Nov 2011 Memphis TV Household News Ratings

The Overnight Household Ratings for the November 2011 sweeps are in.

At 6am – WREG increased their rating and share, but have not achieved the higher ratings from 08 & 09.  WMC has their lowest rating in 4 years.  WPTY & WHBQ remained about flat year to year.

At 5pm – WMC dropped 2 rating points (over 20% of their audience) year to year.  This can probably be attributed to the new 4pm newscast lead-in that replaced Oprah this fall.  FYI…the 4pm newscast on WMC did a 3.4 rating compared to the longer running 4pm newscast on WREG with a 5.25 rating.  WREG & WHBQ have grown year to year and WPTY lost a couple tenths.

At 6pm – Again, WMC loses ground and WREG shows gains.  WPTY is flat.

At 9pm/10pm – WHBQ made the largest gains of the big 4 in both of their newscasts from 2010 to 2011.  Even though WMC is still the clear winner at 10pm their ratings are lower than previous years.  WREG’s ratings remain flat.

November 2011 sweeps were 10/27-11/23/11.  Below is the chart with the 3 previous years included.

WMC WREG WPTY WHBQ
NBC – Ch. 5 CBS – Ch. 3 ABC – Ch. 24 FOX – Ch. 13
HH RTG / Share HH RTG / Share HH RTG / Share HH RTG / Share
6am News
NOV 11 5.8 / 15 5.9 / 15 1.2 / 3 3.4 / 9
NOV 10 6.6 / 17 5.4 / 14 1.0 / 3 3.6 / 9
NOV 09 6.1 / 15 7.1 / 17 1.2 / 3 5.6 / 14
NOV 08 7.2 / 16 7.5 / 16 1.8 / 4 6.8 / 15
5pm News
NOV 11 6.6 / 11 7.0 / 12 2.0 / 3 4.3 / 7
NOV 10 8.6 / 15 5.9 / 10 2.3 / 4 3.7 / 6
NOV 09 9.1 / 16 7.8 / 13 2.8 / 5 5.2 / 9
NOV 08 8.9 / 15 8.5 / 14 3.0 / 5 6.0 / 10
6pm News
NOV 11 8.7 / 13 7.7 / 12 1.8 / 3
NOV 10 10.0 / 16 6.9 / 11 1.7 / 3
NOV 09 11.7 / 18 7.4 / 12 2.1 / 3
NOV 08 10.1 / 15 8.9 / 13 2.7 / 4
9pm/10pm News
NOV 11 9.2 / 14 8.9 / 13 2.2 / 3 9pm    5.5 / 8
10pm    3.2 / 5
NOV 10 9.8 / 15 8.9 / 13 2.1 / 3 9pm   4.7 / 7
10pm   2.8 / 4
NOV 09 9.3 / 14 10.9 / 16 4.1 / 6 6.3 / 9
NOV 08 10.1 / 15 11.7 / 17 3.8 / 6 7.0 / 10
Nielsen Overnight Ratings

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Memphis – The Broadway Musical Opens – Now in Memphis

09 Memphis the Musical

Update 10/18/11  MEMPHIS in Memphis!

As many know, Memphis the Musical is kicking off their international tour right here in Memphis at the Orpheum Theatre.  Last Saturday, I saw the performance and it’s a must see for all Memphians.  The story is familiar, the music is terrific and Memphis is front and center.  This is another great thing going on in Memphis.

The Orpheum has a special offer for students and teachers this Thursday, October 20, called Student Rush.  For both the 2:00pm matinee and the 730pm evening performance, students and teachers can buy a ticket for $25 cash.  And bring a parent, friend or spouse….they also get a $25 ticket.  You just have to show a student ID and bring the cash for admission.  You can get more information at www.orpheum-memphis.com

 

10/20/09    Memphis starring Montego Glover and Chad Kimball opened on Broadway last night at the Shubert Theatre with the Peabody Ducks walking the red carpet.  Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau along with others are partners in the Broadway production of Memphis.

Some of the people in attendance at the October 19th opening were David Bryan (writer), Joe DiPietro (writer), Richie Sambora, Tico Torres, Patrick Wilson, Judith Light, John Glover, Gina Gershon, David Johansen, Will Chase, Patrick & Gina Neely, Jill Zarin, Steve West, Michael Urie, Harriett Harris, Freddie Jackson, and Danny Aiello.  Check out the pictures from the opening night here and here and here.

On the backdrop in these pictures is the 901 logo with the Memphis and Memphis CVB logos.  In case you are curious,  901 Tequila is Justin Timberlake’s brand.  The number 901 represents the Memphis area code, which is Justin Timberlake’s the hometown.901 Tequila

Follow this link to The New York Times review of Memphis.

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WMC – Channel 5 Adds a 4pm Newscast

With The Oprah Winfrey talk show gone, WMC will now have a 4pm news.  This gives Memphians 2 options for local Memphis news at 4pm.  WREG began their local 4:30pm in 1996 and a full hour from 4-5pm in 2002, according to this story in the Commercial Appeal

Scheduled to begin Monday, August 22, WMC decided to begin Friday, August 19 to cover the release of the West Memphis 3.  Jarvis Greer the long time WMC sportscaster, Lindsey Brown who’s new to Memphis news and John Bryant, WMC weatherman for about 10 years will inform viewers of news and weather from 4-5pm. 

See the full story from the Commercial Appeal here by James Dowd.

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Graber Partners in the News

Beth Graber - Photo by Alan Howell

Look who’s profiled in the Memphis Business Journal today!  To see the whole profile on the MBJ website  click here.  If you’re not a subscriber, you can still get a morsel.

This is the beginning of the profile:

Graber, born and raised in Memphis, started her media career at William B. Tanner Co. She then moved to Nashville for about seven years and worked at WZTV and later at Eric Ericson & Associates. In 1988, she moved back to Memphis for good. Graber spent a couple of years as media director at Walker & Associates, then worked for 12 1/2 years at Sossaman + Associates (formerly Sossaman Bateman McCuddy) as vice president of Media Services & Promotions. Before starting Graber Partners: Media & Advertising, she also worked at WMC-TV (Channel 5) where she handled advertising for businesses across all industries. Many times, these clients posed questions and requested guidance to help navigate through the seemingly endless media and advertising options. Graber found she had a unique talent and passion for guiding clients through these complex decisions. Therefore, in 2005, she founded Graber Partners.

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It’s a Hot One in Memphis!

The Memphis Commercial Appeal website, commercialappeal.com has posted the current temperature for Memphis at 4:20pm on June 13th, 2011 at 149 degrees.  Most people would think that the storms that just blew through here would have cooled it off a little!  Thanks to Molly Okeon for bringing this to my attention.

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May 2011 Memphis TV Household News Ratings

Wednesday, May 25, 2011, was the last day of the May Sweeps.  I’ve included 4 years for comparison.

May 2011 brought many unique news stories to Memphis and the Mid-South which became national news.  The severe weather, deadly tornadoes and the massive Mississippi River flood led the newscasts many days.  President Barack Obama spoke at Booker T. Washington’s high school graduation.  The Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder went 7 games in Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs after the Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs in Round 1. 

WMC won the news ratings at 5pm and 6pm.  WREG won the 6am ratings. And at 10pm, WMC and WREG were tied.

May 2011 Sweeps:  4/28-5/25/11

Overnight Nielsen Ratings / Shares
  WMC WREG WPTY WHBQ
  NBC – Ch. 5 CBS – Ch. 3 ABC – Ch. 24 FOX – Ch. 13
Mon-Fri HH RTG / Share HH RTG / Share HH RTG / Share HH RTG / Share
6am News        
May 11 6.2 / 16 6.5 / 16 .9 / 2 3.4 / 8
May 10 6.0 / 15 5.6 / 14.1 1.4 / 3.6 4.3 / 10.6
May 09 7.3 / 17 7.2 / 17 1.7 / 4 6.7 / 16
May 08 6.7 / 16 6.2 / 15 1.8 / 4 6.3 / 15
         
5pm News        
May 11 8.5 / 15 6.8 / 12 3.1 / 6 4.3 / 8
May 10 8.0 / 14.2 7.4 / 13.2 2.9 / 5.2 4.3 / 7.6
May 09 8.0 / 15 7.4 / 14 3.1 / 6 5.7 / 10
May 08 8.8 / 16 8.4 / 15 4.0 / 7 6.0 / 11
         
6pm News        
May 11 10.2 / 17 7.6 / 12 2.2 / 4  
May 10 10.2 / 17 7.1 / 11.8 2.2 / 3.7  
May 09 10.0 / 17 7.6 / 13 2.3 / 4  
May 08 10.1 / 17 8.4 / 14 3.1 / 5  
         
9pm/10pm News      
May 11 10.3 / 15 10.3 / 15 2.0 / 3 9p   5.5 / 8
        10p   3.2 / 5
May 10 11.3 / 17 12.0 / 18.1 3.1 / 4.7 6.6 / 9.5
May 09 11.1 / 17 13.0 / 20 3.4 / 5 8.5 / 12
May 08 11.6 / 17 11.5 / 17 4.2 / 6 10.1 / 14
      Nielsen Media

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2011 Rising Mississippi River and the Memphis Flood

Here are a few pictures I took Saturday, 5/7/11 of the rising Mississippi River waters.  They show the intersection of Riverside and Beale Street, and Mud Island … or actually, a few landmarks on Mud Island, while the rest of the southern part is under water. 

These photos were shot on Saturday about 3pm was at 47.15 feet. 

Below is the National Weather Service’s, Advance Hydrologic Prediction Service for Memphis showing the Flood Categories in feet.  Predictions are the Mississippi River will crest Tuesday, May 10, 2011  at 48 feet.

Flood Categories (in feet)

Major Flood Stage: 46
Moderate Flood Stage: 40
Flood Stage: 34
Action Stage: 28

Looking north down Riverside Drive at Pyramid & I-40 bridge.

Looking south towards Beale St. and Riverside Drive intersection. The old Memphis bridge in background.

Looking west under the train and trolley tracks over Beale St. at Riverside Drive.

Looking north to the I-40 bridge over Mud Island landmarks. Most of the southern part of Mud Island is under water. The flags and tree tops are all you see.

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WKIM-FM 98.9 Has Changed to News Talk Radio

Effective today, WKIM-FM has flipped their format to Talk Radio.  Formerly Gen X, Hot AC and Adults Hits, Citadel’s WKIM-FM has changed their format at least 5 times since 2001.  The News Talk programming will include Ben Ferguson in the afternoons, Laura Ingraham and Clark Howard in Middays.

Here’s the lineup…
Monday-Friday  5am-9am  Memphis broadcast veteran Bev Hart anchors a comprehensive news broadcast with Washington Times colunmist John McCaslin and CNN political contributor Amy Holmes.

Monday-Friday  9am-12noon  Laura Ingraham

Monday-Friday 12noon-2pm  Clark Howard with his deals, money saving tips, consumer alerts and news on the latest scams.

Monday-Friday 2pm-6pm  Nationally syndicated Ben Ferguson host his political talk show live from Memphis

Monday-Friday 6pm-9pm  Mark Levin

Monday-Friday 9pm-12midnight  John Batchelor

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Can You Find Memphis Tiger Joe Jackson in this picture?

11 SI NCAA Tournament Preview Cover

The 2011 Sports Illustrated NCAA Tournament Preview magazine cover is a compilation of players, coaches, mascots & cheerleaders from the college basketball teams heading to the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Memphian Joe Jackson is the representative for the Memphis Tigers.  Do you see his great action shot?  

This is one of 5 regional editions…and the 2 covers I’ve seen have Joe Jackson pictured in the same position.  According to another story, the five regional covers feature Ohio State’s David Lighty, BYU’s Jimmer Fredette, Kansas’ Marcus Morris, Duke’s Nolan Smith and UConn’s Kemba Walker.

After winning the Conference USA Championship, the University of Memphis is seeded #12 in the West, with a 25-9 record.  On Friday 3/18, they play 5th seeded Arizona (27-7) at 1:45 pm CDT in Tulsa.

Go Tigers Go!

Ironically….or not, this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated has an interesting and long story about ex-Tiger and current Kentucky Basketball coach John Calipari.  The title is:  Too Slick, Too Loud, Too Successful.  Why John Calipari Can’t Catch A Break.

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Sad News: John “Bad Dog” McCormack Passes Away

John 'Bad Dog' McCormack

Long time Rock 103 (WEGR) DJ John “Bad Dog” McCormack passed away today after his battle with Leukemia.  There are many condolences on his Facebook page, which is testament to his stature and love from the Memphis community.  Always philanthropic, his generosity will benefit others for years to come.  We will miss the daily laughter and send sympathy to his family and the masses of friends he leaves behind.

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