KHON still tops local news shows
The ratings period was skewed by the Winter Olympics in Italy
KHON-TV remained at the top of the local television news battle in the mornings and evenings, the latest Nielsen ratings figures show.
In a ratings period skewed by the Winter Olympics, local TV officials and ad agencies are waiting for a special ratings report that takes out the Olympics data to provide a more level-playing-field look at stations' performance.
Ratings "go back and forth a lot," said Mike Rosenberg, president and general manager of ABC-affiliate KITV.
News viewership can also depend on whether compelling news is occurring during a ratings survey.
KHON and lead anchor Joe Moore gained a tad at 5 and 6 p.m. but slipped a bit at 10 p.m., as did KITV and KGMB.
The two stations also slipped at 5 and 6 p.m., while KHNL edged up at 5 and 6 and held its rating and share at 10 p.m., though its 13-rating lead-in turned to a 7 rating.
John Fink, vice president and general manager of KHNL-TV and KFVE-TV cites the 9 p.m. newscast on KFVE as a likely reason for the 10 p.m. audience loss.
The show earned ratings of 4 and 5 during non-Olympics weeks and 3 ratings points in each of the Olympic weeks.
The Olympics ran for 18 days of the 28-day rating period, which was a boon and a bane for KHNL, the local NBC affiliate.
The Olympics overall did a 16 rating, 33 percent higher than it performed nationally, "so once again, as has always been the case ... Hawaii loves big-time events."
However, the Olympics also pushed the station's local news to a much later time period on several nights, which likely affected viewership.
That Hawaii viewers like big-event-TV was also reflected in the ratings for the return of "American Idol" on KHON, the local Fox affiliate.
The show aired against the Olympics, but nevertheless earned a a 26 rating and 44 share on Tuesdays, a 25 rating and a 43 share on Wednesdays and a 25 rating and 39 share on Thursdays.
That means nearly half of the people who were watching television were tuned in to AI.
KHON's ratings growth was strongest in the morning, as is the national trend, said Joe McNamara, the president and general manager who joined the station two days before the ratings survey began.
From 5 to 6 a.m., the station's share rose 35 percent, up to 45 from 34 last February.
"You think about the negative press the station has gotten in the past two months and I think this shows the viewers support us," he said.
KGMB made some changes during the rating period, including moving its Saturday evening news from 6 p.m. to 5, where it suffered a ratings loss.
Senior Vice President and General Manager Rick Blangiardi had only seen "sketchy" information on the ratings and was looking forward to study the report more closely. He said the station maintained strong performance among desirable advertising demographics.
CORRECTION
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
» The Nielsen TV ratings chart that ran on Page C3 of yesterday's morning edition contained several errors. A corrected version appears on Page C3 today. (The chart included here on this page is the corrected version.)
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