A Laker Victory ... at Least in Ratings

The Lakers apparently still own this town, no matter how poorly they play. Not even one of the most dramatic major golf tournaments in recent memory could outdraw the Lakers as a television attraction Sunday.

The Lakers’ 102-85 loss to Sacramento on Channel 7 drew a Los Angeles rating of 9.5 with a 24 share. Phil Mickelson’s riveting one-stroke victory over Ernie Els at the Masters on Channel 2 drew a 5.8 rating and a 16 share.

Nationally, the Masters easily topped the Lakers and Kings, 7.3/19 to 3.6/8.

There was a time when the Dodgers owned this town, but now they may not even be the most popular baseball team in the Los Angeles market.

The Angels’ game at Texas on Saturday at 5 p.m. on Channel 9 drew a higher rating/share than the Dodgers’ home game against Colorado at 7 p.m. on Channel 13, 3.4/7 to 3.1/5. Television use is generally 19% higher in the 7-9:45 time slot than from 5-8:15 p.m., making the higher rating for the Angel game even more impressive.

The Dodgers were again on broadcast television Sunday afternoon, going up against the Lakers and the Masters, and drew only a 1.7/5.

The Angels at the same time were on cable television, which reaches about 25% fewer homes, but still drew a solid 1.4/5.

On the comparative Sunday last year, opposite the Masters and a Laker game, the Angels drew only a 0.8/2 on Fox Sports Net.

A rating represents the percentage of all television households; a share represents only households where television is being watched.

-- Larry Stewart