Strike took viewers from late local news
The recent TV writers' strike took a toll on the ratings of Boston TV stations: Every local newscast lost a significant number of viewers at 11 p.m. during the competitive February sweeps period.
WHDH-TV (Channel 7) finished first at 11 p.m., with an average of 166,100 total viewers weekdays, down from 199,900 viewers a year ago. WBZ-TV (Channel 4) followed with 157,800 (compared to 177,800 in 2007), and WCVB-TV had 147,800 (220,700 in 2007). WFXT-TV (Channel 25), which didn't have an 11 p.m. newscast a year ago, drew 81,300 viewers. The ratings were released yesterday for the four-week sweeps period that ended Wednesday.
"Obviously this book, prime-time was kind of a mess because of the writers' strike," said Bill Fine, president and general manager of WCVB, whose station dropped to third place from 11 p.m., shedding about 73,000 viewers from last February when it came in first. "The impact can't be understated, but it could have been a lot worse."
Local stations rely on the prime-time, lead-in shows of their networks to lure viewers to late-night newscasts. Promotional teases air during shows such as "CSI" and "Law & Order: SVU." As the networks resorted to reruns during the writers' strike, fewer viewers watched, so it was difficult for news stations to draw them in at 11.
Because local stations use their ratings as a basis for setting advertising rates, lower ratings could affect a station's budget. But station officials say they can deal with that by shifting advertising to programs earlier in the day to guarantee that advertisers reach a desired demographic.
"In some cases, advertisers switched to the day part," said Randi Goldklank, vice president and general manager at WHDH and WLVI-TV (Channel 56). "They would go into syndicated programming and prime access. They buy more news."
"If a number of advertisers bought less prime [time], they bought more news like 'Chronicle,' " said Fine. "They buy elsewhere. Anytime there is a ratings dip, advertisers look to other areas."
WCVB dominated during the day and early evening newscasts. At 6 p.m., WCVB captured first place with 233,000 viewers, followed by WHDH with 147,200 and WBZ with 106,900. Despite the departure of longtime anchor Natalie Jacobson last summer, WCVB actually gained 12,000 viewers at 6 p.m.
WCVB also finished first in the 5 a.m., 6 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m. newscasts. WHDH landed second in all those slots except at 5 a.m., where WFXT came in second.
In late-night news, WFXT attracted the highest average of total viewers - 184,200, at 10 p.m. Its only major competitor was WLVI, which had an average of 37,500 viewers.
At 11 p.m., WHDH won first place in key demographics and regained its top ratings perch in total viewers from the November sweeps.
Goldklank, of WHDH, attributed Channel 7's win at 11 p.m. partly to the station's aggressive approach to national stories. On Super Tuesday, WHDH sent reporters to each of the presidential candidates' headquarters. Reporter Byron Barnett also traveled to the scene of the deadly tornadoes in Tennessee on Feb. 6.
The stations hope viewers return in full force for the May sweeps, now that new episodes of network dramas are returning to the airwaves.
"We are happy that the writers' strike is over," Goldklank said, "but with the lack of original programming, we were still able to win the 11 o'clock news. That is a feat in itself."
Johnny Diaz can be reached at jodiaz@globe.com
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