The demographic numbers are good for Channel 6's new morning show, "Real Milwaukee," with the hour of talk winning its time period among key age groups.
Those statistics from the November ratings period are out from Nielsen Media Research, and they show one-hour live show besting all opponents in the 9 a.m. hour by the measure used to sell the show to advertisers.
Only in the broadest measure, households, did Channel 12's airing of "Live! With Regis and Kelly" win.
That show averaged nearly 38,000 area households, a 14 percent share of available homes, while "RM" had more than 25,000 homes, a 10 percent share of homes. CBS' airing of "Let's Make a Deal" on Channel 58 had about 17,000 homes, a 7 percent share, and Channel 4's "Morning Blend" had almost 12,000 homes, a 5 percent share.
But things change once you look at specific groups of viewers. In this case, they're expressed in ratings, which translate into a percentage of that total demographic, and shares, which are the percentage of the audience available in that demographic watching TV at that hour.
Here are the various demos:
- Adults, 18-34 -- "Real," 1.1/15 share; "Regis," 0.8/11; "Deal," 0.3/4; "Blend," 0.2/3.
- Adults, 18-49: "Real," 1.5/19 share; "Regis," 1.0/13; "Deal," 0.4/6; "Blend," 0.4/5.
- Adults, 25-49: "Real," 1.8/21 share; "Regis," 1.3/16; "Deal," 0.5/6; "Blend," 0.5/6.
- Adults, 25-54: "Real," 1.7/19 share; "Regis, 1.4/17; "Deal," 0.6/7; "Blend," 0.5/6.
"Real Milwaukee" wins in each of the age groups, beating two national shows and Channel 4's locally produced "Morning Blend," which has aired for four years.
It's important to note that Channel 4's "Morning Blend," hosted ably by Molly Faye and Tiffany Ogle, operates under a different business model than the Fox affiliate's "Real Milwaukee." "Blend" is a hybrid of conventional program and advertising. In addition to commercial time, it sells airtime on the show, with many of its guests paying to be on. Those interviews are noted on the screen.
Having said that, the numbers for "Real Milwaukee" are good news for the show at a time when network affiliates need to start developing their own programming in addition to newscasts.
The future of local TV is, after all, local programming -- something viewers can't get elsewhere.
Still an "SNL" classic: Last weekend's "Saturday Night Live" tried an alternate version of "It's a Wonderful Life," a supposed lost Hanukkah version.
If you missed it, here you go:
Far better is the oldie, with Dana Carvey as Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey from back in 1986:
On Radio: The top 100 "Men of Radio" have been picked to compete for a one-day fill-in spot on "Live! With Regis and Kelly," and there are three Dairylanders on the list: Wes McKane of WXSS-FM (103.7), Kidd O’Shea of WMYX-FM (99.1), and Doug Erickson of Green Bay’s WKSZ-FM. Although he was asked to make a video, WKLH-FM (96.5)’s Dave Luczak didn’t make the list, which you can find here.
- WTMJ-AM (620)/ WLWK-FM (94.5) director of operations Tom Land has been promoted to vice president of radio programming for the Journal Broadcast Group, which owns 33 radio stations around the country -- including WTMJ and WLWK. He’ll continue to oversee the two Milwaukee stations.
- Tom Martin-Erickson is retiring as host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s "Simply Folk," ending 35 years with the state public broadcaster. The show airs Sundays at 5 on WHAD-FM (90.7).
- Once it's put away the Christmas music, oldies WRIT-FM (95.7) is promising 95 minutes of commercial-free music airing weekdays starting at 8:35 a.m.
- Chicago's WGN-AM (720) continues to rebuild its schedule after the departure of program director Kevin Metheny, announcing that its 7 p.m. weeknight show will again have a sports focus. "WGN Sports Night," hosted by Dave Kaplan. Metheny had given the time slot to ex-con politician Jim Laski.
- Sirius XM Satellite Radio is marking the late Richard Pryor's 70th birthday a four-day uncensored channel featuring the comedian's work. It'll air on Sirius 108/XM 139 from 4 a.m. Dec. 30 through 10:59 p.m. on Jan. 2. His birthday was Dec. 1.
Making fun of Fridays: Kudos to Fox Broadcasting for a promo making fun of dire predictions that moving "Fringe" to Fridays on Jan. 21 will kill the show.
Of course, it's likely the move to one of the least-watched nights of the week will hasten its demise, no matter what this promo is trying to say:
Tim Cuprisin is the media columnist for OnMilwaukee.com. He's been a journalist for 30 years, starting in 1979 as a police reporter at the old City News Bureau of Chicago, a legendary wire service that's the reputed source of the journalistic maxim "if your mother says she loves you, check it out." He spent a couple years in the mean streets of his native Chicago, and then moved on to the Green Bay Press-Gazette and USA Today, before coming to the Milwaukee Journal in 1986.
A general assignment reporter, Cuprisin traveled Eastern Europe on several projects, starting with a look at Poland after five years of martial law, and a tour of six countries in the region after the Berlin Wall opened and Communism fell. He spent six weeks traversing the lands of the former Yugoslavia in 1994, linking Milwaukee Serbs, Croats and Bosnians with their war-torn homeland.
In the fall of 1994, a lifetime of serious television viewing earned him a daily column in the Milwaukee Journal (and, later the Journal Sentinel) focusing on TV and radio. For 15 years, he has chronicled the changes rocking broadcasting, both nationally and in Milwaukee, an effort he continues at OnMilwaukee.com.
When he's not watching TV, Cuprisin enjoys tending to his vegetable garden in the backyard of his home in Whitefish Bay, cooking and traveling.
