00 and 11:00, while WFOR remained at the bottom. Keep in mind that we're counting English-language stations only, unlike the last sweeps period.

 

TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG: WFTS was still tops from 5:00-6:30, followed by WTVT, WFLA, WTSP, and Bay News 9. WTSP was second though at 11:00.

 

ORLANDO: WFTV was still the leader in most slots, with WESH and WOFL winning 4:00 and 10:00 respectively. In primetime, it was WKMG in front among total viewers.

 

By the way...in case you're wondering, here's how my new home did: https://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/media/story/48/48455/documents/WSB-TV%20November%202013%20%20Ratings%20Report%20Final%20opt.pdf The big surprises? WGCL actually gaining ground in all time slots, while in primetime, the power of The Voice and Sunday Night Football has helped WXIA surge to #2 (with 'GCL third and WAGA fourth)!!! In late night however, Jay Leno increased a bit, while Jimmy Fallon drew even with WAGA's 10:00 news repeat.

 

By the way...WAGA's Facebook page has 50,000 more "likes" than WSB's (11 Alive has 208,000 and WGCL, 68,000).

 

The real fascinating thing is that Jimmy Kimmel Live dominates in that market since it follows WSB's news. I don't think there are many markets where that happens.

 

That said, it looks like WSB still has a dominant hold on that market. And since I was there not too long ago, I found myself watching WSB more than the other stations for news.

[MidwestTV 1173]

Damn...WGCL sucks...and why/how is WSB so damn powerful there?

[skbl17 188]

That's what being rooted in a newspaper will do to a station. Remember, WSB and the AJC are sisters; not to mention that it is very hard to deny Cox's presence in Atlanta (WSB-TV, WSB-AM, WSB-FM, WALR, the AJC, etc.) WSB has been #1 in Atlanta since their start in 1948.

 

As for the ratings report, let's see, WSB is on top (as always,) WAGA is doing pretty good, WXIA has improved, WGCL....

 

What's this? WGCL actually gained ground and managed to beat WAGA in the primetime slot? It looks like whatever they're doing on 14th Street must be working; but I can't tell if it's because WGCL has corrected some of their mistakes or because of CBS's primetime lineup. (My cynicism makes me think it's the latter.) Also, WAGA's main newscast is at 10, their only "competition" in that slot news-wise is WXIA (through WATL). Seriously though, WGCL could stand to put a newscast or two on WPCH; I mean, they have a freaking LMA with Time Warner/Turner, they should take advantage of it!

 

Although I have big problems with their "if it bleeds it leads" philosophy, the Wigs on West Peachtree have nothing to worry about in the short-term. However, WXIA has really improved from the post-Gannettization madness; combine that with a strong primetime lineup, and WXIA may very well be able to lock in #2 or, at the very least, trade places with WAGA and (gasp!) WGCL. Who knows, maybe in a few years, we'll be talking about WSB trading places with WXIA or WAGA! Don't forget, WSB just lost some of their top talent (Monica Pearson retired in 2012, John Pruitt in 2010, Chuck Dowdle in 2009; Glenn Burns is probably retiring soon,) so one aspect of WSB's dominance, talent continuity, is out the door for now.

 

Also, note that the Spanish-language stations (WUVG and WKTB) aren't listed. If I had to guess though, I'd bet that WUVG is on top at 6 and 11.

[Hickman360 21]

Speaking of WGCL their anchor Stephany Fisher informed me they're in the process of building a new set. they'll be on a temporary set for the next two months

[johnnya2k6 171]

Kimmel may be dominant here in Atlanta, but me? All my life (and regardless of market, whether it's Atlanta, Phoenix, Gulfport/Biloxi (via New Orleans), Rapid City, or of course Fairbanks) I've grown up with NBC on late nights ever since the Carson/Letterman era. However...that could be put to the test when Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers take over during the Olympics, and Kimmel may quietly creep to #1 in the blink of an eye.

 

By the way...WAGA airs a repeat of Access Hollywood at 12:30 opposite Nightline, Fallon, and Craig Ferguson, followed by a repeat of their 10:00 news. Maybe WSB should take a note of that next ratings update.

[skbl17 188]

 

Speaking of WGCL their anchor Stephany Fisher informed me they're in the process of building a new set. they'll be on a temporary set for the next two months

 

Who knows, maybe they'll get the new O&O graphics to go along with the set! Just kidding...

 

...or am I?

[Mrtraveler01 737]

 

Who knows, maybe they'll get the new O&O graphics to go along with the set! Just kidding...

 

...or am I?

 

And go back to CBS 46?

 

They're about overdue at this point.

[sanewsguy 509]

WSB is absolute crap, so people who watch news in Atlanta obviously just pick based on tradition or "what their parents used to watch". I guess if they had a monkey anchoring the news WSB would still be number one (it's a figure of speech...).

 

WAGA puts out a better product than WSB, WXIA and WGCL yet is last place. This tends to be the trend in most markets. The station that puts an emphasis on crime is number one and the one that covers real news is last. Tells you people's attitudes towards news and what they consider important.

[skbl17 188]

 

WSB is absolute crap, so people who watch news in Atlanta obviously just pick based on tradition or "what their parents used to watch". I guess if they had a monkey anchoring the news WSB would still be number one (it's a figure of speech...).

 

WAGA puts out a better product than WSB, WXIA and WGCL yet is last place. This tends to be the trend in most markets. The station that puts an emphasis on crime is number one and the one that covers real news is last. Tells you people's attitudes towards news and what they consider important.

 

I'm not a fan of WSB's reporting style either. It seems like every 30 seconds on channel 2 there's a story about drive-by shootings, rape, home invasions, murder, recalls, attempted murder...WSB's reporting makes it seem as if there's a near crapsack world of crime and corruption right outside your door, when in ~98% of Atlanta, that couldn't be further from the truth. I have to agree with you in the sense that "if it bleeds it leads" is the growing (if not completely dominant and unfortunate) trend nowadays; not just in Atlanta, but across the country.

 

Also, I'm not completely sure why WAGA has fallen. I'd wager that it has more to do with NBC's and CBS's primetime lineups more than quality slippage at Fox 5.

[johnnya2k6 171]

 

 

Also, I'm not completely sure why WAGA has fallen. I'd wager that it has more to do with NBC's and CBS's primetime lineups more than quality slippage at Fox 5.

 

Don't worry; they'll get their revenge in February, though I have a feeling that the Winter Olympics will help WXIA a lot.

[mark 55]

It's not just tradition that's kept WSB ahead all these years. It's consistency too. And I'm not talking just about anchors, branding, etc. (although that kind of consistency helps too).

 

It's the format, the formula. They've figured out what works in Atlanta and they do not ever veer from it. That's why it's the same crap every night (LIVE, LOCAL, LATE-BREAKING COVERAGE YOU CAN COUNT ON blah blah blah), which in turn delivers the same sky high ratings. There's no reason for their viewers to go anywhere else because no one else can do it as well as WSB. Being number one for that long means they have the best resources.

 

I read somewhere (and I can't remember where) that the people at WSB don't consider the other Atlanta stations competition. They like to think they compete with stations like WPVI for market dominance.

 

Edit: found the link.

[MidwestTV 1173]

Hey, you know what they say! If it bleeds, it leads!

[johnnya2k6 171]

Well, bitch and moan all you want, but let's not take away this fact: WSB has always been more community-minded than any other station in the country. They're one of the only few stations with a high school quiz bowl show (High Q on Sunday afternoons), they produced a award-winning telefilm about young Martin Luther King Jr. (The Boy King), and we don't mind them preempting an hour of ABC primetime for one of their high-quality news specials (like they did just recently) though they would later show them in the wee hours for those who want to set their DVRs. No wonder why WSB has always remained the #1 station in not just Georgia, but the country as well (despite WABC's claims)! And after 25 years on and off of suffering through the same old Fairbanks stations with production values similar to a public access channel and STILL with no local news in HD, I'm glad to be living in a real TV market that does things right than wrong, though there are pros and cons.

 

Another is that they've had Entertainment Tonight in the same 7:30 pm time slot since day one! Cox was one of ET's producers along with CBS in its early years, which pretty much explains this.

[mark 55]

I wasn't trying to bitch and moan about it at all, but you bring up a very good point. Longtime community-minded stations are frequently dominant in their markets. I think that's clearly a strong component of heavily dominant stations.

 

While I do personally find some of what WSB does to be over-the-top local news cliche, I also consider them a first-rate operation. I am genuinely impressed with what they do. My earlier post (and this one, too, I guess) was more about my fascination with what goes in to being a market leader on the level of a WSB.

[skbl17 188]

 

Well, bitch and moan all you want, but let's not take away this fact: WSB has always been more community-minded than any other station in the country. They're one of the only few stations with a high school quiz bowl show (High Q on Sunday afternoons), they produced a award-winning telefilm about young Martin Luther King Jr. (The Boy King), and we don't mind them preempting an hour of ABC primetime for one of their high-quality news specials (like they did just recently) though they would later show them in the wee hours for those who want to set their DVRs. No wonder why WSB has always remained the #1 station in not just Georgia, but the country as well (despite WABC's claims)! And after 25 years on and off of suffering through the same old Fairbanks stations with production values similar to a public access channel and STILL with no local news in HD, I'm glad to be living in a real TV market that does things right than wrong, though there are pros and cons.

 

Another is that they've had Entertainment Tonight in the same 7:30 pm time slot since day one! Cox was one of ET's producers along with CBS in its early years, which pretty much explains this.

 

I agree with you on the community part. The sheer amount of programming WSB has put in for community/charity causes and events is nothing short of outstanding. Aside from the occasional telethon program on WXIA (and their Can-A-Thon,) no station in Atlanta comes close.

 

Plus, every now and then I do get some High Q questions right, so there's that.

 

I'm not sure if I can agree with your "#1 station in the country" claim, though it is intriguing. I'd like to see some numbers and percentages.

 

EDIT: I see italics are still broken on this site!

[johnnya2k6 171]

Well, I can clarify that WSB is the #1 station in the country...that's NOT an O&O (overall, it's WABC).

 

But wasn't sister station KTVU's 10:00 news "The #1 primetime newscast in the country?" for dozens of years? And who holds that title now?

[MidwestTV 1173]

 

Well, I can clarify that WSB is the #1 station in the country...that's NOT an O&O (overall, it's WABC).

 

But wasn't sister station KTVU's 10:00 news "The #1 primetime newscast in the country?" for dozens of years? And who holds that title now?

 

I really feel like almost any ABC station can claim this, or that there's some type of loophole, because KMBC in Kansas City also claimed that they were the #1 ABC affiliate in the nation for a couple years, I believe.

[johnnya2k6 171]

UPDATE: The December report now shows that WXIA came so damn close to ending WSB's streak in primetime once and for all!!! The one-two punch of The Voice and Sunday Night Football helped rope in 67,225 viewers, but it wasn't enough (if only they had 2,690 more...).