Morning TV news shakeup in Feb. 2015 sweeps

[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From The Denver Post:



The February sweeps, ending Wednesday, will reveal a notable shift in Denver's morning TV viewing habits. Based on results for 25 out of 28 days, CBS4 will jump from last place a couple of years ago to No. 2 in the 5-7 a.m. and 6 a.m. races.

The sweeps period, when ratings are measured to set future advertising rates, shows that, while the overall number of metro area homes using television (HUT) in the morning hasn’t declined, the station standings have changed.

From 5-7 a.m. weekdays amoung adults 25-54, the KUSA wake-up show holds the lead with a 1.3 rating, down 27 percent from a year ago. But KCNC is a close second with a 0.9 rating, up 69 percent from a year ago. KMGH is a very close third with a 0.7 rating, down 10 percent from last year.

The 6 a.m. race similarly demonstrates alterations: KUSA scored a 1.8 rating, down 26 percent from a year earlier. KCNC scored a 1.2 rating, up 68 percent from a year earlier. Four-tenths of a point away from the leader. KMGH declined to a 0.8 rating, down 19 percent from a year earlier.

At the same time, nationally “CBS This Morning” posted the largest viewership in the time slot in more than 10 years, gaining 290,000 viewers to become “the only network morning broadcast to maintain its adults 25-54 rating compared to a year ago,” per CBS.

“We have a symbiotic relationship with “CBS This Morning,” said CBS4 News Director Tim Wieland. Locally, “the team is clicking.” The goal is to stick with harder news and information while competitors trade in lighter, more personality-driven fare in the morning.

The late-news contest points to similar movement. So far, KUSA is on track to win with a 3.8 rating at 10 p.m. (adults 25-54), down 25 percent from a year ago. KCNC is in position to finish second with a 2.2, up 5 percent from a year ago. KMGH will be third with a 1.4 rating, down 18 percent from a year ago. And KDVR will post a 0.9 rating, up 13 percent from a year earlier.

KUSA says they would expect to be down from last February’s numbers due to 2014’s Olympics broadcasts which ran for 14 days of the sweeps. Also, despite the Brian Williams debacle, “NBC Nightly News” still did a hefty number (3.83 rating), more than double the network competition and even higher than 9News at 10 p.m. (3.78 rating).

Local TV ratings present a constantly shifting landscape, with or without special events like the Olympics; see, for instance, how different things were in Feb. 2013.


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