Monday, June 23, 2008
Orlando stations simulate end of analog
Are you ready for your digital TV test? On Wednesday night, 11 O-Town TV stations will simulate the end of analog broadcasting and go dark to let viewers know if they're ready for the digital TV age to begin. Here's how it will work: At 7:59 p.m., these local television stations -- WESH-NBC 2, WKMG-CBS 6, WFTV-ABC 9, WCEU-PBS 15, WKCF-CW 18, WMFE-PBS 24, WVEN-Univision 26, WRDQ-Independent 27, WOTF-Telefutura 43, WTGL-Independent 45 and WBCC-PBS 68 -- will first alert viewers and explain how the test will work. Each station will then simulate the termination of analog broadcasting by removing the video signal that feeds the analog transmitter for 10 seconds causing the screen to go dark. On each participating station's digital broadcasts, and on cable and satellite systems that receive direct feeds from the station, the station will notify viewers that they have successfully passed the test. At the conclusion of each test, stations will notify viewers that if their screen went blank they need to take corrective action -- such as getting a digital TV converter box for their analog sets. Also, during the test broadcasts, each station will provide a toll-free telephone number and Web site for additional DTV transition assistance. This is the first of three tests the area stations are uniting to perform. Noticeably absent from the test are Orlando's two Fox-owned TV stations -- WOFL-Fox 35 and WRBW-MyNetworkTV 65. The local stations will switch off their analog signals for good on Feb. 17, 2009. Labels: WESH 2 News, WFTV Channel 9, WKCF-CW 18, WKMG Local 6, WOFL Fox 35, WRDQ-TV27
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
WESH expands morning news on CW18
 Want more morning news? This week WESH began a six-week experiment simulcasting the 6-7 a.m. hour of its Sunrise newscast on CW18 -- leading into the two-hour block of local news it airs on WKCF. According to a WESH news release, "The goal of the simulcast is to expand the reach of WESH-TV's morning news while strengthening the lead-in to WKCF-TV's morning news block." Said WESH/WKCF GM Bill Bauman: "This is a great opportunity to use the power of both stations to build our morning news audience. If the simulcast experiment is successful, we'll consider expanding it or making a permanent programming change." In the Novemeber sweeps, the WFTV-produced Eyewitness News This Morning on WRDQ-Channel 27 jumped past WESH 2 News on CW18. One reason could be that WRDQ started airing The Daily Buzz from 6-7 a.m. as a lead-in to its news. The irony is that WESH booted The Daily Buzz from its 6-9 a.m. slot on WKCF to make way for its local news show. Labels: WESH 2 News, WKCF-CW 18, WRDQ-TV27
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Orlando TV ratings -- what the stations say
From WESH-Channel 2 press release ...The spin: WESH-TV today announced continued growth and momentum in key time periods from May '07. In early morning, WESH 2 News Sunrise (6 - 7 a.m.) maintains its strong No. 2 position and Today (7 – 9 a.m.) continues to grow in popularity with Central Florida viewers, increasing its audience by 11,000 households. In addition to mornings, the growth continues in early evening news, where WESH 2 News at 5 and WESH 2 News at 6 with Wendy Chioji both saw greater ratings increases from May than any other early evening newscasts in Central Florida. The quote: "In May we saw significant growth for WESH 2 News over the previous year. It's now very gratifying to see that viewers are continuing that vote of confidence and helping us build on that momentum." -- VP and Station Manager Bob Fein.From WFTV-Channel 9 press release ...The spin: Eyewitness News continued to dominate the ratings for local news viewing in most news time periods. From Eyewitness News Daybreak at 5AM all the way through to the late news at 11PM, Channel 9 Eyewitness News reaches more local news viewers than any other station, in some cases, more viewers than our competition combined. The quote: "Every day in every newscast our team covers local news like no one else can. From our experienced reporters to our talented photographers and editors, we know how to deliver a newscast that Central Florida viewers have told us they want." -- News Director Bob JordanFrom WRDQ-Channel 27 press release ...The spin: This November, Central Florida's TV27 delivered its best rating period ever. Among the station's biggest successes in November are Eyewitness News This Morning, According to Jim, Oprah and Eyewitness News at Ten, which, for the first time, is in a virtual tie for first place with WOFL. Eyewitness News This Morning is the only local 7AM newscast to grow audience share book to book. Less than a year after its launch, Eyewitness News This Morning has grown from 1,345 households to an astonishing 12,562 households, making it Central Florida’s No. 2 local morning newscast in its time period. "The enormous growth Eyewitness News has shown this November is a testament to TV27's dedication to provide viewers with quality local newscasts. I am very proud of our Eyewitness News team and this extraordinary rating period motivates us to continue the trend." -- VP and GM Shawn BarteltLabels: WESH 2 News, WFTV Channel 9, WRDQ-TV27
Orlando TV ratings -- a look at the numbers
The November sweeps brought us original episodes of our favorite shows, but the ratings results for the O-Town news looked more like another rerun. Based on information provided in news releases by WFTV and WESH, Channel 9 once again dominated the local news scene in a ratings period that saw most everyone dropping a bit from a year ago. Here's how the stations rank in the news time periods: 5 a.m. -- WFTV-Ch. 9, WKMG-Ch. 6, WESH-Ch. 2 and WOFL-Ch. 35. Local 6 displaces WESH 2 News at No. 2, but everyone was down in share 6 a.m. -- WFTV-Ch. 9, WESH-Ch. 2, WKMG-Ch. 6 and WOFL-Ch. 35. WESH barely hangs on to the No. 2 spot, dropping a full rating point and 3 share points from 2006. WKMG was up in rating and share. 7 a.m. local news -- WOFL-Ch. 35, WRDQ-Ch. 27, WKCF-Ch. 18. The shocker is that the WFTV-produced morning news on WRDQ jumped to No. 2 ahead of the WESH-produced show on WKCF. Overall WRDQ's ratings in the time period are up 800 percent from a year ago. Noon -- WKMG-Ch. 6, WFTV-Ch. 9, WESH-Ch. 2. Even without Bob Barker, WKMG edges WFTV for the top spot at noon. WESH drops year over year. 5 p.m., 5:30 and 6 p.m. -- WFTV-Ch. 9, WKMG-Ch. 6, WESH-Ch. 2, WOFL-Ch. 35. WFTV, as usual, dominates the early evening and tops the combined audience of its three competitors. Everyone is down in the time periods from a year ago except WFTV at 6, which increased slightly. 10 p.m. -- WOFL-Ch. 35 and WRDQ-Ch. 27. Another shocker -- Fox 35, which used to have a huge lead at 10, holds on to No. 1 by the skin of its teeth. The WFTV-produced news on WRDQ was up 23 percent year over year, while Fox 35 was down 23 percent. 11 p.m. -- WFTV-Ch. 9, WKMG-Ch. 6 and WESH-Ch. 2. Channel 9 and Local 6 both saw growth at 11 o'clock while WESH lost some audience. Labels: WESH 2 News, WFTV Channel 9, WKCF-CW 18, WKMG Local 6, WOFL Fox 35, WRDQ-TV27
Sunday, August 5, 2007
WFTV-Channel 9 sweeps July sweeps
 There are a lot of re-runs in the summer ... and also in the O-Town ratings competition. WFTV-Channel 9's Eyewitness News was again the top choice for Central Floridians. WFTV was No. 1 from 5-7 a.m., from 5-6:30 p.m. and at 11 p.m., according to the Orlando Sentinel's TV Guy. In the 6 p.m. competition, WFTV had 141,000 homes to 61,00o for WKMG-Local 6 News and 57,000 for WESH 2 News. At 11 p.m., Eyewitness News wast No. 1 with 98,000 homes followed by Local 6 at 76,000 and WESH at 64,000. The Sentinel's TV Guy says in that late-night timeslot, WKMG was down 11,000 from a year ago, WESH was up by 28,000 and WFTV was up by 4,000. WESH was up across the board, actually. In a press release, Channel 2 said it was the only local broadcast station to see growth in all weekday newscasts. "We saw significant growth in both households and adult viewers in May, and it's gratifying to see it continuing in July. It's clear we are building some solid momentum," said station President and General Manager Bill Bauman. High points for WESH: up 96 percent at 4 p.m. from a year ago, up 27 percent at 5 p.m., up 16 percent at 5:30, up 10 percent at 6 p.m. and up 13 percent at 11 p.m. WESH was also eager to point out that its morning news on sister station WKCF-CW 18 from 7 to 9 a.m. is drawing 13 percent more viewers than The Daily Buzz did in the timeslot a year ago. Of course, now the Buzz is over on WRDQ-Channel 27, but it appears before and after WFTV's morning news its sister station. Labels: WESH 2 News, WFTV Channel 9, WKCF-CW 18, WKMG Local 6, WRDQ-TV27
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
WFTV's Egert heading to Seattle
Anchor-reporter Chris Egert from WRDQ/WFTV is heading to the Pacific Northwest. NewsBlues.com reports that Egert is going to become the weekend news anchor at Cox sister station KIRO-CBS 7 in Seattle. It's a jump up the market ladder for Egert, from O-Town's No. 19 to Seattle's No. 13. Egert, who arrived in Orlando in 2002, anchors the weekday Eyewitness News at 10 on WRDQ-Ch. 27 and is a fill-in anchor and reporter on WFTV-Channel 9. But what kind of station will Egert be heading to? Talk on the TVSpy.com Watercooler is that KIRO's affiliation with CBS is up, and that the Eye Net may want to move its programming over to the station it owns in the market, KSTW-CW 11. It happened before in the 1990s, when CBS took its affiliation from KIRO and moved it to KSTW, only to move it back again a few years later. Labels: WFTV Channel 9, WRDQ-TV27
Monday, May 14, 2007
The Daily Buzz is heading to WRDQ
The Daily Buzz is moving to a new home -- and a new station. WRDQ announced Friday that the Buzz is moving to TV 27 from WKCF-CW 18 starting May 28. According to the press release, "TV27 is taking The Daily Buzz back to the roots of where the show previously aired, and enjoyed its largest audience, at 6 a.m. Monday through Friday leading into Eyewitness News This Morning. A second hour will be tape-delayed and presented at 10:30 a.m." The Buzz has been sort of a red-headed stepchild at CW18 after the station was acquired by WESH parent Hearst-Argyle. WESH expanded its morning news to CW18, bumping the Buzz to 9 a.m.-noon and running the show on a three-hour delay. "The Daily Buzz has created a distinct brand that fills a void in the morning. It's the perfect lead in to Eyewitness News This Morning, which will continue to air from 7-8:30 a.m.," said Shawn Bartelt, General Manager for WFTV/ WRDQ. "We recognize that there has been a longing in the community for The Daily Buzz to return to its original time period, and we are excited to give the audience what they are looking for." As we reported earlier, The Buzz is currently broadcasting from the Disney-MGM Studios until its new broadcast facility at Full Sail is completed. Labels: The Daily Buzz, WESH 2 News, WKCF-CW 18, WRDQ-TV27
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