November Sweeps Results

CBS 2 is once again proud of its showing in the latest sweeps period, which ended last night. The press release touts the fact that all of its newscasts finished in second place in both households and adults 25-54; the first time this has happened since at least 1988. It's the first time since 1991 that the 11:00 newscast has come in second. Overall, the station finished second sign-on to sign-off, a feat that's been pulled off in the major sweeps periods since November 2006.

A summary of CBS 2 News' highlights in the press release:
- 5:00 a.m.: The only station to see year-to-year growth in households (67%).
- 6:00 a.m.: Up 62% in households and 83% in the 25-54 demo.
- Noon: Added to its "The Price Is Right" lead-in in both households and the demo.
- 5:00 p.m.: The only station to see year-to-year growth (52% in households).
- 6:00 p.m.: The only station to see year-to-year growth.
- 11:00 p.m. Beat WNBC in all key demos for the first time in 15 years.
- 6:00 a.m. Saturdays: 167% year-to-year growth in the demo.
- 9:00 a.m. Saturdays: 50% year-to-year growth in the demo.
- 8:00 a.m. Sundays: 22% year-to-year growth in the demo.

As usual, WABC has released the households numbers, which can be viewed here.

Holiday in Bryant Park

CBS 2 will air the Bryant Park Christmas tree lighting live tomorrow night. Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson host the hour long special, "Holiday in Bryant Park," at 7:00. Lonnie Quinn will join them.

Up to 10,000 people are expected The Pond at Bryant Park to watch the performers, including Ben Vereen and Bebe Neuwirth.

In the station's press release, Peter Dunn, President and General Manager of WCBS-TV, says, "We wanted to bring our viewers an entertaining holiday program during this time of year, and with Bryant Park's various activities, shops, and visually appealing holiday atmosphere, it's the perfect partnership for our first Christmas tree lighting ceremony."

Thanksgiving Holiday Preemptions

With the holiday comes special programming and newscast preemptions.

Due to the Jets/Cowboys game on CBS this afternoon, CBS 2 News at 5:00 and at 6:00 won't be on.

The 5:00 news will again take a break tomorrow as CBS Sports airs college football, which is scheduled to end at 6:00.

More on Bartelstein

The Daily News' David Hinckley chats with Steve Bartelstein in today's paper. Bartelstein talks about how he was diagnosed with cancer in September and how everything moved very quickly between diagnosis and surgery. His chemotherapy program is four rounds -- Monday through Friday with two weeks in between. He starts round two on Monday.

Bartelstein says he plans to run in next year's New York City Marathon and will go back to the gym once the treatments are over.

And he opens up about wanting things to be different at CBS 2: "One of the things I want to do here is get a little redemption for the way it ended at Channel 7. We did fine there, but I didn't go out the way I would have wanted to. This is another chance."

It's Wragge's Turn

His co-anchor was profiled earlier in the week and now Chris Wragge is in the spotlight. Richard Huff's piece, titled "Chris Wragge scores in his news role on Channel 2," comes a year after Wragge and Kristine Johnson became CBS 2 News anchors.

In the article, Wragge talks about having to work hard to gain viewers' trust and that there is a lot more work to do. "There's so much more preparation," he said. "The last thing I ever want to do is get caught with my pants down. I always want to be prepared."

He also admits that he loved being a sports anchor but "I love this 10 times more than I loved that."

Peter Dunn told Huff of the changes he's made in the last two years: "We're trying to make our product better. We're putting a better station on the air."

Bartelstein Makes CBS 2 Debut

The newest addition to the CBS 2 News team made his debut at 6:22 this morning. After a Dr. Max Gomez "Health Watch" piece on testicular cancer, Steve Bartelstein joined Maurice DuBois and Kate Sullivan at the desk to talk about his experience in dealing with the disease. He looked noticeably different, having shaved his head so that he would not have to watch his hair fall out as a result of the chemotherapy.

When asked about his prognosis, Bartelstein said, "I think everybody thinks it's pretty good." The chemo, which he does Mondays through Fridays between two-week breaks, makes him feel tired. He said that he looks forward to the new job because "it gives me a place to go in the morning. Coming here gets my mind off -- I've been laughing all morning." He added "CBS has been great throughout all of this," saying that they understand if he needs to stay home on his bad days.

You can watch Bartelstein's appearance on wcbstv.com by clicking here.

Bartelstein Joins CBS 2 News

Steve Bartelstein will join CBS 2 News as a weekend morning anchor beginning this Saturday. He was most recently the co-anchor of ABC 7's "Eyewitness News This Morning." He will likely sit next to Deborah Garcia in the seat that was vacated by Brendan Keefe... It's been kept warm by Sean Hennessey and Magee Hickey.

Quotes from the press release:
- Peter Dunn, president and general manager: "Steve has proven to be a likeable, well recognized and successful news personality in the NY market. With his on-air experience and achievements within the industry and in the community, we are thrilled he is joining our thriving news team."
- David Friend, vice president and news director: "Steve is a smart, dedicated journalist as well as a terrific communicator. He will be another strong addition to our excellent on-air team."

Bartelstein recently spoke with the Post about his departure from ABC 7 and his cancer diagnosis and treatment.

9:36 P.M. UPDATE: Brian sends in this Richard Huff article that has some new information: While he was hired for weekend mornings, Bartelstein "will do more down the road." He will be on CBS 2 News This Morning and at 5:00 tomorrow to talk about his hiring and his cancer. And according to Peter Dunn, his co-anchor on weekend mornings will be Mary Calvi.

Johnson Profiled

The Record of Bergen, NJ ran a profile piece of Kristine Johnson yesterday as tomorrow marks one year since she and Chris Wragge became CBS 2 News anchors. Johnson discusses the faster pace of the 11:00 newscast, the station's new status as number two, and how she's able to balance work with raising her two young kids.

"Design Week" Airs Tomorrow

CBS 2 will air "Design Week," an hour long special produced with House and Garden Design Happening, tomorrow at 1 p.m. Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson host the show and Mary Calvi, Kate McGee, Magee Hickey, Scott Rapoport and Alexis Christoforous will provide reports. For more information, click here for the press release.