Saturday overnights:
Fox doubles up
Other shorts: Programming notes: ABC grabs ESPN block
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Mar 15, 2010
Saturday overnights: Fox doubles the competition
Originals on Fox beat out mostly reruns on the rest of broadcast on a slow Saturday night.
Fox’s “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted” law enforcement lineup led the network to a 2.1 average overnight rating and 7 share among viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, good for an easy first-place finish for the night.
That was up nearly 11 percent from a 1.9/7 the previous week. The other Big Four broadcast network aired all repeats, outside of CBS’s “48 Hours Mystery” at 10 p.m.
CBS was second for the night among 18-49s with a 1.1 average overnight rating and a 4 share, with NBC third at 0.9/3, Univision fourth at 0.7/2 and ABC fifth at 0.5/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-six percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 2.2 for “Cops,” followed by NBC with a 0.8 for a repeat of “Parenthood.” CBS and Univision tied for third at 0.6, CBS for a “CSI” rerun and Univision for its first of three hours of “Sabado Gigante,” with ABC fifth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Desperate Housewives.”
Fox was first again at 9 p.m. with a 2.0 for “America’s Most Wanted,” with CBS second with a 1.0 for a repeat of “Criminal Minds.” NBC was third with a 0.9 for a repeat of “Law & Order,” Univision fourth with a 0.7 for more “Sabado” and ABC fifth with a 0.6 for another “Housewives” rerun.
CBS took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 1.5 for “48 Hours Mystery,” while NBC moved to second with a 1.2 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Univision was third with a 0.8 for its final hour of “Sabado” and ABC fourth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Castle.”
Fox was also first for the night among households with a 3.8 average overnight rating and a 7 share. CBS was second at 3.3/6, NBC third at 2.5/5, ABC fourth at 1.5/3 and Univision fifth at 1.2/2.
Programming notes: ABC grabs ESPN block
ABC is turning over yet more of its schedule to ESPN. The network, which a few years ago began branding its weekend sports coverage with its sister network's moniker, is introducing a new two-hour Saturday sports programming block produced by ESPN and debuting on April 3. The block will air from 4 to 6 p.m. through August and include the new series "Winners Bracket" as well as repeating original ESPN content such as the "30 for 30" documentary shows, newsmagazine "E:60" and the Rick Reilly-hosted interview program "Homecoming." The block will be anchored by "SportsCenter's" Hannah Storm and will include a few minutes for local affiliates to promote their own upcoming sportscasts or programs. Meanwhile, in other programming, Lifetime is rerunning Saturday night's original movie "Who is Clark Rockefeller?" tonight at 9 p.m. after its East Coast transmission power was knocked out in several locations during the original broadcast. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator Larry David told attendees at a symposium held yesterday in Los Angeles with the show's cast that his show will likely see an eighth season on HBO. And History is providing free copies of the 12-hour upcoming series "America: The Story of Us" to any school in the country that requests them.
No pinch for 'Pinch:' NYT chair's salary soars
"Pinch" apparently wasn't during one of the worst years in his company's history. Dow Jones is somewhat gleefully reporting that New York Times Co. chairman Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr. saw his pay more than double last year while the flagship paper was laying off staff and suffering a sharp downturn in advertising. Sulzberger's salary was $6 million, including a rise in his pension and non-equity incentive plan compensation. NYT president and chief executive Janet L. Robinson's pay also rose 32 percent, to $6.3 million. The paper laid off hundreds of employees over the past two years and has nearly 2,000 fewer of them than it did at the end of 2008, according to Dow Jones, which publishes rival paper the Wall Street Journal. Times revenue plunged last year, but its earnings were up thanks to the personnel adjustments and other cuts.
Honolulu Advertiser: We're laying off 600
Even after two years of extreme newspaper layoffs, this is more than usual. Six hundred Honolulu Advertiser employees received layoff notices over the weekend, in anticipation of the Gannett paper's sale to Oahu Publications, which owns the rival Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Though some of those workers are expected to be rehired if and when the two papers merge, it's unclear how many. The Star-Bulletin is itself looking for a new buyer, but if one does not step forward, the two papers will combine sometime next month. Though the prospects for a new buyer seem dim, considering the current state of newspaper circulation and advertising, the Advertiser said in a story last week that a local Ford dealership's owner is making inquiries into a Star-Bulletin deal.
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