“KSL can’t automatically dominate the market anymore,” BYU communications professor Dale Cressman told The Salt Lake Tribune last December. “Things have changed.”
KSL‘s long reign atop Salt Lake City’s ratings heap came to a resounding end this sweeps period as upstart KUTV finished #1 in every major news time slot, including 10 p.m. which had been KSL’s last stronghold.
KUTV’s outright win at 10 p.m.–it tied KSL for #1 in November–is the final step in the CBS-affiliate’s dramatic transition from also-ran to ratings champ. In February, all of KUTV’s newscasts finished in first.
“In all of broadcasting history–not just in the state of Utah–it’s one of the biggest ratings turnarounds,” boasted Steve Carlston, KUTV’s vice president and general manager.