Can you believe we’ve reached the end of February already. Even with the extra day I’m still wondering “Where did the month go? ” And in my email I found all kinds of numbers from the TV stations. Now before someone starts busting my chops, I’m sharing the numbers that I received from two stations. I know, I know, the demographics aren’t in and I sure as heck do NOT profess to be able to explain the nuance of these numbers. If I thought I could get ALL the GM’s at ALL the stations in Memphis to cooperate and give me their spin ON camera, I’d personally swing by with my video camera and give each one of the GMs 60 seconds to break down the numbers as THEY SEE them and I would share those comments UNEDITED on this blog. The problem is, I don’t think I could get EVERYONE to do that. I figure I could get one, maybe two to cooperate. I don’t think the others would give me the time of day. Having said that, here are the numbers and results that have been shared with me.
It’s a tight race in the mornings with the lead changing as often as one would expect in a good horse race. WREG edges the competition (just barely) in the 5 o’clock hour with WMC starting out strong and WHBQ closing in as they move toward the 6 o’clock hour. By the end of the 6 o’clock hour, WMC surged.
Live at 9 on WREG looks like it fares well against the Today Show on WMC and actually pulling ahead in the second half hour.
Nobody is touching WREG at Noon.
WREG looks good at 4 and 4:30
AT 5p.m., WMC squeaks by WREG by less than a ratings point.
At 6p.m., WMC commands that time slot by almost two and a half points in the first 15 minutes and widens the gap by the time they hit the bottom of the hour.
At 9p.m., WHBQ has some strong numbers.
At 10p.m. WMC edges WREG by more than a half a ratings point.
So, that’s my take from the numbers shared with me. I admit I may have misread a few numbers here and there but I feel overall I was on the money. Besides, I’ve learned that if I am indeed in error, someone will correct me. In a nutshell, we’ve got some serious competition going on especially in the mornings where the head-to-head-to-head fight is so tight that I think it could go in any direction at any time in 2008. As both Memphis and Tennessee found(and so have some of the stations), it’s a battle to get to be Number 1. It’s even hard to stay there.