The last couple columns have dealt with morning TV newscasts, the return of Matt Salemme to Channel 12 and the start of a new anchor, Shawn Patrick on Channel 6.
A look at the newest ratings numbers shows why mornings are a key battlefield for the Milwaukee's TV news operations.
Channel 12 edges Channels 4 and 6 in the two hours when all four news stations are in direct competition, according to the detailed February ratings from Nielsen Media Research that came out last week.
In the 5 a.m. hour, among viewers 25 to 54, the key demographic for advertisers, Channel 12 had a 1.7 rating/25 share. Channel 4 had a 1.4 rating/20 share, Channel 6 had a 1.3 rating/19 share and Channel 58 had a 0.3 rating/4 share.
In the 6 a.m. hour, Channel 12 had a 2.7 rating/25 share in the 25-54 demographic, Channel 6 had a 2.4 rating/22 share, Channel 4 had a 2.2 rating/20 share, and Channel 58 had a 0.6 rating/5 share.
To translate those numbers to more understandable English, ratings are the percentage of all viewers in a specific category -- in this case, viewers 25-54. The share is the percentage of that group that's actually watching at the time.
While Channel 12 wins both hours, the race is pretty tight, at least among the top three.
MPTV targets kids' nutrition: Milwaukee Public TV is launching a campaign today that tries to push its younger viewers in the direction of healthy editing.
"I am the fit generation," as the program is known, will run through summer, and features locally produced spots with music by the Figureheads:
On TV: NBC has picked up second seasons of Guy Fieri's silly "Minute to Win It," Jerry Seinfeld's annoying "Marriage Ref," and the classy genealogical show, "Who Do You Think You Are?"
- Fox's new, and unpleasant "Sons of Tucson" has been pulled from the schedule, with the remaining episodes not airing until June. "American Dad" is returning to the 8:30 p.m. Sunday slot on Channel 6 this weekend. And Fox says the series finale of "'Til Death" will air June 20.
- E! Entertainment Channel has an episode of "E! True Hollywood Story on Tiger Woods, ready to air at 9 p.m. Apr. 14.
- ETonline.com reports that Oprah Winfrey has snared John Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, for her first TV interview. No word yet on when that'll happen.
- Lucasfilms is working on an animated comedy take on the "Star Wars" saga. There's no word yet whether they're aiming it at a broadcast network, like Fox, or if it's destined for a cable outlet, such as Cartoon Network.
- Meanwhile, USA Network is working on a modern-day version of the Robin Hood story with a female lead. There's no word on when "Robyn," as it's been titled, will debut.
The Fonz reacts to Sunday's quake: Milwaukee favorite Henry Winkler was as immovable as the Bronze Fonz Sunday during the earthquake that was felt in Southern California, as this video clip from his appearance on Kevin Pollak's Internet show demonstrates:
Tim Cuprisin is the media columnist for OnMilwaukee.com. He's been a journalist for 30 years, starting in 1979 as a police reporter at the old City News Bureau of Chicago, a legendary wire service that's the reputed source of the journalistic maxim "if your mother says she loves you, check it out." He spent a couple years in the mean streets of his native Chicago, and then moved on to the Green Bay Press-Gazette and USA Today, before coming to the Milwaukee Journal in 1986.
A general assignment reporter, Cuprisin traveled Eastern Europe on several projects, starting with a look at Poland after five years of martial law, and a tour of six countries in the region after the Berlin Wall opened and Communism fell. He spent six weeks traversing the lands of the former Yugoslavia in 1994, linking Milwaukee Serbs, Croats and Bosnians with their war-torn homeland.
In the fall of 1994, a lifetime of serious television viewing earned him a daily column in the Milwaukee Journal (and, later the Journal Sentinel) focusing on TV and radio. For 15 years, he has chronicled the changes rocking broadcasting, both nationally and in Milwaukee, an effort he continues at OnMilwaukee.com.
When he's not watching TV, Cuprisin enjoys tending to his vegetable garden in the backyard of his home in Whitefish Bay, cooking and traveling.
