06-06-2011
KMBZ ISSUES NEWS RELEASE
KMBC 9 NEWS DOMINATES MAY RATINGS AS FIRST CHOICE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND WEATHER
Kansas City, MO (May 26, 2011) KMBC 9 News continues to be the television station more Kansas City families turn to for news and weather. In the month of May, more viewers overwhelmingly and consistently turned to KMBC 9 News as “the go to source” for major news events. KMBC 9 News earned the #1 rating in every major newscast in the May 2011 rating period.
“We know people turn to KMBC for important information to keep them safe,” said KMBC 9 News Director, Sherrie Brown. “We take that responsibility seriously. We have amazing people with a ton of experience so when the big story happens; our team knows exactly what to do.”
KMBC 9 News at 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. easily dominated their time periods. The 5:00 p.m. newscast finished the month with a 7.4/16, a 48% advantage over its closest competitor. At 6:00 p.m., the winning margin was extended by earning a 9.3/17, clearly outdistancing its closest competitor by 69%. KMBC 9 News at 10:00 p.m. won the coveted late newscast with a 9.8/16. KMBC enjoyed year-to-year audience growth in every key news time period. The weekend newscasts also posted significant gains, highlighted by impressive morning news growth and a 50% increase in viewership on Sundays at 5:00 p.m.
KMBC 9 FirstNews led all morning news programs from 4:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. The first half hour of FirstNews at 4:30 a.m. increased the time period 67% year-to-year. At 5:00 a.m., the newscast finished with a 2.5/13, at 5:30 a.m., a 3.8/19, and at 6:00 a.m., and completed the early news block with a 5.7 rating/20 share…a 27% advantage over the next closest competitor.
Major news and weather events dominated the month of May, including the Royal Wedding, the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the outbreak of severe weather and destructive tornados in Kansas and Missouri.
“We are humbled by the trust that viewers placed in us during a month that saw outbreaks of deadly storms in our area,” said KMBC/KCWE President and General Manager, Wayne Godsey. “My thanks and admiration goes to members of our news team, who worked long hours covering the tragic events in Joplin and southeastern Kansas.”
On Monday, May 23, KMBC 9 News teamed up with the Red Cross and H&R Block to raise money to help Joplin tornado survivors. More than $243,000 was raised in just one night!
“We are also thankful to those viewers who were willing to offer their personal financial support for the victims of the tornados, during our Help from the Heartland telethon. Thank you to the generosity of viewers and advertisers who, in a single evening, contributed nearly a quarter million dollars to the tornado relief efforts of the Red Cross.”
Viewers clearly made KMBC their preferred choice during every major May news event. It was the most watched station for the Royal Wedding on April 29, earning an 8.9/27 from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. and a 9.7/24 from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. When news broke on May 1 of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Kansas City made ABC News and KMBC their news destination, earning a 9.2/16 from 9:45 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. On the following day, KMBC 9 News dominated all newscast ratings from FirstNews to 10:00 p.m. During the outbreak of devastating storms, KMBC was the overwhelming choice for local news coverage. On Tuesday, May 24, KMBC 9 News at 10:00 p.m. dominated late news ratings with a 17.2/25.
In entertainment programming, KMBC was the most watched station in primetime. “Dancing with the Stars” averaged a 19.0/30 performance on May 23 and an 18.0/25 on the Tuesday finale. The program also posted gains year-to-year with a 14% increase on Monday and a 28% increase on Tuesday. In her final season, Oprah posted gains of 35% year-to-year. The final three episodes attracted strong viewing on May 23, 9.0/19, May 24, 11.9/22 and May 25, 13.3/25.
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