May Sweeps Results

A press release this afternoon announces some highlights for CBS 2 during the May Sweeps period, which officially ended yesterday.

CBS 2 was #2 in households from sign-on to sign-off, and CBS 2 News at 5am, 5pm, 6pm, and 11pm all finished in second place in households. Here are some important victories:

- CBS 2 News This Morning at 5am with Maurice DuBois and Kate Sullivan was up 29% over last year

- CBS 2 News at 5pm with Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson was up 21% compared to last year, and was the only newscast at 5pm to show growth

- CBS 2 News at 6pm with Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield also was the only 6pm newscast to show growth compared to last year

Update: Here's the ABC 7 press release with all the numbers

May Sweeps is Here!

Today is the start of the May 2008 "sweeps" period. Over the next four weeks, look for stations, including CBS 2, to try extra hard to grab viewers' attention. We should find out how the ratings look on May 22nd.

CBS 2 News Posts Gains at 5AM, 6AM, 5PM and 6PM

The February 2008 sweeps period is over and the ratings are in. While CBS 2 News at Noon and at 11:00 are down, following market-wide trends at those times, the station has good news in the morning and in the evening. According to ratings provided in a WABC-TV press release, CBS 2 News This Morning at 5:00 a.m. is up 11% from last year to a 1.0/6. At 6:00 a.m., the broadcast is up 7% to a 1.6/7. CBS 2 News at 5:00 is up 32% to a 4.1/9 and CBS 2 News at 6:00 is up 19% to a 3.8/8, making them the only newscasts to increase their audiences in those time periods year-to-year.

February Sweeps Begins

Nielsen's four-week February Sweeps ratings period begins today. CBS 2 News at 11:00 will feature an exclusive interview Pablo Guzman got with convicted murderer Danny Pelosi in a report titled "Murder in the Hamptons: The Next Chapter."

Two big news events happen to fall within the next few days. Sunday is the Giants' first appearance in the Super Bowl since 2001 and, while the game won't air on CBS 2 this year, CBS 2 News has been covering the Giants extensively. Ducis Rodgers' sportscasts have been originating from outside the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, where John Discepolo has also been reporting. Hazel Sanchez has provided reports from around the region as well.

And Tuesday is the largest Super Tuesday primary election in U.S. history with more than 20 states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, holding presidential primaries and caucuses. Political reporters Marcia Kramer and Andrew Kirtzman have been reporting on the latest campaign news and the station will undoubtedly provide extensive coverage on Tuesday. As for network coverage, CBS News will break in with updates during the 8:00 p.m. hour and air a two-hour special report beginning at 9:00 p.m.

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.

May Numbers Are In

ABC 7 released the numbers this evening and they're available right here.

CBS 2 News Promotes Key Demo Gains in May Sweeps

The May sweeps period came to a close yesterday and CBS 2 News sounds enthused. A press release out this afternoon says the station is "the number two station in households in sign on/sign off standings for the third straight major sweep period."

CBS 2 News at 5:00 with Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson finished in second place in both total households (a 2.9 rating) and in adults 25-54 (1.3, which is said to be more than double NBC 4's 5:00 and 5:30 newscasts' ratings in the demo). The newscast also showed big percentage gains from May 2006, up 44% in the demo and 32% overall, when it was anchored by Roz Abrams and Mary Calvi and did not have the benefit of the Judge Judy lead-in.

CBS 2 News at 6:00 with Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield finished in second place. CBS 2's press release seems to indicate that it finished in second overall, but only the demo rating, a 1.2, is listed. It also adds the caveat of "among English-language stations," which seems to indicate that WXTV or WNJU, both Spanish-language stations, are outperforming CBS 2 News. It posted year-to-year growth of 20% in the demo "and was the only New York station from the three major networks to show year-to-year growth in households" (which appears to exclude FOX 5).

CBS 2 News This Morning with Maurice DuBois and Kate Sullivan showed year-to-year growth of 9% overall, "the only New York station from the three major networks to show growth." Of course, FOX 5 and CW 11 have morning shows, too. CBS 2's 6 a.m. hour showed the most growth, 33% in the demo and 21% in households.

CBS 2 News at Noon showed growth of 14% in the demo over last year.

The ratings boosts, at least at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., can be attributed to the lead-in. "Judge Judy" at 4:00 and 4:30 finishes in second in both households and the demo. "Judy" only returned to CBS 2 News in September and replaced "The People's Court," which routinely finished third.

It will be interesting to see all of the numbers in comparison to the other stations. This usually comes in the form of a WABC press release, but that has yet to come out. Press releases generally focus only on the good news, which is why information is limited. For instance, CBS 2 News at 11:00 was not mentioned at all here and neither was where the morning and noon newscasts finished in their respective races. And measuring gains in percentage looks impressive when the ratings were originally on the low side to begin with. But it seems that, for the first time in a while, CBS 2 News is showing some positive momentum.

Three-Part Interview with "Son of Sam"

CBS 2 News is excited about Scott Weinberger's three-part interview with David Berkowitz, better known as the "Son of Sam." The interview comes on the 30th anniversary of Berkowitz's killing spree. The press release calls it "a surprising and revealing sit-down interview" and says that "new developments about the case" will be uncovered.

The interview airs at 11:00 beginning tonight and continuing on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's being touted as a "world exclusive," a phrase not used since Jim Rosenfield interviewed Golan Cipel last November.

Daily NewsBytes

Richard Huff's Tube Talk in today's Daily News has a lot of information about CBS 2:

> Kristine Johnson will "eventually" return to anchoring CBS 2 News at Noon with Chris Wragge, the station says.

> Katie McGee is the traffic and entertainment reporter for CBS 2 News This Morning.

> Emad Asghar, who was named executive producer of CBS 2 News at 11:00 back in January, now has that title over at the "CW 11 Morning News."

> And, says Huff, "There is a real downside to good weather - it frees John Elliott to terrorize people on the streets." Elliott reported outdoors a few times earlier this week at noon where he "has been turned into a roaming goofball for the station's noon news."

Happy May Sweeps! (It began yesterday.)

February Ratings Are In: WCBS-TV is NY's #2 Station

CBS 2 is now the number two station in New York, taking that title away from NBC 4. The station's press release attributes the rise to "the most-watched primetime line-up in the market and the double-digit increases delivered by many of its local newscasts and syndicated series."

According to ABC 7's press release, CBS 2 had a sign-on to sign-off rating/share of 3.5/8, up from 3.1/7 from a year ago. ABC 7 had a 4.9/12 while NBC 4 earned a 3.0/7. CBS 2 and FOX 5 were the only stations (of the top six) to show growth year-to-year.

In the 25-54 demographic, CBS 2's overall rating was a 1.6, which the station says is the highest for a February sweeps since 1999.

The station is also touting its increase in web viewership, 7.52 million page views last month, way up from February 2006's 1.80 million.

Unfortunately, the ratings increases weren't uniform for CBS 2 News.

CBS 2 News This Morning very narrowly beat out FOX 5 and CW 11 for the #3 spot from 5-7 a.m., though it actually finished fourth in both the 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. hours individually. (CW 11 and FOX 5 each claimed the #3 spot for an hour, respectively.) The newscast overall remained relatively flat, going from 1.0 last year to a 0.9 this year in the 5 a.m. hour and stayed at 1.5 at 6 a.m., though the other stations showed more of a loss.

ABC 7 Eyewitness News widened the gap at noon, going from a 4.7 to a 5.4, much higher than CBS 2's 3.3 (up from a 3.2).

"Judge Judy" helped the station at 4:00 and 4:30, with a 3.8 and 4.0, respectively, up from a 3.4 from last year's "The People's Court" being in that spot. (Judy earned a 4.4 while on NBC 4 last February.)

22.5% of Judy's lead-in was lost for CBS 2 News at 5:00, remaining #3, while ABC 7 improved nearly 3% after "Oprah" and NBC 4 improved about 117% after "Ellen." CBS 2 News did improve from a 2.9 to a 3.1.

CBS 2 News at 6:00 remained flat with a 3.2. ABC 7 improved to a 7.6, NBC 4 fell to a 4.2 and FOX 5 increased to a 1.7.

CBS Primetime on CBS 2 from 8-11 p.m. was #1, with an 8.0, over NBC 4's 5.1 and ABC 7's 7.2. This boost from the network did not carry over to CBS 2 News at 11:00 (Monday-Sunday), however, with that newscast losing nearly 34% of primetime viewers. By contrast, ABC 7 lost 10% of the lead-in while NBC 4 actually added on 12%, making those newscasts #1 and #2, respectively.

CBS 2's press release highlights gains in the 25-54 demographic at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Sweeps: CBS 2 News at Noon Leads With "Celebrity Trifecta"

CBS 2 News at Noon led with a "celebrity trifecta" of stories today.

Tamsen Fadal started it off with a live report from Fort Lauderdale with the latest from the Anna Nicole Smith hearings. Next was Newspath reporter Manuel Gallegus in Los Angeles with more on Britney Spears' actions. A lower-third on the screen said it was "Breaking News" that Spears reentered rehab (again). The third story was about Prince Harry going to serve in Iraq, with Newspath's Charlie D'Agata reporting from London.

The fourth story was the winter weather headed our way tonight.

In related news, today was the second consecutive day that Chris Wragge anchored the noon newscast solo. He said that Kristine Johnson will be back at 5:00, as was the case yesterday. Johnson's baby is due sometime next month.

Sweeps: Jim and Dana on Sunday Night

Jim Rosenfield and Dana Tyler are anchoring the late-night news right now. It began at 11:26 because CBS Sports' golf coverage went nearly a half-hour late. John Bolaris is on hand with the weather.

Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson anchored the late news on the previous two Sunday nights when CBS 2 News followed the Super Bowl (on the 4th) and the Grammy Awards (on the 11th).

Sweeps: "Healthy, Weatlthy & Wise"

CBS 2 News at 5:00 will have another week-long series (last week, it was a behind-the-scenes look at "Judge Judy") starting tomorrow. This one is called "Healthy, Wealthy & Wise." WCBSTV.com says experts will talk about "how to stay healthy, how to become wealthy, and how to be more wise." The interviews will be conducted by medical reporter Dr. Holly Phillips and consumer reporter Kirstin Cole and Dave Carlin will have a piece on Friday.

Monday's topic will be cardiology, followed by nutrition on Tuesday, "Self-Made Millionaire" on Wednesday, "Rich Retiree" on Thursday and "How To Get Smarter" on Friday.

Sweeps: Behind The Scenes of "Judge Judy"

In what appears to be a shameless attempt at self-promotion, Kristine Johnson will take viewers behind the scenes of "Judge Judy" today at 5:00. Johnson recently traveled to Los Angeles to shoot the piece, which has been promoted in spots since Friday.

But it's doubtful that CBS 2 News is trying to help its 4 p.m. program. Instead, CBS 2 News at 5:00 is trying to benefit itself by enticing the "Judy" audience to keep watching Channel 2, to boost the ratings for today and, if the viewers like what they see, for the days and weeks to come (at least until February 28th).

Wragge and Johnson Tonight at 11(:30)

For the second Sunday in a row, Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson will anchor CBS 2 News at 11:00. (The newscast is actually slated to begin at 11:30, delayed a half hour because of CBS's presentation of the Grammys.) The rookie team also anchored last Sunday night after the Super Bowl. It looks like CBS 2 News' way to showcase its newest team during Sweeps.

CBS 2 News Covers Anna Nicole Smith's Death

Lara Spencer, co-host of "The Insider," reported the top story on CBS 2 News at 5:00 yesterday: the death of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith. By today at noon, CBS 2 had sent two reporters to cover the story from opposite ends of the country: Tamsen Fadel reported live from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on news of the autopsy and investigative reporter Scott Weinberger reported from Los Angeles on the potential paternity test.

Is there anybody out there who thinks that this story would get the same play if it had happened next month?

Let The Sweeps Begin!

Today marks the beginning of the four-week February 2007 sweeps period, a time when broadcast networks and local stations try even harder for you to get you to watch their programs. Nielsen Media Research then puts out ratings data that gives broadcasters information to base their ad rates on.

This blog will try to have the most comprehensive sweeps coverage relating to CBS 2 News. Send in a tip, either by e-mailing or commenting on a post, if you see anything that looks like it might have been done just for sweeps.

Detailed promos have already been airing for the past few days for tonight's 11 p.m. story by Investigative Reporter Scott Weinberger called "Fake Cops, Real Dangers." We'll see how many more such promos and special reports air this month.

Perhaps the biggest event of the month comes on Sunday as it is CBS's turn to air the Super Bowl, annually the highest-rated broadcast of the year. It will be CBS 2's chance to catch the attention of viewers in the New York metro area.

CBS 2 News At Noon: #1 And Up 10%

The Daily News reports on CBS 2's ratings for May 2001. Although CBS 2 News at 5:00 and at 6:00 are in third, CBS 2 News at Noon is still number one at 12:00. It averaged 353,716 households per day, that's almost 50% more than WABC-TV's noon newscast. CBS 2 also adds nearly 20% more households from the number one 11am show, "The Price Is Right".
(Thanks to Brian for sending me this article!)

Nightcast Comes in Second Place Monday

The New York Post and the Daily News are reporting that CBS 2's "Nightcast" at 11:00 came in second place on Monday, finishing ahead of WABC. The rating was a 5.6, and was probably helped by CBS 2's investigative series, "Eat At Your Own Risk."
(Thanks to Brian for sending me these articles!)

East At Your Own Risk

CBS 2 is launching a major investigation tonight at 11:00 on Nightcast. This investigation targets the food industry, and will continue for a few weeks. "Eat At Your Own Risk" is a special investigation done for the "sweeps," a period when Nielsen Media Research collects data on what programs viewers are watching. This data is used by local stations, broadcast networks and cable systems to set ad rates.