Channel 2 Wins 11 P.M. Ratings for the First Time Since 200

For the first time in almost seven years, Channel 2 won the local “sweeps period” ratings battle over Channel 4 for the 11 p.m. newscast.

The local NBC affiliate averaged an 11.2 rating (or 11.2 percent of area households tuned in) for the 11 p.m. newscast for four weeks. Channel 4′s rating was 9.8.

The last time Channel 2 won — in May 2001 — its margin was only .1 of a rating point. A year ago, Channel 4 won, 13.2-10.8.

The local decline in the lead-in that CBS provided Channel 4 during the writers’ strike appears to have been a factor. Channel 4 averaged an 8.0 from 10:45 to 11 p.m., which is a 42 percent drop from a year ago.

Still, its average for the quarter hour was higher than the 7.6 that Channel 2 averaged with NBC programming. That was down 27 percent from February 2007.

Channel 7 was a distant third in the 11 p.m. news competition.

— Alan Pergament

(c) 2008 Buffalo News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.