WTAE takes big hit in sweeps ratings
There’s no magic formula to determine why a television station’s newscast gains or loses viewers in a big way. But it’s hard to ignore the firing of Wendy Bell as a possible factor in WTAE’s recent, sinking numbers.
The recently completed Nielsen May sweeps ratings are in, and for Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate, they are not pretty. WTAE dropped significantly in households, which measures popularity, while also losing some ground in the 25-to-54 demographic, which is used to set advertising rates.
Anchor Wendy Bell, who was with the station for 18 years and won 21 regional Emmy awards, was let go March 30 for violating parent company Hearst Television’s standards for social media use. She previously had come under fire and sparked a large online debate after posting comments some deemed racist on her official WTAE Facebook page.
As of May 26, a Post-Gazette.com story about her dismissal has generated more than 2,000 comments. Some posters called for a boycott of WTAE’s newscasts.
Charles Wolfertz III, WTAE-TV’s president and general manager, does not comment on Nielsen ratings.
Personnel changes are just part of the big Nielsen puzzle, said Steve Kraycik, a former news director in Seattle and Sacramento.
“As a former news director, certainly we looked at those ratings, that’s your report card, every day... but we also wanted to see a trend,” said Mr. Kraycik, now a professor of journalism and director of student television and online operations at Penn State University.
“It is significant,” Mr. Kraycik said. “Certainly, the news director and the GM are taking a hard look at where the real reason lies, but I think we just have to be careful that nobody makes a definitive correlation between Wendy Bell and the ratings. That [her firing] could have an effect, but there are a number of things at play.”
WTAE also might be afflicted by a reported ABC network ratings dip, he added.
WTAE’s biggest losses this ratings period — and WTAE’s household numbers declined in every newscast across the board — were at 5 a.m. and noon (31 percent) and the 11 p.m. dropped 30 percent. In the demo, the biggest loss was 43 percent at noon, where WPXI also fell 27 percent. KDKA strengthened its lunchtime lead, gaining 11 percent in households, 25 percent in the demo.
At 11 p.m., WTAE fell 30 percent in households, 35 percent in the demo. It’s brightest numbers were at 4 p.m., where the syndicated “Ellen” replaced the foundering “Dr. Oz.” Here, it jumped 100 and 125 percent in households and the demo, respectively.
Household ratings represent a percentage of the roughly 1.1 million TV households in this market. Demo points represent people ages 25-54; each point represents 10,860 people. Next year, Nielsen is expected to roll out ratings that will include all viewing platforms, including mobile devices and Facebook.
The sweeps ratings drop wasn’t unforeseen. Comparison figures for the month of April in 2015 and 2016 indicated tune-outs, especially in the early morning. WTAE had been first in households at 4:30, 5 and 6 a.m. but slipped to third at 4:30 and 5, second at 6 a.m. (For the April 2015 chart, go to post-gazette.com.)
Overall, the relative closeness of Pittsburgh’s three broadcast stations is still tighter than in most larger markets. KDKA is still atop the ratings for households from noon through 11 p.m., as well as first in the demo at noon, 4, 5 and 6 p.m. WPXI emerged first in the demo at 11 p.m. WPXI also made strides to finish first in the early morning household ratings, up from a year ago.
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1478 or @MariaSciulloPG.