Omaha TV Ratings: A Look Back And Ahead

The February 2007 Nielsen Media Research ratings period for Omaha metropolitan area TV stations, which runs from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, is expected to be one of the most competitive in years.

With no Olympics on NBC to push back WOWT's 10 p.m. newscasts and a new anchor team in place at KMTV, the competition for viewers is expected to have stations pulling out all the stops when it comes to delivering "breaking news" and "sweeps" stories and investigations.

But the pressure to perform isn't just for a four-times-a-year ratings cycle, according to local news managers.

"For us, it's only about providing the most complete news coverage to the viewer," said KETV (Cox Channel 9) General Manager Joel Vilmenay. "Our work is purely viewer-centered."

When his station does make changes, like the introduction of its I-Team or the launch of weekend morning newscasts or a "Weather Now" feature, Vilmenay said it is done with the goal of providing viewers with information that fulfills their needs. What the competition does, he says, is irrelevant.

"We don't look at any changes at any television station in those terms," he said. "For the sake of our profession and responsibility as broadcasters we hope that all the stations will continue to deliver credible news broadcasts and that collectively we serve our viewers with information that is relevant and that will keep them safe."

KMTV Doesn't Expect Immediate Results
KMTV (Cox Channel 5) enters the February 2007 ratings period coming off one of its worst ratings performances in the past five years. The result ultimately led to the dismissal of anchors Deborah Ward and Greg Peterson in late December and the introduction of new anchors Carol Wang and Carlo Cecchetto in mid-January.

Journal Broadcast Group Senior Vice President for Television and Radio Operations Steve Wexler points to a smaller amount of viewership diaries that were returned (609, compared with 707 in 2005 and more than 800 three years ago) as a deficiency of the ratings system that might have contributed to KMTV's low ratings.

"The November results were very different from what we saw during most of 2006, and Nielsen has admitted that their market sample was not satisfactory," Wexler said. "With that being said, ratings are imperfect, they only help us see trends over time; most broadcasters don't over-react to one survey."

Wexler said he will look for growth over time with the new anchor team. The impact of having a new anchor team on the desk won't immediately show up in the ratings, he said.

"Right now, we're focused on delivering on our news promise every night," he said. "We've received very positive feedback on the changes."

The following numbers reflect the viewing habits of the 318,740 TV households in the Omaha metropolitan area, which includes Douglas, Washington, Cass and Sarpy Counties in Nebraska and Pottawattamie County in Iowa. A single ratings point represents one percent of the households while share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to a specific program. Nielsen surveyed viewers from Nov. 2-29, 2006 by asking them to write down the station they watched for news in a diary.

5-7 a.m.
Households: (5-6 a.m and 6-7 a.m.).
25-54: (Tie) , .
A year ago, KETV and WOWT (Cox Channel 8)were in a virtual dead heat in the 5 a.m.-6 a.m. time slot, while KETV had a slight advantage in the 6-7 a.m. hour. Now, the situation is reversed, with WOWT having a slight edge from 5-6 a.m. and the two stations nose-to-nose from 6-7 a.m.

While nearly the same in their ratings, the two stations' newscasts are radically different. KETV uses a talent lineup that includes a dedicated reporter, a traffic reporter and, until recently, an "Internet features" reporter. KETV General Manager Joel Vilmenay said his station will continue to make the necessary investments and changes to deliver "an exceptional newscast" to the viewer.

"Our main concern is how effectively we deliver what morning news viewers need and want in a newscast," Vilmenay said. "The ratings would suggest that viewers are responding to what we're doing."

KMTV, which pulls in about half the audience of KETV and WOWT from 5-6 a.m., saw its household rating halved from a year ago in the 6-7 a.m. time slot.

KPTM (Cox Channel 10), which has mulled over the idea of reviving a morning newscast, does not have enough viewership to register a rating in either time slot.

11:30 a.m.
Households: . 25-54: (Tie) , .
While WOWT remains No. 1 in the total number of viewers, KETV gained five share points from a year ago. WOWT has 9,562 viewers while KETV has an audience of 6,374.

KMTV, which broadcasts its midday news unopposed at noon, actually gains viewership from its strong 11 a.m. lead-in ("The Young and the Restless"), attracting 15.937 viewers and a 24 share. Compare that with its early evening newscasts: 9,562 viewers and a nine share at 5 p.m. and the same amount of viewers and a seven share at 6 p.m.

"I believe the combination of a very good product, in the right time slot, has helped make our midday news successful over time," Wexler said when asked whether there was consideration made to move veteran anchor Mary Williams back to the evening newscast desk.

4 p.m.
Like KMTV at midday, WOWT runs unopposed in this time slot. Viewership has remained steady throughout the years, with WOWT garnering a nearly identical rating at 4 p.m. three years ago. Its audience of 15,937 matches that of "Oprah" on KMTV and betters "Judge Judy" on KETV (9,562).

5 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
The first battle in the early-evening newscast war was won by WOWT in sheer numbers of viewers (28,687 to KETV's 25,499) and by KETV in the coveted 24-54 demographic (by a margin of 3,187 viewers). KMTV, which once made its strongest challenge to its competitors in this time slot, saw its viewership plummet to 9,562 viewers.

How is Katie Couric and "The CBS Evening News" faring in the Omaha metropolitan area? Not any better than the numbers she draws nationally. Couric's audience of 12,750 pales in comparison to the "NBC Evening News with Brian Williams" (31,874) and "ABC World News with Charles Gibson" (28,687)

6 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
WOWT increased its ratings by a point from a year ago to maintain a slim lead (by 3,187 viewers) over KETV. Overall viewership of news in this time slot is down from where it was three years ago, when WOWT had nearly 8,500 more viewers than KETV. When it comes to who's watching, KETV again wins the timeslot in viewers between the ages of 25-54 with a margin of nearly 6,400 viewers.

KMTV, which once broadcast "Entertainment Tonight" and more recently (November 2005) "The Insider" from 6 to 6:30 p.m., saw its numbers remain virtually unchanged from a year ago with news in the time slot.

"Considering we had to start from 'scratch' with our new 6 o'clock news, I was very pleased to see us start growing a new news audience again at 6," Wexler said. "This is a very competitive market and we're excited to be back in the game in a big way."

9 p.m.
KPTM, the only station to broadcast a newscast in prime time, is down a ratings point from a year ago, but still pulls in respectable numbers (9,562) against competition like "CSI: Miami," "Boston Legal" and "E.R." The FOX affiliate has a new news director (Joe Radske) who will soon be faced with the decision of whether to re-sign weeknight co-anchor Tracy Jacim, whose contract is up for renewal.

10 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
No longer saddled with "Monday Night Football," KETV competed head-to-head in the late-evening newscast time slot in November for the first time in more than 20 years. The difference showed, too, as WOWT's lead at 10 p.m. - which was a whopping 25,168 viewers a year ago - is only 15,937 viewers now (a 37 percent decrease).

KETV's lead in the 25-54 demographic, which is 3,187 viewers, allows it to continue to advertise itself as "the most watched newscast" at 10 p.m. by specifically denoting this with an on-screen graphic. Meanwhile, WOWT brands itself as "The Heartland's most watched newscast" in a voiceover during its newscast open. WOWT's lack of reference to a specific category (household or demographic) is contrary to rules set forth by Nielsen Media Research for making such claims. (WOWT General Manager Frank Jonas did not respond to an interview request for this story.)

So which number does KETV place more importance on - households or the 25-54 demographic?

"For us it's just about putting the most informative newscast on the air, providing local news viewers with the most complete news, weather and sports coverage," Vilmenay said. "That is all we are concerned about."

KMTV, which saw its viewership at 10 p.m. under Ward and Peterson peak in November 2003, had 15,937 viewers to WOWT's 47,811 and KETV's 35,061.

KXVO (Cox Channel 11) has yet to see its 10 p.m. newscast garner enough of an audience to gain a ratings point. However, it only has to get that to equal the viewers who previously tuned in to re-runs of "Malcolm in the Middle," which ran in the time slot in November 2005.

Sunday 10 p.m. Households: . 25-54: .
Typically, the most watched newscast of any night of the week, KETV dominates with an audience of 57,373 and a 34 share, compared to 19,124 viewers and a 23 share for WOWT and 12,750 viewers and a nine share for KMTV. A year ago, KETV and WOWT had nearly identical audiences at this time slot. Now, KETV is not only dominant in the number of viewers, but also in the 25-54 demographic, where it has nearly 25,500 more viewers.

Weekend Mornings
KETV's "First News Weekend" editions run from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., overlapping the first half-hour of "WOWT's Channel Six News Saturday" and "Channel Six News Sunday" newscasts. From 7 to 8 a.m., KETV lags only one ratings point behind the "Today" show on WOWT. From 8 to 8:30 a.m., WOWT's more established newscasts (KETV only debuted its weekend morning edition in time for the Feb. 2006 ratings) handily win the time slot. However, overall viewership for WOWT on weekend mornings is down more than 6,000 from a year ago.

KETV also broadcasts an 11 a.m. newscast unopposed on weekends, though it only registered a single ratings point (1,874 viewers) in a time slot that typically includes NFL football (on KMTV and KPTM) or professional golf (on NBC).

Vilmenay said the newscasts remain on target for success.

"We are very, very pleased with the viewer response," he said. "In the first year, we increased our audience share nearly six fold. As with every newscast KETV produces, we're always striving to provide the most complete coverage to local news viewers."

Editor's Note:
Unless otherwise specified, household and demographic viewership numbers were drawn from a station's "five-day" (Monday-Friday) averages.