There was a period within the past decade that KDKA was in decline and WTAE and WPXI stood just as good a chance of coming up No. 1 in the ratings in any number of time slots.
But KDKA has rebounded and the same static reality has returned: KDKA routinely wins at noon, 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. in and out of sweeps. That was the case in February, and it held true again in the May sweeps ratings.
To get away from the same old-same old, we have to look below the No. 1 slot to see what's changed year-to-year. In short, WPXI had a better month than the year-ago poor performance, while WTAE was worse off.
WPXI increased its ratings at 5 and 6 a.m., noon, and 4 6 and 11 p.m. Channel 11's ratings were flat at 5 p.m. and down at 10 p.m. on WPGH.
WTAE's ratings dropped at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. Channel 4's ratings were up at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. and flat at 5 a.m. and noon.
KDKA's ratings were up at 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and at 10 p.m. on WPCW. Channel 2 was down at 5 and 6 a.m. and noon.
Ratings results released yesterday by Nielsen Media Research are household ratings that reflect more a measure of popularity rather than a basis for advertising rates. TV commercials are generally sold on demographic ratings, which won't be available for several weeks.
In its ratings book, Nielsen flags contests, including those during newscasts on WPXI (a week and a half of the ratings period in the early evening news), because they may influence ratings. Lottery drawings on KDKA, which may also influence ratings, are not flagged because they're telecast year-round rather than only during sweeps months.
Nationally, most of the broadcast networks saw ratings erosion year-to-year in prime time. In Pittsburgh, that held true for ABC on WTAE and NBC on WPXI. But prime-time ratings were up for CBS on KDKA, The CW on WPCW, Fox on WPGH and My Network TV on WPMY.
Among national morning shows, NBC's "Today" on WPXI was No. 1 (up from last year), ABC's "Good Morning America" on WTAE was No. 2 (down from last year) and CBS's "The Early Show" on KDKA was No. 3 (down from last year).
Among other locally produced programs, ratings for KDKA's "Pittsburgh Today Live" and WPCW's 7 a.m. news declined from a year earlier, while the 7:30 p.m. live broadcast of WQED's "On Q" increased its ratings.
In the evening national news race, "ABC World News" on WTAE and "NBC Nightly News" on WPXI were tied for second in rating and share behind the second half of KDKA's 6 p.m. news. Katie Couric's battered "CBS Evening News" showed year-to-year ratings growth on KDKA.
Channel 11 always touts its all-news, no fluff approach to coverage, so I was surprised when after Wednesday's "American Idol" finale the WPXI-produced 10 p.m. news on WPGH began with a lengthy (at least three minutes) recap of "American Idol." That did not fit the Channel 11 brand, which is what's at stake even when WPXI personalities anchor a broadcast for WPGH.
Lots more lame money-saving tips in local newscasts this week. How to save money is the new Steelers of local news -- when it's not the Penguins.
But kudos to stations for finding Penguins figures who haven't been overexposed on local TV, especially Sally Wiggin's WTAE report on Penguins president David Morehouse, a former political adviser who's also depicted in the HBO movie "Recount" Sunday night. The report proved doubly timely.
Usually viewers can count on Channel 4 for smart, relevant investigative pieces, but a Paul Van Osdol report on college campus security disappointed. Yes, he was able to follow students into area dorms without being stopped, but, honestly, unless campuses become police states, won't a reporter always be able to find a way to sneak in?
For viewers who complain that local stations don't offer enough arts coverage, it's worth noting that both KDKA and WTAE reported on a new Titanic exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center.
At some point I remember lamenting the lack of humor in local station promos, so I had mixed feelings about new pro-Penguins spots on WTAE and KDKA.
While I applaud the notion of stations tamping down on the "Our Doppler is bigger than their Doppler" in favor of a lighter touch, one of these spots is just embarrassing.
KDKA's promos are more abstract, featuring two children in Penguins jerseys performing antics that illustrate longtime announcer Mike Lange's unique goal calls. These include, "Oh, no, Eddie Spaghetti" (kids play with spaghetti) and "How much fried chicken can you eat?" (kids play with fried chicken). For those in-the-know about Lange's unique sayings, it's clever. For anyone else, these spots may be head-scratchers. But at least they don't involve or embarrass the station's newsgatherers.
There's nothing abstract about WTAE's spots. Anchors bob their heads to the "Let's go Pens!" cheer song, dance behind the anchor desk and play hockey in the studio. While enthusiasm is understandable, there's something about seeing Kelly Frey and Andrew Stockey doing "The Locomotion" dance that makes me cringe. Maybe it's because they look a little uncomfortable acting foolish, too. (Mike Clark and Sally Wiggin playing hockey isn't as terrible, because they look like they're genuinely having fun horsing around.)
Some media ethicists would say that journalists shouldn't take sides, even for the hometown team. But TV news has always been a mix of journalism and entertainment, leaning more heavily toward the latter as the years go by. And let's face it, any station that asks its anchors to dance in station promos can't be too worried about anyone taking them seriously as journalists.
Comcast has made "AnyRoom On Demand" available to Pittsburgh-area customers, allowing them to start an On Demand program on one television and continue it on any other TV in their house with a digital cable box. No changes to equipment are required, and there's no additional charge for the new service. For details visit Comcast.com.
A second season of "Lewis Black's Root of all Evil" premieres July 30 on Comedy Central. ... Although it wasn't on ABC's fall schedule, the network has ordered more episodes of the reality show "Here Come the Newlyweds." ... Next week HBO airs "David McCullough: Painting With Words" (7 p.m. Wednesday), a documentary about the Point Breeze native that will also be included in the "John Adams" box set, due in stores June 10. ... "Lost"ies alert: On this week's "Lost" podcast, executive producer Damon Lindelof said when last week's episode repeats at 8 p.m. Thursday, before the two-hour season finale, the press conference scene will be expanded to include a few more questions and answers.
In this week's Tuned In Podcast, entertainment editor Sharon Eberson and I discuss the season finales of shows that may or may not return and the upcoming HBO movie "Recount." Listen or subscribe at post-gazette.com/podcast.
This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "ER," "Jeopardy!" and live shots at noon. Read it online at post-gazette.com/tv.
First Published: May 23, 2008, 4:00 a.m.
