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Runaway bride,
jilted at fame's altar

Viewers say we'd rather not, tuning out interview

By Toni Fitzgerald

   It seemed like NBC had landed one of summer’s biggest gets when Katie Couric nudged out all others for the first interview with so-called Runaway Bride Jennifer Wilbanks.

   Actually, people were even less interested in Wilbanks’ wedding plans than she was. The “Dateline” special on the Georgia gal who faked her kidnapping in the midst of preparing for her wedding averaged a mere 2.7 adults 18-49 rating and 9 share. Though that ranked a decent No. 19 among broadcast shows for the week ended June 19, it was well off the averages for big gets of the past.

   ABC’s “Primetime Live” interview with Brad Pitt just a few weeks ago averaged a 4.2 18-49 rating. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s “Dateline” chat in summer 2003 averaged a 5.1.

   Even compared with lesser-celebrity chats, Wilbanks didn’t fare well. A “Dateline” two summers ago with Laci Peterson’s parents averaged a 4.8 rating.

   The special got lots of hype, including unfounded speculation that NBC had paid for the interview after it was referenced as part of a package put together by Wilbanks’ agent. NBC clearly expected it to be a big event.
   But maybe the lesser tune-in shouldn't be a surprise. After Wilbanks' odd deception was uncovered, most Americans were disgusted, not intrigued. Even amidst the summer doldrums, people won't go out of their way to watch something unappealing. And Wilbanks certainly seemed clueless.
   Here’s how she described her kidnapping lie:

   “Maybe I watched too many cops-and-robbers movies. ... It is scary that it came so easy for me. That scares me to death. And I'm trying to figure out why it was so easy for me."

   All that said, the show wasn't a total bomb. “Dateline” was up 17 percent compared with the same night a year ago, when reality snoozer “Next Action Star” aired. And it was a 23 percent improvement on last year’s Friday edition of “Dateline” during the same week.

   NBC said the show improved its summer Tuesday 8 p.m. timeslot average by nearly 70 percent.

In other broadcast ratings for the week ended June 26:

Among adults 18-49, ABC came in first with a 2.6 rating and 8 share. Tied at second were Fox and CBS with 2.1/7. fourth was NBC with 2.0/6, UPN fifth with 1.1/4 and the WB sixth with 0.9/3.  

Among adults 18-34, Fox was No. 1 with a 2.2/8, followed by ABC with a 2.1/8. NBC was third with 1.5/5, CBS fourth with 1.4/5, UPN fifth with 1.1/4 and the WB sixth with 0.9/3.

Among adults 25-54, ABC comfortably took first place with a 3.0 rating and 9 share. In second place was CBS with 2.6/8. NBC was third with a 2.4/7, Fox fourth with a 2.0/6, UPN fifth with 1.0/3 and the WB sixth with 0.9/3.

Top five (18-49s): 1. ABC’s NBA Finals (Game 7) 7.6; 2. ABC’s NBA Finals (Game 6) 5.3; 3. ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” 4.4; 4. Fox’s “Family Guy” 3.8; 5. CBS’s “CSI” 3.6

Top five (total viewers): 1. ABC’s NBA Finals (Game 7) 19 million; 2. ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” 15.5 million; 3. ABC’s NBA Finals (Game 6) 13.5 million; 4. CBS’s “CSI” 12.3 million; 5. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 10.9 million

Bottom five (18-49s): 108. WB’s “Steve Harvey Big Time” 0.7; 109. WB’s “What I Like About You” 0.7; 110. UPN’s “Veronica Mars” 0.6; 111. WB’s “Charmed” (Sunday) 0.5; 112. WB’s “One Tree Hill” 0.4

Bottom five (total viewers): 108. UPN’s “All of Us” (Tuesday) 1.7 million; 109. WB’s “Charmed” 1.58 million; 110. WB’s “What I Like About You” 1.55 million; 111. WB’s “Charmed” (Sunday) 1.32 million; 112. WB’s “One Tree Hill” 1.3 million

Show on the rise: NBA Finals, ABC. A weak finals between the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs at least ended stronger when the series extended to Games 6 and 7. Game 6 on Tuesday night averaged 13.5 million total viewers and averaged a 5.3 adults 18-49 rating. Thursday night’s Game 7 averaged 19.0 million total viewers and rated a 7.6 among 18-49s. It was the second-highest-rated series-ending game since 2000, behind 2004’s final game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons.

This year’s finals averaged 12.5 million total viewers, second-worst in NBA history after the 2003 finals. That series drew 9.9 million viewers. Among 18-49s, the 2005 finals averaged a 5.1 rating.

Show on the decline: “Psychic Detectives,” NBC, Wednesday 8 p.m. The summer move to NBC has not been good for the popular Court TV show. NBC turned eight half-hour episodes into one-hour shows, and they’ve been tanking. “Detectives” premiered on broadcast June 8 with a 1.8 18-49 rating and had slid 17 percent through last week.   

 

   



PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending June 26

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

5.2

5750

10

2.7

7510

8

2.1

2730

7

ABC

4.8

5210

9

2.6

7190

8

2.6

3320

8

NBC

4.3

4740

8

2.2

6020

6

2.0

2540

6

FOX

3.2

3490

6

1.7

4850

5

2.1

2720

7

UPN

1.8

1930

3

1.0

2670

3

1.1

1390

4

WB

1.5

1640

3

0.8

2160

2

0.9

1170

3

PAX

0.4

410

1

0.2

520

1

0.1

160

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1.096 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending June 26

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

8.0

8800

13

4.4

12340

12

3.8

4930

10

NBC

6.3

6900

10

3.4

9390

9

3.4

4380

9

ABC

6.3

6850

10

3.5

9650

9

3.6

4650

10

FOX

5.8

6400

10

3.4

9500

9

3.9

5070

11

WB

2.2

2360

3

1.2

3220

3

1.3

1720

4

UPN

2.2

2430

4

1.2

3280

3

1.3

1730

4

PAX

0.4

460

1

0.2

600

1

0.1

170

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1.096 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research 

 

NETWORK TV
Ranked on Households
Week Ending June 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

HOUSEHOLDS

PERSONS 2+

Rtg%

Shr

(000)

#

Rtg%

(000)

1

NBA FINALS ON ABC-GM 7(S)

ABC

11.9

22

13061

1

6.8

18997

2

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

10.4

18

11360

2

5.6

15522

3

NBA FINALS ON ABC-GM 6(S)

ABC

8.8

15

9630

3

4.8

13471

4

CSI

CBS

8.5

15

9345

4

4.4

12280

5

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

7.4

12

8073

5

3.9

10853

5

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

7.4

13

8077

7

3.7

10264

7

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

7.3

12

7994

6

3.8

10424

8

LAW AND ORDER

NBC

7.0

12

7686

9

3.4

9472

9

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND

CBS

6.9

11

7572

8

3.6

10061

10

DATELINE:K COURIC SPL6/21(S)

NBC

6.4

11

6964

13

3.1

8691

11

60 MINUTES

CBS

6.2

13

6836

10

3.2

9026

12

AFI 100 YEARS 100 QUOTES(S)

CBS

6.1

10

6732

10

3.2

9001

12

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

6.1

10

6677

14

3.0

8450

14

COLD CASE

CBS

5.6

10

6150

14

3.0

8270

14

EXTRM MAKEOVER:HM ED-6/26(S)

ABC

5.6

9

6107

10

3.2

8887

16

CROSSING JORDAN

NBC

5.5

9

5995

19

2.7

7567

16

HOUSE

FOX

5.5

9

6047

14

3.0

8378

16

LAW AND ORDER WED 9PM

NBC

5.5

9

6081

17

2.8

7709

16

LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT

NBC

5.5

9

6030

19

2.7

7629

20

20/20-FRI

ABC

5.4

10

5949

17

2.8

7767

21

CSI: NY

CBS

5.2

9

5667

19

2.7

7421

21

MEDIUM

NBC

5.2

9

5661

24

2.6

7350

23

STILL STANDING SPCL(S)

CBS

5.1

9

5561

19

2.7

7400

24

I WANT TO BE A HILTON

NBC

5.0

8

5506

29

2.4

6754

24

NBA GAMETIME FINALS-G7(S)

ABC

5.0

10

5465

19

2.7

7508

1

NBA FINALS ON ABC-GM 7(S)

ABC

11.9

22

13061

1

6.8

18997

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending June 26

Rank

Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

NBA FINALS ON ABC-GM 7(S)

ABC

7.6

9864

2

NBA FINALS ON ABC-GM 6(S)

ABC

5.3

6855

3

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

4.4

5650

4

FAMILY GUY

FOX

3.8

4942

5

CSI

CBS

3.6

4701

6

EXTRM MAKEOVER:HM ED-6/26(S)

ABC

3.5

4600

6

SIMPSONS-SUN 8:30P

FOX

3.5

4499

8

TWO AND A HALF MEN

CBS

3.3

4251

9

AMERICAN DAD

FOX

3.2

4159

9

CSI: MIAMI

CBS

3.2

4149

9

HELL'S KITCHEN

FOX

3.2

4168

9

HOUSE

FOX

3.2

4130

13

SIMPSONS

FOX

3.1

4037

13

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

3.1

4016

15

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND

CBS

3.0

3892

16

AFI 100 YEARS 100 QUOTES(S)

CBS

2.8

3644

16

LAW AND ORDER

NBC

2.8

3645

16

NBA GAMETIME FINALS-G7(S)

ABC

2.8

3643

19

DATELINE:K COURIC SPL6/21(S)

NBC

2.7

3458

19

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

2.7

3570

21

20/20-FRI

ABC

2.5

3271

21

HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME

NBC

2.5

3210

21

I WANT TO BE A HILTON

NBC

2.5

3223

21

MEDIUM

NBC

2.5

3276

25

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

ABC

2.4

3062

25

EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P

ABC

2.4

3156

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

CABLE TV
Ranked on Households
Week Ending June 26

BASIC CABLE

#

PROGRAM NAME

NET

Households 

Persons 2+

(000)

Rtg %

(000)

1

CLOSER, THE

TNT

4152

3.8

5569

2

WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW ZONE)

SPIKE

3618

3.3

5216

3

WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)

SPIKE

3324

3.0

4466

4

REAL WORLD XVI

MTV

2984

2.7

3723

5

INTO THE WEST(S)-06/24/2005

TNT

2968

2.7

4145

6

RWRR CHALLENGE INFERNO II

MTV

2875

2.6

3649

7

FAIRLY ODD PARENTS

NICK

2819

2.6

3450

8

4400, THE

USA

2792

2.5

4117

9

INTO THE WEST(S)-06/26/2005

TNT

2768

2.5

3922

10

MLB SUNDAY NIGHT L (METS/YANKEES)

ESPN

2716

2.5

3625

11

LAW & ORDER: SVU

USA

2698

2.5

3464

12

FAIRLY ODD PARENTS

NICK

2697

2.5

3428

13

SPONGEBOB

NICK

2655

2.4

3640

14

DRAKE & JOSH

NICK

2645

2.4

3320

15

LAW & ORDER: SVU

USA

2601

2.4

3237

PAY CABLE

#

PROGRAM NAME

NET

Households 

Persons 2+

(000)

Rtg %

(000)

1

SIX FEET UNDER

HBO

1493

1.4

1919

2

CATHOUSE: THE SERIES

HBO

1060

1.0

1298

3

ENTOURAGE

HBO

1053

1.0

1461

4

SEX AND THE CITY(S)-06/20/2005

HBO

997

0.9

1198

5

SOPRANOS, THE-06/26/2005

HBO

822

0.8

1079

* Ratings based on 109.6 million U.S. TV homes. One ratings point represents 1.096 million homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending June 19

#

 PROGRAMS

Syndicator

Households

US Rtg%

(000)

1

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

KIN

6.9

7579

2

JEOPARDY

KIN

5.8

6393

3

EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT)

KIN

5.7

6251

4

OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT)

KIN

5.6

6154

5

SEINFELD (AT)

SPT

5.4

5895

6

CSI-SYN (AT)

KIN

4.6

5076

6

FRIENDS (AT)

WB

4.6

5072

6

SEINFELD-WKND (AT)

SPT

4.6

4998

9

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)

PRM

4.4

4775

10

JUDGE JUDY (AT)

PRM

4.3

4720

11

DR. PHIL SHOW

KIN

4.1

4540

12

LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY

BV

3.4

3696

13

WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND

KIN

3.1

3417

14

JUDGE JOE BROWN (AT)

PRM

3

3336

14

INSIDE EDITION

KIN

3

3325

16

MILLIONAIRE (AT)

BV

2.9

3224

16

MALCOLM IN-MIDDLE SYN(AT)

2/T

2.9

3142

16

EVBDY LVS RAYMOND-WKD-SYN

KIN

2.9

3129

19

MAURY (AT)

NBU

2.8

3063

19

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT WKD

PRM

2.8

3058

19

KING OF THE HILL-SYN(AT)

2/T

2.8

3026

22

THAT 70S SHOW-MF-SYN (AT)

2/T

2.7

2945

23

WARNER BROS. VOL 36

WB

2.6

2892

23

PEOPLE'S COURT (AT)

WB

2.6

2888

23

BUENA VISTA V

BV

2.6

2823

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending June 26

#

PROGRAMS

Net

NHTI

(000)

1

MADRASTRA M-F

UNI

24.6

2687

2

APUESTA POR UN AMOR M-F

UNI

22.8

2492

3

INOCENTE DE TI M-F

UNI

21.3

2318

4

DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA-WE

UNI

20.4

2231

5

CRISTINA-MON

UNI

20.2

2207

6

CASOS VIDA R: ED. ESP TUE

UNI

16.4

1790

7

HOSPITAL EL PAISA FRI

UNI

15.8

1721

8

AQUI Y AHORA-THU

UNI

15.3

1665

9

SABADO GIGANTE-SAT

UNI

13.5

1476

10

GRAN ESTRENO ESTELAR 6/26(S)-06/26/2005

UNI

13.1

1431

10

PAR DE ASES FRI

UNI

13.1

1426

12

PARODIA-SUN

UNI

8.9

975

13

ASI ES GILBERTO GLESS SAT

UNI

7.2

783

14

MUJER EN EL ESPEJO M-F

TEL

6.5

713

15

AMARTE ASI M-F

TEL

5.0

540

16

PLATEADOS M-F

TEL

4.9

537

17

ACADEMIA, LA

AZA

4.8

520

17

DECISIONES M-F

TEL

4.8

518

19

CINE LAS ESTREL2 SUN

TF

3.7

405

20

SIN FRONTERAS

TEL

3.5

379

21

CINE LAS ESTREL2 SAT

TF

3.3

363

22

SOLO BOXEO DE MILLER

TF

3.0

327

22

CINE LAS ESTREL1 M-THU

TF

3.0

324

24

CINE LAS ESTREL1 SUN

TF

2.8

305

24

CINE LAS ESTREL1 SAT

TF

2.8

303

* Nielsen Hispanic Television Index; ratings based on 9.7 million Hispanic TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending June 19

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Episode

Households

Persons 2+

US Rtg%

Shr

(000)

(000)

1

NBA FINALS ON
ABC-GM 5(S)-6/19

ABC

SAN ANT.
AT DET

8.4

15

9168

13091

2

NBA FINALS ON
ABC-GM 3(S)-6/14

ABC

SAN ANT.
AT DET

7.2

13

7859

10633

3

NBA FINALS ON
ABC-GM 4(S)-6/16

ABC

SAN ANT.
AT DET

7.2

13

7889

10917

4

US OPEN GOLF
SUN(S)-6/19

NBC

5.6

15

6093

7964

5

FOX NASCAR
NEXTEL CUP

FOX

PRESNTD BY AOL

4.7

12

5141

7399

6

US OPEN GOLF-
SAT(S)-06/18

NBC

4.0

12

4401

5396

7

NBA GAMETIME
FINALS-G5(S)-6/19

ABC

3.6

7

3980

5646

8

NBA GAMETIME
FINALS-G4(S)-6/16

ABC

3.5

7

3815

4944

9

WWE SMACKDOWN!

UPN

3.4

6

3675

5321

10

NBA GAMETIME FINALS-G3(S)-6/14

ABC

3.1

6

3402

4158

11

FOX NASCAR
NEXTEL PRE

FOX

3.1

9

3365

4706

12

US OPEN GOLF
FRI(S)-6/17

NBC

2.6

8

2847

3355

13

US OPEN GOLF
THU(S)-6/16

NBC

2.1

6

2313

2635

14

FOX SAT.
BASEBALL

FOX

VAR,
TEAMS 
AND TIMES

1.8

5

2015

2439

15

WIMBLEDON TENNIS
PREVIEW(S)-6/19

NBC

1.1

3

1180

1343

16

NBA INSIDE
STUFF-ABC

ABC

0.7

2

752

922

17

NCAA OUTDR
TRCK & FLD
CHP(S)-6/18

CBS

0.7

2

773

913

18

CBS SPORTS
SPEC.S)-06/18

CBS

REBELS
ON RUN:
UNLV
BSKBL

0.6

2

679

731

19

WEEK IN
BASEBALL

FOX

0.6

2

690

860

20

WNBA ON
 ABC-SAT

ABC

PHNX 
AT NY

0.5

1

580

668

21

BRDGESTNE
CHAMP CAR
-SU(S)- 6/19

CBS

GRND PRX 
PRTLAND

0.4

1

479

575

Source: Nielsen Media Research


June 29, 2005 © 2005 Media Life


- Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.


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