new orleans ratings

[east coast producer]

Anyone have handy ratings data for New Orleans, preferably something from this year with data from the same period in 2006?

Thanks smile.gif

[DW]

WWL....and everyone else.

It's really that simple, year after year.

[Jane Craig]

ECP, you might find the last-year stuff on the Times-Picayune website... (my all-time favorite newspaper name, BTW)

[The Thrill]

I know they were sinking in '05. *ducks*

[RollTide98]

I'm not sure there were ANY ratings measurements in 2006 due to Katrina wiping out so much of the DMA.

Newsblues recently linked a Picayune article about the first set of results since the storm. WWL was, as before, the powerhouse of the market. I believe the article said their ratings were down from before the storm... But main shows still carried numbers like 13's and 14's. And those are RATINGS, not shares.

The nearest competitors weren't even close. That's not to say they have an inferior product. But New Orleanians are entrenched in watching WWL.

Speaking of New Orleans ratings, whenever I'm told that viewers prefer LIVE reports in front of darkened, empty buildings, I always point to WWL. They own the market. And unless it's truly warranted, you won't see a WWL reporter standing in front of where news happened hours ago. Instead, you will often find packages that offer real depth and insight. And if the reporter is "live," it's often an in-studio tag after the package.

[east coast producer]

Ya, I know other stations tremble at WWL, but I was curious as to trending. Are they maintaining or growing rating/share or is there any erosion?

Getting off topic, I'm curious, and certainly this is likely impossible to tell now, how the market will realign once the city regrows. Will people who return (or move there for the first time) turn to WWL or is it an opportunity for other stations to capture audience?

(And thanks for the tip about the Picayune. While I'm not really familiar with its content to say that it's my favorite paper, it's certainly my favorite newspaper name. smile.gif )

[Gail sirens]

It will take a long time for re-growth there.
Think at least 10+ years.

[RollTide98]

Originally posted by east coast producer:
I was curious as to trending. Are they maintaining or growing rating/share or is there any erosion?The paper referenced some erosion in WWL's numbers. And WVUE (Fox 8) was celebrating growth, but there was still a large gap between WWL and all other stations.

[DoneThatToo]

If the majority of the re-population are returning residents then I would suspect that the ratings would reflect the traditional viewing habits. However if re-population is mostly new out of market viewers then the ratings are up for grabs.

Now would be the time for second and third place stations to make that extra push to grab the new eyeballs. And as we all know change of this type and scale will not happen quickly. Check back in 5 or 10 years and see how it plays out.