WPTV had a very, very good May sweeps. So good they probably let out screams, threw their papers in the air and ate cake. They bragged about it on their site too and would you if you had the ratings they did?!
So, how good was May sweeps month for circle 5?
In the morning WPTV is up 18% at 5am, up 21% at 6am and they beat WPEC and WPBF put together.
At noon NewsChannel 5 is up 4% compared to May 2008 and finished first.
The station dominates in the evening newscasts doubling WPBF’s ratings and growing 5% year to year. At 6pm WPTV finished with a whopping 10.47 ratings points while WPBF had a 4.34 and WPEC 3.98.
In the late evening news horserace WPTV’s audience was up 17% Monday to Friday and grew 22% Monday trough Sunday year to year.
To top it all off they are the most watched TV station in all of Florida again. Their sign-on to sign-off rating was 4.9, WBBH in Fort Myers had a 3.8.
Party on.
/hat tip LL in WPBF ratings post who sent us the link/
I have always thought their high ratings has to do with the fact that its default channel placing has always been on Channel 3 on cable systems in West Palm Beach. This means that since most new TVs by default use to be set at channel 3 when powered on many people always setteled into watching 5.
Also it was the first TV Station in West Palm Beach giving viewers here an alternative easier signal to pick up rather than trying to always tune in 4,7, and 10. I dont like stations that bash others though. I think that is unprofessional. WPTV does this when they run that ad about being #1 where the inadvertantly put at stab at WPEC.
Oh and also they weren’t involved with the big SOuth Florida Television switch of 1989 so similarly to WPLGs success, that has only helped WPTV, and for awhile not only did it help WPTV in Palm Beach County, but in Broward too since most viewers there knew NBC aired on WPTV if they couldnt find it on Channel 7.
Graham – and WPEC didn’t bash WPTV when the won a sweeps for 5 minutes last year? It’s part of the game.
It’s one thing to mention that a station is #1 in its market. It’s another when they jab another network such as “while some stations claim they are #1, there is only #1!” like WPTV says.
Graham, that is the one thing that has always ticked me somewhat about WPTV. Okay, so you’re #1. Good to know. But don’t brag about it like crazy. Sure, WPEC has similar claims, but as LL suggests I haven’t seen them making such outlandish jabs like 5 has. Just say you’re on top and leave it at that. That’s kind of what I think.
Oh yeah, and news is only half the equation: What about primetime? Did Law and Order ever beat out American Idol and Criminal Minds at any time?
But WPEC do claim to be “the local news leader” all the time.
As does WTVJ NBC 6. THey call themselves South Florida’s News Leader. That is a very common news slogan around the country. It means that the station feels that their quality of news leads ahead of the others. Has nothing to really do with the ratings, though it can be misleading.
I love how a couple years ago WPTV ran a promo detailing they were #1 since sign on, something they can no longer say because of WPECs stint last year. All that time since WPTV signed on in 1954 and 1 month of bad ratings took that away from them.
Jim Sackett may be set to retire this year, so I wonder what that will do to WPTV.
Late news is dying. I know I don’t watch
I’m from Boston, though I ventured to WPB last year. WPTV is definitely the better station to watch: it’s presentation, reporters, and reports definitely set the bar. WPEC and WPBF didn’t seem to be on that same level.
It is true that in the past WPTVs presentation may have been best here. Now it’s presentation isnt so great. Their set is half missing. Also WPEC and WPBF had made minor improvements since then. Also, I think quality in Miami is so much better, and I preferably watch that. Such as I love 7 News far more than Fox 29 Ten O’Clock News.
And LL, late news is dying??? I don’t think so. It may not be what it once was, but I don’t think it will decline more.
Do you live in the Miami area, Graham? I don’t see the point in watching Miami LOCAL news unless you live there? WPEC is style over substance and PBF is unwatchable to me.
I live in West Palm Beach. Most big stories in South Florida are reported in both markets, and as for weather coverage, those stations in Miami/Fort Lauderdale do cover weather in Palm Beaches as well. SO in essence I can live without some of the minor BS that is unique to being reported by the Palm Beach STations. Palm Beach County is apart of the South Florida Metropolitan area and thus the news should reflect such. Remember that for a long time some stations here as well as those in Miami served the entire area. Only recent politics and cable companies have caused the two markets to drastically separate.
Think about it tho, look at WFLX and WSVN. There is backlash in BRoward for WSVN from people who opt to not watch such a tabloid format, and for that reason WFLX rates in BRoward. WPTV and WPEC receive viewer ratings from as far south as NOrth Miami. I also believe WFLX can be picked up in that area. WPEC and its relations to Broward and Miami might have grown had the deal to get Ralph Renick to move to that station been effective in 1990.
In all, I really really hate watching our local news here and hearing lots of stuff happening on the TReasure Coast, especially since that is such a different enviroment than here. WPBF seems to have made a strong commitment to the TReasure Coast, just as WTVX once had.
backlash? by who and where? I’d like to read more about that
The only way to watch PB stations in Broward is with antenna. Not many out there use antenna to begin with. It’s either people who don’t subscribe to cable or the DTV enthusiasts
I have read of issues with the WPLG and WSVN over the air signal, both stations are VHF. The antenna farm is on the Dade-Broward county line so those not able to point their antennas at the farm have to catch the PB stations.
Naturally there are those who prefer PB stations for wahtever reason, and having that alternative is great. Not many markets out there offer it.
Also, WFLX’s ratings strangely ticked up after Comcast removed WSVN in 2006 from ther PB cable plants. At the time they told a viewer WSVN wanted off, when that person wrote the Sun Sentinel Tom Jicha asked 7 and they said absolutely not true, and why would they.
At the same time we heard of rumors of WFLX suits complaining WSVN siphoned off eyeballs away from them, hurting their ratings, so Comcast made them the exclusive FOX affiliate.
And when I lived in South PB co, walking at night around the neighborhood one could see about a dozen TVs flashing trough the windows tuned to WSVN and a few to WPLG, which surprised me a lot.
I guess WPBF figures they’re better off fighting for Treasure Coast eyeballs than West Palm and south it’s hard enough going up against WPBF, let alone WPTV.
I am 22, and I remember all through growing up that everywhere you went in Palm Beach County, people watched Channel 5 or Channel 7. Anything else was a doormat here, or so to speak. WTVJ had lost its audience here following WPECs receiving of CBS. Also, WTVJ was removed from most cable here in the mid 1990s. And, WTVJ was officially recognized as the CBS carrier for the Palm Beaches, as WTVX was far up in the TReasure Coast and never officially apart of this market (rather an outlaying station) until CBS purchased it in the 1990s. Keep in mind, Comcast may be the main cable provider, but you are neglecting to realize that many neighborhood associations and condos have their own cable systems setup (usually in a la carte format, remember that law was passed allowing associations to do that), whether it be Comcast providing or another.
For example I live in a condo in the Lands of the President just east of the Palm Beach Mall, in the heart of West Palm Beach. In this place WSVN is still available through our cable, which is provided by Comcast. For the most part the line up appears the same as what normal subscribers would get, but WSVN and other things like WAMI are available.
I suspect many other associations do this, and for that reason WSVN probably still has 1000s of viewers or so in the Palm Beaches. A similar argument could be made for WFLX in Broward.
Now, being on the 8th floor, with a fantastic view to the south and I have an antenna from Ace HArdware that i got that i face SOuth and it can pick up everything in Miami, WTVJ, WFOR, WSVN, WPLG, WSCV, WLTV, etc….
Technically Comcast should provide you by law whatever you can get over the air….but it may be awhile before that ever happens again.
interesting
I see that only WPLG shows up on the Yahoo TV Guide setup and only on some Comcast cable systems in PBC. No WSVN anywhere
Association based cable doesent appear on TitanTV or TV Guide, it is only a modified version of what Comcast offers everyone else. There is a website I am trying to find that shows you the amount of households and where that stations are available. It shows WSVN with may 12k viewers in Palm Beach COunty? ONe thing unique I remember is that WWOR is still available in a condo in South Miami. WWOR Superstation was removed from here maybe in early 1990s.
The treasure coast is only going to grow inside. Although, it’s dull up there.
in size not inside
miami-fort lauderdale market can see some west palm beach station on ATT U-VERSE system like wpec, wptv, and wflx,. same as west palm beach market can see some miami-fort lauderdale market on same system like wfor, wsvn, wplg,wsfl,and wscv.on comcast lineup in west palm beach only shows wplg,wsfl,wscv. delray beach shows wami and wlrn also
why wpec eric roby not anchors 5:30 newscast i only see him on 10:00 news on wflx. i see juan carlos-fanjul. i’m guessing he took is place because wpec ratings plunge
Another great article in my routine of scavaging up the internet for more information, thank you
I live in Ft Lauderdale and bought a good quality indoor antenns (Terk) in case my cable goes out and can pick up most of the WPB stations. Its also a great back up after a hurricane. In most cases, the picture quality is even a bit better then digital cable.