Two stations in the South TV News area will soon be receiving an alternative to Nielsen for its ratings information.
Morris Network, Inc., has signed a deal with Rentrak Corp. to provide daily ratings that it says is more dependable than the diary method Nielsen’s used for years.
WJXT
WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla., has again won the ratings war, claiming first in every weekday timeslot for news in the May period.
The independent station led by 7/10 of a ratings point at 5 a.m.; that lead more than doubled to 1.7 points over WTLV at 6 a.m.
WREG snagged first in nearly every time slot for the May ratings period. Photo Courtesy: The Telegraph
Okay, so it wasn’t as much of a photo finish as this representation would have you believe.
But Memphis, Tenn., CBS affiliate WREG can easily claim ratings supremacy for the May ratings period.
Current WSFL-TV Logo
Corporate-owned stations certainly have their perks, especially when they’re part of the Tribune Company family.
SFLTV.com reports CW affiliate WSFL-TV, based in Miami, Fla., is already one week into airing a new morning show which is produced and put together hundreds of miles from sunny South Florida.
KATV
In November, Little Rock’s KATV-TV edged out its competitors in every newscast but noon.
The ABC affiliate came in third at 11:30 a.m.
In addition, the website reports KATV’s household ratings actually improved in every category but the station’s 10 p.m., sliding from a 9.6 to 9.4.
So what caused the boost?
WMC-TV wins the coveted ratings war in Memphis.
Memphis NBC affiliate WMC-TV consistently lauds itself as the most-watched television station in the market, and now recent ratings numbers prove it.
Station execs tell the Commercial Appeal newspaper they dominated every time slot for news. It’s the first time that’s happened for WMC in fifteen years, they say.
WFTV
In the race to win first among television stations, February tends to be a fickle month. Depending on who gets the rights to the Grammys, the Super Bowl — even “NCIS” can sway primetime and local news viewership as well.
That DIDN’T happen in Orlando, though. WFTV, the ABC affiliate for the market, placed first in most local news categories, TV Guy Hal Boedeker reports.
From his Orlando Sentinel blog:
WFTV scored both in households and in the 25-to-54 age group, which is most important to news advertisers. WFTV did get some late help from Charlie Sheen, who appeared in a special “20/20″ Tuesday night.
The most intriguing race, at least to this observer, was 11 p.m. weeknights. In the 25-to-54 age group, WFTV drew 31,200 viewers to WKMG’s 26,800, WESH-Channel 2’s 22,000 and WOFL’s 16,100.
WFTV drew a higher margin of total viewers during its 6 p.m. newscast, but for household ratings, it nearly doubled WESH’s 53,700, reporting 96,500 viewers at 5 p.m.
And that’s in the midst of American Idol.
Not an easy feat.
WPBF Logo
Laurel Sauer (Courtesy: WPBF)
In the world of today’s high-definition, younger skewed broadcasting industry, is there any room for an on-air personality half a decade from 60?
You’re probably saying sure, if it’s a man, because the glass ceiling for anchors and reporters tends to end sooner for women than for the opposite sex.
But according to the Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce station WPBF is betting on Laurel Sauer, and betting big: she’s currently doing special reports for the station during the February sweeps period.
South TV News 
bubba the love sponge, commentary, february, florida, ratings, st. petersburg, sweeps, tampa, wtsp
Shock Jock Brings Radio Commentary to Tampa TV
In CBS, Florida, Ratings, Tampa-St. Petersburg on February 22, 2011 at 8:20 pmBubba the Love Sponge
“Bubba the Love Sponge”–it’s a name hard to forget, even harder to stop listening to, as fans no doubt would testify.
Now those fans who enjoy listening to the shock jock in their cars can find him doing a slightly watered-down opinion on various issues, this time on television.
Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., CBS affiliate WTSP will give Bubba — once fined hundreds of thousands of dollars by the FCC — a chance to say his piece twice a week on the station’s 11 p.m. newscast.
Video after the jump:
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