WFSB‘s locally produced “Face the State” public affairs show was the most-watched Sunday morning show in Connecticut during May sweeps, beating out the national shows including NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week.”
Anchor Dennis House said the show’s success is a result of Connecticut’s closely-watched races over the past year. “We had such an exciting senate race last year (Blumenthal/McMahon) and a governor’s race that went beyond election night (Malloy/Foley),” House tells TVSpy. As a result, “first-time viewers were attracted to ‘Face the State,'” he says.
“Face the State,” which airs at 11 a.m. has the lead-in of “Face the Nation” and goes head-to-head with “The Chris Matthews Show” on WVIT and paid programming on WTNH. ABC’s “This Week” airs at 9 a.m on WTNH, going head-to-head with “FOX News Sunday” on WTIC while “Meet the Press” airs at 10 a.m on WVIT.
When the audiences are added up, “Face the State” came out on top in May.
“I think when it comes down to it, people are preferring to watch local politicians who have an impact on their daily lives,” House says.