| medialifemagazine.com Dayparts update
Now add "Dr. Oz" to that list. The frequent Winfrey guest scored the best debut for any syndicated daytime talk show since "Ray" in 2006, averaging a 2.3 household rating for the week ended Sept. 20, according to Nielsen. That tied "Ray's" debut week, and it marked the second-best debut for any talk show in seven years, since "Dr. Phil" bowed in 2002 with a 4.4 rating. Since then, daytime ratings have fallen considerably for even the most popular shows. "Phil" himself was down to a 2.5 during the same week "Oz" debuted. "Oz" was the No. 3 talk show for the week, tying with "Live with Regis and Kelly." The two shows finished behind "Phil" and "Oprah Winfrey," who soared 39 percent over last year's debut week to a 6.1 thanks to her much-hyped interview with Whitney Houston. Among women 25-54, "Oz" did even better, tying with "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" for second with a 1.5, behind "Oprah" with a 4.5. Though much has been said about Winfrey's ratings declines the past few years, there's no arguing that she's still the queen of daytime. Having her endorsement is priceless for a syndication rookie, because she is willing to hype the new shows on her own program. Dr. Mehmet Oz has been a regular on "Oprah" for years, and Winfrey had him on the show just weeks before his own program launched. The bulk of the other syndicated daytime shows didn't launch until last week, so national ratings won't be available for several more days. But it seems doubtful anyone will outdo "Oz." By comparison, no new show launched to better than a 1.6 last year.
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