OnMedia: Channel 4 wins at 10 p.m. in February sweeps

Channel 6's 9 p.m. newscast averaged 65,000 area homes, a 7.2 percent share of TVs that were on at the time.

Powered by an "American Idol" that featured Milwaukee singers in the competition, Channel 6's lineup of Fox's shows led the ratings in the four-week ratings period that ended Wednesday night.

CBS' programming on Channel 58 followed in second, ABC's lineup on Channel 12 was third, and NBC's lineup on Channel 4 was fourth.

Channel 4's win comes despite that poor lead-in of fourth-place NBC programming. In a month where weather was a huge deal, Channel 4's frequently annoying focus on storms paid off. But it was also a month where anchor/reporter Charles Benson scored a coup with a one-on-one with the president, and the Madison protests over Gov. Scott Walker's budget plans brought viewers to newscasts.

Sweeps periods, four-week stretches when detailed ratings are measured, help determine the rates TV stations can charge for advertising. They're not as important nationally as they once were, thanks to increasingly detailed overnight numbers. But locally, they're still a big deal.

On TV: Twitter can't confirm if it's a record or not, but troubled Charlie Sheen quickly passed a million followers on Twitter a day after signing on and offering wisdom like this: "Ready for my next fastball, world? PLAN BETTER Applies to everything where an excuse now sits. Try it. U won't be wrong. Ever."

• Speaking of Charlie Sheen, his Tuesday night "20/20" appearance brought 9 million viewers to ABC, more than double the 9 p.m. Tuesday numbers of "Detroit 187" the previous week.
• Speaking of troubled performers, Christina Aguilera is joining NBC's spring "reality" competition, "The Voice," as a judge. She was arrested earlier this week for being publicly drunk.
• Bravo's bringing "Top Chef Masters" back next month with a new host, celeb chef Curtis Stone and food critic Ruth Reichl as a judge. Among guest judges: Christina Hendricks of "Mad Men."
• Fox News Channel has given 60-day suspensions to contributors Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, pending their decisions on whether they're running for president. Two other commentators who are considering presidential bids, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, continue on the channel.
• If you noticed sound problems with "American Idol," you're not alone. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe tweets: "I'm getting frustrated with our sound! I don't know where it's going wrong. The mix between voice and band is okay when it leaves the studio."
• Speaking of "Idol," we find out tonight if there's a Milwaukeean in the finals this season. I'll blog on the fate of Naima Adedapo tonight if you don't get a chance to watch the results show.

Jimmy Fallon takes on the Dairyland debate: NBC's Jimmy Fallon was joined by some guests to offer a musical take on the ongoing events in Madison:

Print Talkback Share this:

•  Talkback on OnMilwaukee.com
•  Post comment on Facebook

4 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by FUGITIVEMSD on March 3, 2011 at 5:15 p.m. (report)

Brian Williams is an incredibly, funny, droll, man. Oh, and the best network anchor today, too.

Rate this:

Average rating: 0.0 1 2 3 4 5

Posted by cuprisin on March 3, 2011 at 1:53 p.m. (report)

The 10 p.m. audience is the biggest and most important for a newscast. 6 p.m. is far less important in ratings terms.

Rate this:

Average rating: 0.0 1 2 3 4 5

Posted by local_yokel on March 3, 2011 at 1:45 p.m. (report)

But what does this really mean in a mostly conservative town where most people are in bed before the 10 p.m. newscast? The number of viewers for the 6 p.m. newscast is, I believe, a more telling stat with respect to Milwaukee's overall verdict as to the best news in town.

Rate this:

Average rating: 0.0 1 2 3 4 5

Posted by devidia on March 3, 2011 at 12:01 p.m. (report)

Wow. A crash and burn Charlie Sheen acting as a 140 character impromptu self help guru. This DOES get better by the minute!!!

Rate this:

Average rating: 0.0 1 2 3 4 5