WRGB now tops in news ratings

[adam]

WRGB now tops in news ratings
December 15, 2009 at 2:06 pm by Chris Churchill

WNYT has lost its mojo.

The station, Channel 13, once dominated the Capital Region’s television news ratings. And it did so last year at this time.

But the latest ratings book shows the station has experienced a dramatic ratings drop and has lost its number-one position to WRGB, the CBS affiliate out of Niskayuna.

WRGB, for example, has the top-rated newscast at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 11 p.m., according to data from Nielsen Media Services. WTEN, the ABC affiliate, has the top-rated program at 6 p.m. (The numbers are posted below.)

There are several factors that may have contributed to WNYT’s ratings decline, but many observers point to the station’s firing last December of popular anchor Lydia Kulbida.

Other possible factors include low ratings for Jay Leno’s new program; WRGB’s decision to broadcast in high-definition; and WRGB’s decision to take a more aggressive and consumer-oriented focus with its news.

Here are the numbers. The first number is the rating for each station, with each point equal to one percent of the households in the market. The second number is the share, which is equal to the percentage of televisions tuned to a particular station.

5 p.m.

1. WRGB, Ch. 6 5.1 16.2
2. WTEN, Ch. 10 4.7 15.1
3. WNYT, Ch. 13 4.3 13.7
4. WXXA, Ch. 23 1.7 5.3

5:30 p.m.

1. WRGB 5.6 16.7
2. WTEN 5.6 16.5
3. WNYT 4.5 13.4

6 p.m.

1. WTEN 7.0 17.6
2. WRGB 6.6 16.7
3. WNYT 6.5 16.3

11 p.m.

1. WRGB 4.0 15.8
2. WNYT 3.7 14.5
3. WTEN 3.4 13.4
4. WXXA 0.5 2.1



blog.timesunion.com/business/wrgb-now-tops-in-news-ratings/16470/

[MasterFX1]

If you read the posted comments on this article, you will discover that a significant percentage of readers cite High-Definition as their reason for switching news loyalties.

It's funny to me, because for years while I worked at WXXA and WRGB I tried to argue that the quality of the lenses on the studio cameras has a direct effect on the perceived quality of the newscast. My case in point was how poor John Grey looks on FOX23 News as compared to when he was on Newschannel 13. Channel 13's studio cameras have very good lenses. Fox23 News... not so much.

News production in HD, for me, has the same effect. So while at WRGB I always advocated for investing in HD news production. I felt that the first newscast to do it would quickly build new loyalties among younger viewers. (WHich, by the way, are the more desirable advertising demographics.) Folks rarely listened to me, so I take no credit for WRGB's new ranking. But I would certainly give credit to Fred Lass, who began plotting and purchasing news equipment with HD-integration in mind long before WRGB's business decision-makers would ever warm to the idea.

Just as consumers in Best Buy think that the brightest tv display is the best tv display, many viewers will unconsciously think that the newscast with the best quality picture is indeed the best journalistic newscast.

[MasterFX1]

I would also add that the Brown Pillar Bars on WNYT are making watching anything in SD (like their news) on WNYT very painful. But if WNYT's long-term business plan is to be the best last-place station, perhaps changing the Pillar Bars to a vertical text readout that says "We don't think people are watching us on HD displays" would be more effective.

[the block]

I watch CBS 6 cause of the HD.. just easier on the eyes when you're used to watching everything else in HD.

[hurnik]

I don't watch any of the local news, and the HD version doesn't really make me want to watch it either. Of course, I don't get home until 6:30 and by the time I get dinner done, the news is over.

[Skaggs]

When watching live TV (which is rare), I only watch HD programs. Liz Bishop in HD is kind of scary, though.

[the block]

Dec 17, 2009 9:20:40 GMT -5 Skaggs said:

Liz Bishop in HD is kind of scary, though.

;D glad I'm not the only one with that same opinion ;D

[adam]

I don't think she looks bad considering her age and how long shes been in the business. And I'm 22.

Dec 17, 2009 10:08:43 GMT -5 the block said:

Dec 17, 2009 9:20:40 GMT -5 Skaggs said:

Liz Bishop in HD is kind of scary, though.

;D glad I'm not the only one with that same opinion ;D

[Skaggs]

Defining decision for a TV station
Switch by WRGB to high-def newscasts seems to be paying off

By CHRIS CHURCHILL, Times Union Business writer, First published: Friday, December 18, 2009

NISKAYUNA -- Last year, WRGB quietly made a change to its newscasts: It went high def.
That first-in-the-market move to high-definition broadcasting seems to be paying off. The CBS affiliate has risen in the ratings to the point where it now has the region's most-watched evening local news programming (with the exception of 6 p.m.).

It's difficult to know how much of the rise is attributable to the high-definition switch. But anecdotal evidence suggests it's been a boost for the station, with many viewers saying it's a major reason they watch Ch. 6.

"It makes no difference if every (station) is doing it," said Robert Furlong, general manager at WRGB. "But we're the only one doing it, so it makes a difference."

Viewers notice high-definition broadcasting only if watching on an HD-ready television. But if they are, WRGB newscasts appear brighter, sharper and more three dimensional than those of the other stations.

And while most other Capital Region news shows have "wings" of darkness on either side of the picture, the WRGB broadcast fills the entire screen -- an important consideration if you've invested a thousand bucks in an oversized TV.

"Channel 6 really does look good," said Dow Smith, who heads the Siena College journalism program. "They put out a very nice picture."

Most major Capital Region stations broadcast at least some high-definition programming, usually from nationally produced shows. But no station has followed suit for its local news.

Executives at every major Capital Region news station said they want to switch to high definition, and they said every station will eventually do so. But none could give a timetable for when their news will make the transition.

The reason? Cost.

It can run a station $1 million or more to switch to high definition, a big expense at a time when the industry is generally struggling with revenue declines and a weak economy. It's also a transition that comes with tough technological hurdles.

Even WRGB news isn't entirely in HD. The footage it shoots outside its Niskayuna studio is in standard definition, and the same is true for some of the material the station gets from other news sources.

Making the change to HD "is a hugely complicated and expensive process," said Steve Paulus, regional vice president for Time Warner Cable's New York news division, which operates Capital News 9.

Paulus said the 24-hour news station is attempting to gradually transition to HD broadcasting. The first step, already made, is to reformat the broadcast so that it fills HD television screens.

The move to full high-def broadcasting will come later, he added.

Michael Sechrist, the interim general manager at WTEN, conceded he finds himself drawn to high-definition newscasts when he's in other cities. So he knows, he said, that it must make at least some difference in the ratings.

"We're trying to get there as quickly as we can," Sechrist said of a potential WTEN switch to HD. "If you have a competitor in the market that is, you have to be there."

Furlong, at WRGB, said Capital Region residents tend to be relatively "early adopters" of new technology, so the demand for high-definition newscasts could be higher here than in other markets.

But Furlong, who cites additional reasons for WRGB's recent ratings boost, said the benefits of offering the region's only high-definition newscasts go only so far.

"It may get people (here), but they have to want to stay," Furlong said. "That's the bigger thing."

Chris Churchill can be reached at 454-5442 or by e-mail at [e-mail].

[Skaggs]

Back in January 2008 (Wow, that was 2 years ago!), I asked the local TV stations what their plans were for local news in HD. I posted the results in this thread.