By Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist Published Nov 27, 2012 at 1:03 PM

It all depends on what constitutes a win when we are talking ratings in the Milwaukee TV market. If the top prize is sign-on to sign-off (or 24/7) through the measured period, then WISN-TV Ch. 12 was the winner.

The local ABC affiliate recorded a 3.8 household rating, with WITI-TV Fox 6 second with a 3.4, WTMJ-TV. Ch. 4 third with a 3.1 and WDJT-TV CBS 58 with a 2.7. That number includes prime time shows, newscasts, Packers football games, infomercials ... everything.

That's everything in the November sweep, which ended last week Wednesday. So, Sunday night's debacle of a Packers game didn't make it into the rating, even though it alone started with a 50 rating and slid just like Green Bay's chances to win against the Giants.

This is the fourth sweeps win for WISN this year, claiming the sign-on to sign-off title.

"Our continued ratings success is a testament to the quality and integrity of our journalists, our news product and our programming," Jan Wade, president and general manager of WISN, said in a statement.

"We earn our viewers loyalty by delivering meaningful, mission-focused content each day that is truly leading the way with important local coverage."

WISN led the competition at its 6 p.m. weekday newscast, and took first place in the morning news, if you measure Monday to Sunday from 5 to 9 a.m.

TELLING THE STORY: When a press release after a sweeps period comes out, there is as much that is not said as is said. Although Ch. 12 was the most-watched TV station during the sweeps month, the station could not claim a victory in the evening news at 10 p.m., nor could it claim a victory at 5 p.m.

Other stations can tout those victories in other releases if they so choose. And yet others may do better when the amended results come out, as Nielsen Media Research tabulates the +3 and +7, which takes into account the number of people who delay viewing though DVRs.

The ratings game is the management of a mathematical sample, meaning there has to be some faith in the method of recording who watches when. For TV land, it is a number of meters in about 350-400 households in the marketing area.

Those results are sometimes combined with diaries and other collection methods to represent the estimated amount of people in the viewing area. This system could be flawed, however these competitors have all agreed that this is the method that will measure its success and failures.

NEW DIGS: WISN got a new set earlier this year, as did WDJT. WTMJ finished off its new set in late September and the crews at WITI are working on its set now.

If you want to look into the work being done at Fox 6, check out the photos and updates here.

LINDSAY AND LIZ: There's plenty of chatter on the national stage just blasting Lindsay Lohan for her terrible work in the cable drama "Liz & Dick," which portrays the love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Although Lifetime probably had a ratings boon for casting Lohan in the role, it will remain if the embattled actress can recover from the poor reviews coming in from this latest effort.

Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist

Media is bombarding us everywhere.

Instead of sheltering his brain from the onslaught, Steve embraces the news stories, entertainment, billboards, blogs, talk shows and everything in between.

The former writer, editor and producer in TV, radio, Web and newspapers, will be talking about what media does in our community and how it shapes who we are and what we do.