KNBC Wins Key News Races Despite Anchor Changes

Despite a whirlwind of recent upheaval in the local news scene, including major anchor changes, KNBC-TV retained its dominance in the early-morning and important 11 p.m. races, while KABC-TV again won the afternoon news crown, according to local Nielsen numbers released Thursday.

However, KCBS-TV, which has historically trailed its news rivals, posted across-the-board gains in all its newscasts. Although the station is still far behind KNBC and KABC in the news wars, it scored significant increases in the early-morning, afternoon and evening newscasts.

Station executives attributed the increases to several factors, including the recent addition of former KABC anchor Harold Greene to the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. news, and former KNBC anchor Kent Shocknek to the 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. newscasts.

Meanwhile, format and anchor changes at KNBC in the last month have not dramatically changed thus far the station’s front-runner status in the early morning or evening. The station’s general manager, Paula Madison, cut the station’s veteran morning team, Shocknek and Kathy Vara (who went to anchor mornings at KABC). She replaced them with Kelly Mack and David Cruz.

Said Madison: “We’ve maintained our position. And our viewers in the morning are seeing strong journalists and more solid news coverage.”

Local news executives pointed out that all local stations experienced a drop in ratings due to an overall drop-off in audiences watching television.

Meanwhile, one of the most fiercely fought news battles took place at 10 p.m. weekdays between KTLA-TV and Fox-owned KTTV-TV. The competition ended in a squeaker, with both stations scoring a 3.9 rating. KTTV earned a 5 in audience share, while KTLA (owned by the Tribune Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times) earned a 3 share.

“Both stations will claim victory,” said “KTLA News at 10” anchor Hal Fishman, but he added that KTTV often cuts short its hourlong news for special reports or other programming, as it has in past sweeps, a programming strategy KTTV continues to defend.

In other 10 p.m. news, KCOP’s newscast jumped 31% in ratings from a year ago, when former KCBS news director Larry Perret joined the station after leaving KCBS.

This May sweeps will not be one to remember for KTLA’s morning news operation. Ratings for “KTLA Morning News” slid 16% from a year ago, while the newscast lost for the second time in three sweeps to KTTV’s “Good Day L.A.,” whose ratings rose 10% from a year ago in winning this year’s morning local news race. “Good Day L.A.,” which is anchored by veteran newsman Steve Edwards, also beat ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

KTLA already had suffered a blow in early May when Barbara Beck, one of the original anchors of the newscast, which is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary, left the station in a dispute with management. A replacement for Beck has not yet been named.

Marcia Brandwynne, executive producer of “KTLA Morning News,” downplayed the significance of the ratings drop. “The numbers have never been my concern,” she said. “I just want to do a great show. I always resent it when the subject gets to be about the numbers. We were under a great deal of strain, and we expected to take a hit. Our balance is different. What I really care about is that we do a job that is credible and entertaining and creative.”

She added that although the search for Beck’s replacement continues, there is no rush: “This is a ‘take our time’ situation. It’s our most key position.”

KTTV news director Jose Rios said his morning and evening news are attracting younger audiences that are more attractive to advertisers as his station and KTLA compete for ratings.

“We’re both very competitive, and we both give it our best shot,” Rios said.

In local Spanish-language TV, preliminary Nielsen ratings indicate that viewers seem to have developed a habit over the past year.

Since last May, the prime-time rating shares remained the same for the two major Spanish-language stations, Telemundo’s local affiliate, KVEA-TV, and Univision’s local affiliate, KMEX-TV. KVEA’s telenovela lineup, which included an immensely popular Colombian show about the love life of an ugly economist named Betty, drew a 1.6 rating overall. KMEX’s series of melodramas imported from Mexico drew a 5.1 rating again.

KVEA’s local 6 p.m. newscast audience share remained the same at 1.5, and its 6:30 p.m. network news audience increased from 1.2 to 1.3, or about 8%. “We’ve got momentum,” said Ken Hansely, research director for KVEA. “This is a pat on the back for us.”

The change in ratings occurred at the beginning and end of each day. KVEA’s 11 p.m. newscast drew a 1.4 rating, which is an increase of 40% compared to the same period last year. And KMEX’s 5 a.m. local newscast drew a 1.3 rating, up 63% from last year.