KUSA-Channel 9 news rode out the Winter Olympics in Turin unscathed.
The precipitous decline of national TV viewership of 37 percent (even worse among viewers 18-49) compared to the Games in Salt Lake City four years ago couldn’t dent 9News’ ratings.
Did it hurt? “Not at all,” said Patti Dennis, tossing bouquets to anchorman Bob Kendrick and photographer Brian Willie, who labored for a year to gather profiles of Colorado athletes in the Games and delivered nightly reports. “People love those local stories,” she said.
The Nielsen Media Research ratings, released Wednesday, showed Channel 9’s share of those watching TV actually went up from February 2005 (23 to 24) during the month, proving it’s the leader in local news.
News directors at 9News’ leading rivals viewed the Olympics Effect differently.
“The Olympics changed the book immensely,” said Byron Grandy, news director for KMGH-Channel 7. Newshounds who skipped the Olympics boosted his station’s ratings at 10 o’clock by 22 percent over a year ago. “It was a wonderful sampling moment for us. Our hope and belief is that most people chose us over KCNC (Channel 4),” noting that his news outdrew Channel 4 on eight of the 13 nights that Channel 9’s news aired at 10:30.
At Channel 4, the local CBS outlet, news director Tim Wieland took a different tack. His ratings for the month were unchanged, although the network essentially threw in the towel for the duration of the Olympics, content to show reruns. “If you take out the Olympics, our 10 p.m. news was up 28 percent year-to-year. We all competed on even ground.”
The next ratings, due in May, should be a more rational test, especially in the increasingly tight race between 4 and 7.
Weekend highlights
Today
Cuba Gooding Jr. hosts the 37th annual NAACP Image Awards. For the first time, black directors are honored for their work in TV and film (7 p.m., KDVR-Channel 31).
Saturday
A 20-part series, “Little People, Big World,” debuts, focusing on an Oregon family to explode misconceptions and myths (6 p.m., The Learning Channel).
Sunday
It’s a red-carpet gush-a-thon with newcomer Isaac Mizrahi, who ooohs, aaahs and ah-hahs with the stars before the 78th Academy Awards (3:30 p.m., E!).
Around the dial
Mark McIntosh, Channel 4’s jack-of-all-sports, leaving the station after 18 years … Selling off federal lands in the West is the topic for “Colorado State of Mind” (7:30 tonight, KRMA-Channel 6) … Quotable: “The television business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs.” Hunter S. Thompson.
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-820-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
