MAHONING VALLEY Ratings please TV execs

WYTV showed growth in its news program ratings.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Nielsen ratings from the November 2005 sweeps weeks (Nov. 3-30) are in, and executives at all three local television stations are finding reason to smile.
In local news programming, WFMJ remained dominant with WKBN providing the main competition, while WYTV attracted substantial increases in viewers.
WFMJ held commanding leads in the 6 and 11 p.m. news categories and stayed ahead in morning news by slimmer margins.
WFMJ
The station's firm grip on local news is the top story of the November sweeps book, according to Jack Grdic, sales manager at WFMJ. His station has been the ratings king for several years.
Grdic pointed out that WFMJ's 11 p.m. news nearly beat the combined ratings of WKBN and WYTV and at 6:30 a.m., his station's share actually was better than his competitors' combined numbers.
To stay on top, you have to guard against complacency, according to Grdic. "We do constant research on what viewers want. We never ignore our competition or changes in the industry," he said.
"Viewers have expectations and limited time," Grdic continued. "Information has to be relevant, news you can use. You have to be a leader in those departments, and we do it better than anyone."
WKBN
AT WKBN, General Manager Dave Coy said he was pleased by the ratings book.
"We were competitive in news in the morning, and at 6 and 11. Our 10 p.m. news did well over on our Fox side (WYFX, Channels 17/62), and we were No. 1 at 5 p.m.," he said.
"Robb Schmidt had some big shoes to fill and did it well," Coy added. Schmidt replaced longtime popular anchorman Tom Holden, who died in June.
The radio adage "Everybody's No. 1 at something" also holds true for television, Coy said, pointing to the 7-8 p.m. time slot. His station received the strongest ratings among women ages 25-54 in that slot for "Entertainment Tonight" and "Insider."
"And in prime time, CBS was clearly No. 1," Coy said, adding "They've done very well for us."
WYTV
Though WYTV still found itself a distant third in local news, it is closing the gap. Dave Trabert, the station's general manager, attributes the growth to its emphasis on major issues.
"We're actively pursuing the bigger issues in the community, not the mundane stories, and we're focused on finding solutions," he said. "The public is saying it appreciates what we're putting out."
Although the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" episode that was shot in Boardman aired after the sweeps period, it provided a boost to WYTV.
"Reaching people is a challenge. 'Extreme Makeover' got a lot of people to see us and to realize that we're different," said Trabert. "A number of [the new viewers] are staying with us."
Prime time
In prime time, WKBN was again the beneficiary of the forensic-science frenzy caused by "CSI" and its offshoot, "CSI: Miami."
Reflecting the national Nielsen numbers, the shows were No. 1 and No. 5, respectively, in prime time in the Youngstown market for the sweeps period.
WYTV took the second and third spots for the ABC hit "Desperate Housewives" and "Monday Night Football."
The No. 4 spot went to WKBN for the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men."
WFMJ's Grdic acknowledged the current prime-time punch of CBS and ABC but found a bright spot in NBC's numerous "Law & amp; Order" series.
Non-news
The top morning programs in the Youngstown market were, in order, "The Today Show" (WFMJ), "Regis & amp; Kelly" (WFMJ), "Today Show Extended" (WFMJ), "Tony Danza" (WKBN), "Judge Judy" (WFMJ), "Price is Right" (WKBN), "First News at Noon" (WKBN) and "21 News MidDay" (WFMJ).
Rankings for top soaps were "Young & amp; the Restless" (WKBN), "Days of Our Lives" (WFMJ), "Bold and the Beautiful" (WKBN), "As the World Turns" (WKBN), "The Guiding Light" (WKBN), "Passions" (WFMJ) and "General Hospital" (WYTV).
Top afternoon programs were "Ellen" (WFMJ), "Dr. Phil" (WFMJ), "Judge Joe Brown" (WKBN), "Oprah" (WFMJ) and "First News at 5 p.m." (WKBN).
In the 7-7:30 p.m. time slot, the top show was "Wheel of Fortune" (WYTV), followed by "Entertainment Tonight" (WKBN) and "Frasier" (WFMJ).
From 7:30-8 p.m., Youngstown viewers showed that they love "Everybody Loves Raymond" (WFMJ) best, followed by "Jeopardy" (WYTV) and "Insider" (WKBN).