Charleston-Huntington TV Ratings

[radiostar]

Ran across these numbers for total HH, May 2011.

6a (Rating/Share)
WSAZ 10.8/43
WCHS 3.1/13
WOWK 0.7/3

Noon
WSAZ 9.1/31
WCHS 3.3/11
WOWK 1.5/5

6p
WSAZ 18.7/38
WCHS 7.3/15
WOWK 1.7/3

10p
WVAH 5.4/10

11p
WSAZ 11/31
WCHS 3.4/9
WOWK 2.3/6

[the jive talkin one]

As dominating as WSAZ's numbers are, can you imagine how much stronger they'd be if they weren't running the number 4 national network?

one question: did 3.2 not show any numbers at all at 10pm?

[genlock]

Before cable was dominant, I remember one book where WSAZ had the top 27 shows in the market.
Highest rated show on other channels was hee-haw on channel 8.
WSAZ's mid-day news was just ahead of it.
At one time WOWK(then WHTN, I think) was #4 behind the simpsons on channel 11.
60 shares were common for channel 3 in those days. Bos Johnson years.

[---]

What site were the ratings from?

[radiostar]

What site were the ratings from?

Not pulled from the web. That's all I can say.

[Greg Goodfellow]

WOWK might as well run a 'beach volleyball' loop, with those numbers...or perhaps a test pattern.... "Decision Makers," 24/7...endless infomercials...the list goes on.

Seriously,wouldn't heads ordinarily roll with such a scenario, starting at the very top of the food chain? That's 'trickle down' that ALL MIGHT agree on.

Seeing once-proud, legacy-type stations suffer like this is painful to those of us that remember GREAT news programming-at least from north of the Mason-Dixon.

[genlock]

WOWK ratings have only been good during the Tom McGee/Sandra Cole era.
Still not enough to unseat channel 3.
13 always a bottom feeder.

[chloesdude]

Look at Jack Kane's 6am numbers

[Mr. Jones]

Look at Jack Kane's 6am numbers

But that simply cannot be entirely his fault.

[---]

I think WOWK needs a complete overhaul. Bray needs to face the fact WVMH is a failure and sell his holdings to successful owners. 13 needs an overhaul to their set, newsroom, gfx, and music. Then, they need to find co-anchors for Jack Kane and Sandra Cole. They need more professionalism brought to the station. Until that happens, their ratings in all time periods will be a joke.

[chloesdude]

I agree. I'll start the RIOT! O-VER-HAUL!!! O-VER-HAUL!!! -----------Thirteen - Thirteen- Your ratings are bad- And Bray Cary- you make me MAD!!! O-VER-HAUL!!! O-VER-HAUL!!!

[Greg Goodfellow]

As they used to say on SCTV: "Blow 'er up REAL good!"

[Mr. Tom Jones]

I think WOWK needs a complete overhaul. Bray needs to face the fact WVMH is a failure and sell his holdings to successful owners.

I have it on solid authority a deal nearly happened, until Bray acted like Bray.

Yes, the shareholders want out in the worst way. That's coming from multiple sources.

[Big Media]

Regardless of the ratings, I am wondering if WOWK's news is profitable. Are the revenues generated by the newscast even paying for the newscast? My guess is it must be. Otherwise, why even have a local news operation? [Don't flame me, bro. I don't want to see anyone lose their job. It ain't about that. Just trying to have a dialog, here]

I almost never watch local news. I am sure there are others like me. Why not position your station as an alternative to the news?

I would think I Love Lucy would garner more ratings than the 1.7/3 they are getting at 6.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Regardless of the ratings, I am wondering if WOWK's news is profitable. Are the revenues generated by the newscast even paying for the newscast? My guess is it must be. Otherwise, why even have a local news operation? [Don't flame me, bro. I don't want to see anyone lose their job. It ain't about that. Just trying to have a dialog, here]

I almost never watch local news. I am sure there are others like me. Why not position your station as an alternative to the news?

I would think I Love Lucy would garner more ratings than the 1.7/3 they are getting at 6.

I agree. WOWK's numbers should trigger one of two decisions: (1) Spend the money to fix your local news problem and do it quickly, or (2) Get out of the local news business altogether and provide an alternative. What you are doing now is a money pit and a waste of electricity.

[oldtvman2]

If I rememberber right sometime in the past 13 cut out local news and ran Lassie. believe this was when Reves Telcom took over the station WHTN . they closed out the Charleston studio. we had a complete studio there . they had a local photo shop that would process the news film, Had cameras and operator and an audio man video man and director. with microwave from Charleston from the studio to the WKNA tower to Barkers ridge and then to Huntington. it was a great stable path. they took it all out to be put back in later and the microwave path at that time stunk.the chief engineer would not listen to how it was before but wanted to do it his way. I can't remember who was chief engineer at that time.

[Ace Purple]

During my tenure with WSAZ, I recall hearing that the ratings that WSAZ had at 6 a.m. were higher than the combined ratings for WCHS & WOWK at 6 p.m. It appears that things haven't changed in that respect.

[Clay JD Walker]

2 local tv observations here in NC that, actually make sense. (1) Our local CBS has a 5p and 6p news, but not a 5:30...why? They run Andy Griffith reruns...and they get great ratings for it.
(2) our ABC does not have a news operation -- they did years ago, but concluded they could have a lower operating cost and higher return minus a news operation. They do, however, still run ABC national news programming, but no local news...

Don't hate on me -- but I can most certainly see the advantage of central-casting everything from Charleston -- only from the point of view that when watching WBOY and WTRF when in town, there isn't enough news for them to fill a 30 minute show...however, if something were to happen up in the north central part of the state, then what? Like another Sago, something happens with one of those marcellus wells they're drilling up that way...but until then, there's plenty of filler with cat fashion shows, obituaries and all that...and, just like what happened to radio 10-15 years ago, where will the new blood come from? It's much easier to get experience behind the desk at WBOY after j-school graduation than if you were to wait it out at WSAZ -- or elsewhere...

[tvchick]

[quote="Clay JD Walker"]2 local tv observations here in NC that, actually make sense. (1) Our local CBS has a 5p and 6p news, but not a 5:30...why? They run Andy Griffith reruns...and they get great ratings for it.
(2) our ABC does not have a news operation -- they did years ago, but concluded they could have a lower operating cost and higher return minus a news operation. They do, however, still run ABC national news programming, but no local news...
quote]

You're talking about Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem. It should be noted, the market also has the #1 Fox affiliate in the country. It's a former ABC, that ended up being a Fox O&O (though recently sold to Local TV). WGHP does news 5/5:30/6, along with the NBC. The current ABC is owned by Sinclair and was a UHF in an otherwise VHF market when it mattered. WFMY, the CBS, used to be the market leader...but the race now is between Fox and NBC in that market.