More Midweek Victory for Fox

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERThursday, February 12, 2009 Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:American Idol Leads Fox to More Midweek Victory Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: Don’t Be a Schlemiel ______________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Wednesday Ratings:American Idol Leads Fox to More Midweek Victory Wednesday 2/11/09Note: The following results exclude the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, Louisville and Knoxville markets. HH Rtg/Shr Fox 13.6/21CBS 6.6/11ABC 4.2/ 7NBC 3.9/ 6CW 0.9/ 1 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008):CBS: +37, Fox: +11, ABC: - 7, CW: -18, NBC: -44 ---------- Note: The fast affiliate results for Wednesday will be posted at PIFeedback by 12 p.m. ET (if there are no further delays). Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night’s Results, and Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:American Idol (Fox), Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI: NY (CBS) -Hurt By American Idol:The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS), Gary Unmarried (CBS) -Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats):Knight Rider (NBC), Life (NBC), Life on Mars (ABC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown: Led by American Idol, Fox stood well above the competing networks on Wednesday, more than doubling the overnight performance of second-place CBS. Third in the metered markets was ABC, followed by NBC and very distant the CW. The first-hour of American Idol opened the evening for Fox with a 13.5 rating/22 share from 8-9 p.m., which beat the four competing networks combined by 16 percent. Take a look: -Wednesday 8-9 p.m.American Idol (Fox): 13.5/22The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS): 4.4/ 7 and Gary Unmarried (CBS): 4.3/ 7Knight Rider (NBC): 3.3/ 5Lost R (ABC): 3.1/ 5Privileged R (CW): 0.9 American Idol also ruled, of course, from 9-10 p.m., with a 13.7/21 in the overnights. That put it at an average 13.5/21 from 8-10 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown: American Idol (Fox)8:00 p.m.: 13.0/218:30 p.m.: 13.9/229:00 p.m.: 13.7/219:30 p.m.: 13.6/21 As strong as American Idol still is, one year earlier it scored a heftier 14.6/23 in the overnights on Feb. 13, 2008. And the fact that Tatiana Del Doro and Nick Mitchell (a.k.a. Norman Gentle) made it into the top 36 only proves that this is not a valid competition to find the best singer. It’s more about who has the ability to spike the ratings than sing the best. Don’t you agree? Next Wednesday, American Idol moves to Wednesday at 9 p.m. out of Lie To Me (which will only kill the recently introduced drama because is not capable of anchoring an evening). Second behind Idol at 9 p.m. was CBS’ underrated Criminal Minds at a still comfortable 8.1/13 in the overnights. Comparably, that built from lead-in Gary Unmarried by a significant 88 percent. Next was ABC’s Lost (5.8/ 9), which continues to lose steam but still scores among key adults 18-49. Fourth was NBC’s Life (3.0/ 5), which could ultimately be facing death, followed by a repeat of 90210 on the CW (0.8/ 1). Is anyone watching the 90210 remake? CBS moved into the overnight winner’s circle at 10 p.m. care of CSI: NY, which scored a 7.5/13 (and remains a compatible fit out of Criminal Minds). Second was NBC granddaddy Law & Order (5.4/ 9), which is worthy of positive mention for building by 86 percent out of the second half of Life (2.9/ 4 at 9:30 p.m.). And third was ABC’s recently relocated Life on Mars at a 3.6/ 6. Sorry Life on Mars fans…the show is just not working. And the problem, I think, is the lack of any character you can relate to. The scenery may be groovy, but you just cannot relate to the characters. Source: Nielsen Media Research data _______________________________________________________________________________________ Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Record Performance for CBS’ The Mentalist:Freshman drama sensation The Mentalist rose to a record 19.7 million viewers on Feb. 10 -- CBS’ most competitive finish in viewers ever opposite Fox’s American Idol, and the network’s best performance in the Tuesday 9 p.m. hour with a regularly scheduled program since made-for movie Children of the Dust on Feb. 28, 1995. The Mentalist finished first in the 9 p.m. hour in households (12.0 rating/18 share), total viewers and adults 25-54 (6.1/14), with a competitive second-place finish among adults 18-49 (4.2/10). -Speaking of Tuesday:Here are the final national rating results for Tuesday, Feb. 10. What is of immediate note is how CBS beat Fox in households and trailed by only 290,000 viewers despite American Idol airing. Households:CBS: 10.7 rating/17 share, Fox: 10.0/15, NBC: 6.4/10, ABC: 2.6/ 4, CW: 1.4/ 2, MNTV: 0.7/ 1 Total Viewers:Fox: 17.64 million, CBS: 17.35, NBC: 9.92, ABC: 4.29, CW: 1.89, CW: 1.89, MNTV: 1.06 Adults 18-49:Fox: 6.8 rating/17 share, CBS and NBC: 3.8/10 each, ABC: 1.7/ 4, CW: 0.9/ 2, MNTV: 0.3/ 1 Source: Nielsen Media Research data_______________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Thursday 2/12/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Ugly Betty 9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy 10:00 p.m. Private Practice CBS: 8:00 p.m. Survivor: Tocantins (season premiere) 9:00 p.m. CSI 10:00 p.m. Eleventh Hour NBC: 8:00 p.m. My Name is Earl 8:30 p.m. Kath & Kim 9:00 p.m. The Office 9:30 p.m. 30 Rock 10:00 p.m. ER Fox: 8:00 p.m. The 40th Annual NAACP Awards CW: 8:00 p.m. Smallville (R) 9:00 p.m. Supernatural (R) MTNV 8:00 p.m. Movie: Mississippi Masala (R) ________________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -SOAPnet Announces Launch Date for Southern Belles: Louisville:SOAPnet will launch upcoming 10-episode docudrama Southern Belles: Louisville on Thursday, May 21 at 10 p.m. ET. The one-hour series will follow the lives of five single Southern women in their 20s and 30s who live in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky. -So Long, Edie:After years of speculation that Nicollette Sheridan is leaving ABC’s Desperate Housewives, apparently it is officially true. But there is no word on when her Edie Britt character will be departing (or if she will be “killed off” or not). -Carol Burnett Guest Stars on Law & Order: SVU:Carol Burnett, a Mr. TV favorite, will appear on the March 17 episode of NBC’s veteran Law & Order: SVU as a former dancer who gets involved in the murder of a young couple. Her most recent TV appearance was a one-shot on ABC’s Desperate Housewives in 2006. -ABC Orders One Hour The Bachelor Special:ABC will extend its surprisingly potent current 13th season of The Bachelor with an additional one-hour special on Tuesday, March 3 tentatively titled After the Final Rose: Part 2. And there is already talk of a potential wedding special with bachelor Jason Mesnick and the woman he chooses to marry. Amazing, isn’t it, that viewers still watch this nonsense? -Warner Bros. Snags Off-Net Clearances for The Closer:TNT’s record-breaking The Closer is heading to off-network syndication in fall 2010, with clearances to-date in 85 percent of the country courtesy of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The Closer has been sold for two years to the Fox Television Stations in 16 markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago; and on various affiliates from ACME Television, Barrington Broadcasting Group, Bonten Media Group, CBS Television Stations, Capitol Broadcasting, Cox Television, Four Points Media Group, Freedom Communications, Gannett Broadcasting, Grant Television, Hearst-Argyle Television, Hubbard Broadcasting, LIN TV, Local TV, McKinnon Broadcasting, Post-Newsweek Stations, Tribune, Turner and Weigel Broadcasting. Warner Bros., in addition, has sold the third cycle of Without a Trace to stations also representing 85 percent of the country for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Clearances include 18 markets in the CBS Television Stations Group, including New York Los Angeles and Chicago; and affiliates from more than two dozen groups. ---------- -The Golden Girls Heads to Hallmark Channel:Classic 1985-92 sitcom The Golden Girls, which currently airs on Lifetime, is moving to feel good Hallmark Channel beginning on Monday, March 1. It will air weekdays from 8-9 a.m., 4-5 p.m. and 12-2 a.m.; Saturdays from 6-9 a.m.; and Sundays from 8-10 a.m. That’s a lot of Dorothy, Rose, Sophia and Blanche. In honor of the move, all together now… Thank you for being a friend,Traveled down the road and back again,Your heart is true your a pal and a confidant.And if you threw a party invited everyone you ever knew,You would see the biggest gift would be from me,And the card attached would say thank you for being a friend._________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Don’t Be a Schlemiel Which one of the following talk show hosts once guest starred on Laverne & Shirley? Jenny JonesJay LenoDavid LettermanRegis PhilbinGeraldo Rivera The answer to yesterday’s question… Who played Florida’s brother on Good Times? Bill CosbyLouis Gossett, Jr.Lloyd HaynesGreg MorrisDenzel Washington Is: b) Louis Gossett, Jr, who appeared as Florida’s brother Wilbert after James had passed away. All together now… Good Times. Any time you meet a payment. Good Times. Any time you need a friend. Good Times. Any time you're out from under. Not getting hassled, not getting hustled. Keepin' your head above water, Making a wave when you can. Temporary lay offs. Good Times. Easy credit rip offs. Good Times. Scratchin' and surviving. Good Times. Hangin in a chow line Good Times. Ain't we lucky we got 'em Good Times. -Current kudos goes to:Mikki Beno, Gerry Bixenspan, Al Canaletich, Larry Collins, Annie Courtney, Reid Davis, Terrence Dean, Sue Doron, Jerry Gibbons, Maureen Goldman, Martha Gonzales, Geoffrey Gordon, Bob Ingersoll, Deb Kainer, Mary Kalnin, Synda Kollman, Charmaine Leary, Michael Murphy, Tony Naldrett, Lenora Nickerson, Gordon Purcell, Michael Ratliffe, Lindsey Rothman, Joe Rubi, Ronnie Tallant, Jodi Tiktin, Jeanne Yonkers, Ted Zawislak

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More Midweek Victory for Fox

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