Strong May for KTLA, While Other Local Stations See Major Erosion

During this crazy presidential campaign, are news viewers bypassing local TV to watch cable's national news coverage?

Besides the usual erosion facing all of broadcast TV, that's at least one theory that might explain explain major year-to-year drops that almost every station experienced this May vs. last. With a few exceptions, particularly KTLA (and some KCBS timeslots), almost every newscast saw dips.

To be fair, you can't discount the HUGE declines the network-owned stations suffered in primetime this May vs. last. Scroll down and gasp at the May-to-May drops for the networks in primetime this May. With one big exception: The CW on KTLA.

KTLA saw many of its newscasts experiencing solid total viewer lifts, and now dominates in the morning, led by its flagship "KTLA Morning News." KTLA also leads at 10 p.m. with both viewers and adults 25-54 (the key news demo), when sports reports are included. (KCAL jumps ahead to first when just the 45-minute newscasts are tallied.)

And at 11 p.m., KABC still leads with total viewers, but KNBC is tops with adults 25-54. The race is tight in the demo, however, with just 8,000 viewers separating first from third.

Other stations showing strong gains included KCBS, which experienced nice growth with its 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts. And KCAL improved its adult 25-54 audience during its weeknight 8 p.m. (up 18%), 9 p.m. (up 22%) and 10 p.m. (up 8%) newscasts.

Here are the May total viewers weekday ratings for the Los Angeles market, Monday through Friday in key news timeslots:

4:30 am
KTLA 50,000 (last May 39,000)
KABC 49,000 (last May 66,000)
KCBS 24,000 (last May 26,000)
KNBC 20,000 (last May 30,000)
KTTV 14,000 (last May 13,000)

5am
KTLA 81,000 (last May 78,000)
KABC 68,000 (last May 91,000)
KNBC 40,000 (last May 44,000)
KTTV 28,000 (last May 40,000)
KCBS 24,000 (last May 34,000)

6am
KTLA 166,000 (last May 169,000)
KABC 125,000 (last May 165,000)
KNBC 89,000 (last May 82,000)
KTTV 50,000 (last May 82,000)
KCBS 34,000 (last May 53,000)

7am
KTLA/Morning News 203,900 (last May 196,000)
KABC/Good Morning America 158,000 (last May 174,000)
KNBC/Today 99,000 (last May 118,900)
KTTV/Good Day LA 69,000 (last May 96,000)
KCBS/CBS This Morning 44,000 (last May 74,000)

5pm
KABC 191,000 (last May 214,000)
KNBC 131,000 (last May 149,000)
KCBS 99,000 (last May 88,900)
KTTV 34,000 (last May 52,000)

6pm
KABC 202,000 (last May 214,000)
KNBC 132,000 (last May 141,000)
KCBS 96,000 (last May 80,000)
KTLA 64,000 (last May 56,000)

Primetime (Monday through Sunday)
KCBS 265,000 (last May 272,000)
KABC 250,000 (last May 343,000)
KNBC 202,000 (last may 237,000)
KTLA 109,000 (last May 104,000)
KTTV 98,000 (last May 138,000)

10pm (including sports report)
KTLA 147,000 (last May 135,000)
KCAL 119,000 (last May 138,000)
KTTV 74,000 (last May 98,000)

11pm
KABC 201,000 (last May 288,000)
KNBC 186,000 (last May 209,000)
KCBS 170,000 (last May 186,000)
KTLA 84,000 (last May 79,000)

Here are the May weekday ratings among adults 25-54 for the Los Angeles market, Monday through Friday in key news timeslots.

4:30 am
KTLA, KCBS (tie) 16,000
KABC 15,000
KNBC 10,000
KTTV 8,000

5am
KTLA 28,000
KABC 21,000
KNBC 17,000
KCBS 15,000
KTTV 12,000

6am
KTLA 71,000
KNBC 39,000
KABC 35,000
KTTV 26,000
KCBS 15,000

7am
KTLA/Morning News 86,000
KNBC/Today 38,000
KABC/Good Morning America and KTTV/Good Day LA (tie) 35,000
KCBS/CBS This Morning 10,000

5pm
KABC 42,000
KNBC 38,000
KCBS 25,000
KTTV 21,000

6pm
KABC 37,000
KNBC 33,000
KCBS 27,000
KTLA 21,000

Primetime (Monday through Sunday)
KABC 87,000 (last May 142,000)
KCBS 78,000 (last May 79,000)
KNBC 75,000 (last May 103,000)
KTLA 53,000 (last May 46,000)
KTTV 48,000 (last May 67,000)

10pm (including sports report)
KTLA 52,000 (without: 55,000)
KCAL 50,000 (without: 57,000)
KTTV 44,000

11pm
KNBC 59,000
KABC 53,000
KCBS 51,000
KTLA 33,000

L.A. February TV Ratings: On the Weekdays, Everyone's A Winner

As usual, KABC took the local February sweeps crown in households, winning what the station says is its 124th consecutive non-Olympic survey period among households. And in the key Monday to Sunday 11 p.m. news race among adults 25-54, KABC was tops (1.3 rating) over KNBC (1.1) and KCBS (1.0).

But on the weekdays, this may be the oddest February sweeps in local Los Angeles TV ever. In the key adult 25-54 demographic at 11 p.m., rivals KABC, KNBC and KCBS all tied for No. 1 on the weekdays, with a 1.1 rating. (In total viewers, KABC remained champ, although was down from November.)

Going back to at least 1989, this is the first time insiders say they've ever seen KCBS, KNBC and KABC tie for #1 in weekday late news during a major sweep in adults 25-54 – the primary demo for news.

But that's not all: Adding to the unusual month, the three major stations with news at 10 p.m. (KTLA, KTTV and KCAL) also all virtually tied, with a 1.0 rating each.

I always preface these ratings by reminding you that sweeps really shouldn't matter in Los Angeles any more -- the local market is now measured every day via personal people meters. But old habits die hard, and the local stations compete heavily in November, February and May as if it still mattered.

It's also hard to do apples-to-apples comparisons with last February, since the Winter Olympics skews those totals. So instead, this time I'll compare the ratings to the last major sweeps period in November 2014.

Beyond the ties, it was a strange month. KABC saw huge gains at 6 p.m., yet a big drop at 11 p.m. -- despite the fact that it won primetime for the month. KTLA Morning News regained the crown as the most-watched morning show, and "CBS This Morning" on KCBS narrowly edged out "Today" on KNBC.

Here are the February total viewers weekday ratings for the Los Angeles market, Monday through Friday in key news timeslots (as well as Monday through Sunday in primetime).

4:30 am
KABC 74,000 (in November 93,800)
KTLA 43,000 (in November 41,500)
KNBC 37,000 (in November 23,600)
KCBS 26,000 (in November 16,400)
KTTV 9,000 (in November 10,400)

5am
KABC 98,000 (in November 135,000)
KTLA 87,000 (in November 93,100)
KNBC 46,000 (in November 37,800)
KTTV 39,000 (in November 36,800)
KCBS 35,000 (in November 27,300)

6am
KABC 181,000 (in November 192,700)
KTLA 165,000 (in November 182,400)
KTTV 76,000 (in November 72,800)
KNBC 75,000 (in November 66,400)
KCBS 53,000 (in November 46,600)

7am
KTLA/Morning News 208,900 (in November 208,000)
KABC/Good Morning America 206,000 (in November 213,500)
KCBS/CBS This Morning 88,000 (in November 74,700)
KNBC/Today 86,000 (in November 95,900)
KTTV/Good Day LA 81,000 (in November 67,600)

5pm
KABC 246,000 (in November 245,600)
KNBC 143,000 (in November 139,600)
KCBS 115,000 (in November 108,900)
KTTV 49,000 (in November 48,200)

6pm
KABC 328,000 (in November 277,500)
KNBC 145,000 (in November 147,200)
KCBS 102,000 (in November 97,200)
KTLA 79,000 (in November 58,900)

Primetime (Monday through Sunday)
KABC/ABC 367,000
KCBS/CBS 366,000
KNBC/NBC 239,000
KTTV/Fox 200,000

10pm
KCAL 167,000 (in November 156,100)
KTLA 136,000 (in November 126,500)
KTTV 116,000 (in November 76,900)

11pm
KABC 250,000 (in November 335,900)
KCBS 211,000 (in November 215,000)
KNBC 177,000 (in November 159,000)
KTLA 80,000 (in November 83,000)

One Last Big November Sweeps Win For KABC's Retiring General Manager

Arnie Kleiner's going out on a high note. The KABC general manager, who recently announced his retirement, just added one last November sweeps crown to his impressive tenure at the owned-and-operated ABC station. (Kleiner is departing at the end of January.)

I always preface these November ratings by reminding you that sweeps really shouldn't matter in Los Angeles any more -- the local market is now measured every day via personal people meters. But old habits die hard, and the local stations compete heavily in November as if it still mattered.

At 11 pm, KABC expanded its lead vs. No. 2 KCBS in total viewers, thanks in part to a surging primetime (in which KABC dominated vs. its competitors). Meanwhile, at 10 pm, KCAL is also now a dominant No. 1 -- a contrast to last year, where the three-way race was tight. A weak primetime has led to big drop-offs for KTTV.

Here are the November total viewers ratings for the Los Angeles market, in key news timeslots (as well as in primetime).

4:30 am
KABC 93,800 (last year 59,900)
KTLA 41,500 (last year 55,500)
KNBC 23,600 (last year 24,400)
KCBS 16,400 (last year 20,500)
KTTV 10,400 (last year 15,700)

5am
KABC 135,000 (last year 109,100)
KTLA 93,100 (last year 98,400)
KNBC 37,800 (last year 39,200)
KTTV 36,800 (last year 28,700)
KCBS 27,300 (last year 32,900)

6am
KABC 192,700 (last year 213,300)
KTLA 182,400 (last year 176,200)
KTTV 72,800 (last year 65,100)
KNBC 66,400 (last year 68,200)
KCBS 46,600 (last year 38,700)

7am
KABC/Good Morning America 213,500 (last year 241,800)
KTLA/Morning News 208,900 (last year 210,000)
KNBC/Today 95,900 (last year 79,800)
KCBS/CBS This Morning 74,700 (last year 50,700)
KTTV/Good Day LA 67,600 (last year 87,200)

5pm
KABC 245,600 (last year 257,700)
KNBC 139,600 (last year 146,600)
KCBS 108,900 (last year 109,700)
KTTV 48,200 (last year 45,700)

6pm
KABC 277,500 (last year 278,200)
KNBC 147,200 (last year 136,900)
KCBS 97,200 (last year 107,300)
KTLA 58,900 (last year 86,600)

Primetime
KABC/ABC 428,600 (last year 388,500)
KCBS/CBS 331,100 (last year 341,700)
KNBC/NBC 287,400 (last year 273,800)
KTTV/Fox 161,100 (last year 233,900)
KTLA/The CW 112,800 (last year 111,000)

10pm
KCAL 156,100 (last year 131,900)
KTLA 126,500 (last year 130,500)
KTTV 76,900 (last year 128,100)

11pm
KABC 335,900 (last year 318,200)
KCBS 215,000 (last year 205,000)
KNBC 159,000 (last year 186,700)
KTLA 83,000 (last year Arsenio Hall 75,300)

MIKE ON KCRW: Talking November Sweeps on "Press Play"

On Monday's edition of Press Play with Madeleine Brand, NPR's Eric Deggans and I chatted with Madeleine about TV’s fall sweeps season, among other topics. The log line:

The fall sweeps season has begun. It’s the ratings period when TV networks and local stations will pull out all the stops and stunts to draw in as many eyeballs as possible. But in the age of the DVR, Netflix and HBO Go, does “sweeps” season really mean anything? We talk about that and the latest news from the world of television.

Listen below!

May Sweeps L.A. TV Ratings: Good Month for KABC, KCAL, KTLA

With May sweeps wrapped up (although, I must note, L.A. is a metered market measured all year, so sweeps are pointless here), KABC/Channel 7 remains the local market leader in every news time slot. But KTLA has reason to crow in the mornings, as "KTLA Morning News" is a close second to KABC's "Good Morning America" (and where KTTV's "Good Day LA" continues to disappear). At 10 p.m., KCAL leads.

Here are the key weekday matchups. Ratings are for May 2014 (weekdays only), with May 2013 in parenthesis for comparison.

5 a.m.
KABC 129,000 (last year: 91,000)
KTLA 92,000 (84,000)
KNBC 38,000 (41,000)
KTTV 34,000 (39,000)
KCBS 25,000 (33,000)

6 a.m.
KABC 229,000 (last year: 180,000)
KTLA 178,000 (170,000)
KTTV 67,000 (88,000)
KNBC 62,000 (75,000)
KCBS 41,000 (54,000)

7 a.m. Morning shows
KABC (Good Morning America) 207,000 (last year: 197,000)
KTLA (KTLA Morning News) 200,000 (172,000)
KNBC (Today Show) 80,000 (84,000)
KTTV (Good Day LA) 74,000 (98,000)
KCBS (CBS This Morning) 60,000 (72,000)

5 p.m.
KABC 224,000 (last year: 239,000)
KNBC 132,000 (117,000)
KCBS 107,000 (94,000)
KTTV 54,000 (48,000)

6 p.m.
KABC 261,000 (last year: 247,000)
KNBC 117,000 (133,000)
KCBS 87,000 (83,000)
KTLA 66,000 (62,000)

Primetime
KABC 384,000 (last year: 410,000)
KCBS 303,000 (315,000)
KNBC 256,000 (295,000)
KTTV 242,000 (308,000)
KTLA 91,000 (92,000)
KCOP 43,000 (47,000)

10 p.m.
KCAL 149,000 (last year: 161,000)
KTLA 134,000 (145,000)
KTTV 125,000 (147,000)

11 p.m.
KABC 320,000 (last year: 303,000)
KCBS 218,000 (205,000)
KNBC 184,000 (183,000)

November Sweeps: KABC Rules, While KCAL Takes Back 10 p.m.

KCAL narrowly reclaimed the 10 p.m. November news crown this year among total viewers, eking out a razor's edge victory over No. 2 KTLA -- but there's an asterisk attached. KCAL and KTLA don't factor in the last 15 minutes of their 10 p.m. newscasts; those lower-rated sports reports are counted as a separate program. KTTV does, however. It's a very different story when the hours are all pit against each other. (KTTV scored a victory in the key news demo of adults 25-54.)

But nonetheless, KCAL was the only station to post November-to-November growth at 10 p.m., averaging 132,000 viewers -- up from 113,000 last year. KCAL took a hit last year after losing the Los Angeles Lakers contract to Time Warner Cable SportsNet, having won 10 p.m. in 2011 with 154,000 viewers. Meanwhile, KTLA and KTTV were both down.

It was another good November for KABC, which saw its 7 a.m. fortunes rise thanks to the growing dominance of "Good Morning America." KTLA also experienced growth for "KTLA Morning News." Much of that was at the expense of "Today," which lost a chunk of viewers.

Meanwhile, at 11 p.m., KABC pulled out far ahead in first place, after KCBS came within striking distance in 2012. This year, KABC was the only station to gain at 11 p.m., while KCBS and KNBC both saw some drops.

Here are the November 2013 results for the local L.A. market's English-language stations. (Sorry, I don't have KMEX numbers handy, but they are obviously a tremendous player in Los Angeles.)

Total Viewers

5 a.m. KABC 109,000
KTLA 98,000
KNBC 39,000
KCBS 33,000
KTTV 29,000

6 a.m.
KABC 213,000
KTLA 176,000
KNBC 68,000
KTTV 65,000
KCBS 39,000

7 a.m. Morning Shows
GOOD MORNING AMERICA (KABC) 242,000 (up from 215,000)
KTLA MORNING NEWS (KTLA) 210,000 (up from 193,000)
GOOD DAY L.A. (KTTV) 87,000 (down from 95,000)
TODAY (KNBC) 80,000 (down from 104,000)
CBS THIS MORNING (KCBS) 51,000

5 p.m.
KABC 258,000 (down from 283,000)
KNBC 147,000 (up from 146,000)
KCBS 110,000 (down from 129,000)
KTTV ("Studio 11 LA") 46,000 (up from 42,000)

6 p.m.
KABC 278,000 (down from 305,000)
KNBC 137,000 (down from 145,000)
KCBS 107,000 (down from 128,000)
KTLA 87,000 (up from 77,000)

6:30 p.m.
ABC WORLD NEWS (KABC) 277,000
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS (KNBC) 137,000
CBS EVENING NEWS (KCBS) 107,000
KTLA NEWS (KTLA) 102,000

Primetime
KABC 389,000
KCBS 342,000
KNBC 274,000
KTTV 234,000
KTLA 111,000

10 p.m.
KCAL 132,000 (up from 113,000)
KTLA 131,000 (down from 142,000)
KTTV 128,000 (down from 146,000)

11 p.m.
KABC 318,000 (up from 274,000)
KCBS 205,000 (down from 254,000)
KNBC 187,000 (down from 205,000)

25-54

5 a.m.
KTLA 0.8/14
KABC 0.7/13
KNBC/KTTV (tie) 0.3/5
KCBS 0.1/2

6 a.m.
KTLA 1.3/15
KABC 1.1/13
KTTV 0.7/9
KNBC 0.4/5
KCBS 0.2/2

7 a.m. Morning Shows
KTLA MORNING NEWS (KTLA) 1.3/12
GOOD MORNING AMERICA (KABC) 1.1/11
GOOD DAY L.A. (KTTV) 0.8/8
TODAY (KNBC) 0.4/4
CBS THIS MORNING (KCBS) 0.2/2

5 p.m.
KABC 0.8/4
KNBC 0.7/3
KTTV ("Studio 11 LA")/KCBS (tie) 0.4/2

6 p.m.
KABC 1.0/4
KNBC 0.5/2
KCBS/KTLA (tie) 0.4/2

6:30 p.m.
ABC WORLD NEWS (KABC) 1.0/4
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS (KNBC)/ KTLA (tie) 0.6/2
CBS EVENING NEWS (KCBS) 0.5/2

10 p.m.
KTTV 1.1/4
KCAL 0.9/3
KTLA 0.8/3

11 p.m.
KABC 1.8/9
KNBC 1.1/5
KCBS 1.0/5

(Photo: Malibu Times)

Los Angeles TV May Sweeps: KABC Once Again Dominates

Even as the ABC television network struggles in primetime, in Los Angeles, ABC's owned-and-operated station KABC-TV continues to dominate. And boy, did it dominate during the recently concluded May sweeps -- winning every single newscast time slot in both total viewers and adults 25-54.

First, a caveat: In Los Angeles, demographic information is available year-round, which makes sweeps periods irrelevant. But it's an old habit that has been hard to kill, which is why L.A. stations still make an extra effort during those months (November, February, May and July). I guess it gives everyone something to strive for.

Among other highlights, KTLA's "KTLA Morning News" was strong in the mornings -- but I wonder what happens to the horse race in the future with the departure of co-anchor Michaela Pereira. More highlights:

At 11 p.m., KABC/Channel 7 won with total viewers (averaging 291,000), followed by KCBS/Channel 2 (199,000), KNBC/Channel 4 (173,000) and KCOP/Channel 13 (47,000). In the adults 25-54 race -- the news demo coveted by advertisers -- KABC was first (117,000 viewers), then KCBS (74,000), KNBC (62,000) and KCOP (26,000).

In the 10 p.m. news race, KCAL/Channel 9 (which airs a 45-minute newscast) averaged 158,000 viewers, followed by KTTV/Channel 11 (142,000) and KTLA/Channel 5 (which also airs a 45-minute newscast) close behind (141,000). In the 25-54 demo race, KCAL and KTTV were tied at 77,000 -- with KTLA (59,000) in third.

As for the hyper-competitive 7 a.m. breakfast news smackdown, KABC's "Good Morning America" led the way with 189,000 viewers, followed by KTLA's "KTLA Morning News" (167,000) and KTTV's "Good Day L.A." (95,000). KNBC's "Today Show" (73,000) and KCBS' "CBS This Morning" (65,000) were in back. (That, of course, helps explain why "GMA" is surging over "Today" -- those O&O ratings don't help.)

The morning competition was a bit tighter in the demo: KTLA's "KTLA Morning News" leads (78,000), with KABC's "Good Morning America" and KTTV's "Good Day L.A." tied for second (58,000). KNBC (27,000) and KCBS (18,000) lag.

Here are a few more time slot standings in total viewers:

5 a.m.
KABC 89,000
KTLA 83,000
KNBC 40,000
KTTV 38,000
KCBS 33,000

6 a.m.
KABC 174,000
KTLA 166,000
KTTV 86,000
KNBC 73,000
KCBS 53,000

4 p.m.
KABC 176,000
KCBS ("Judge Judy") 137,000
KNBC ("Ellen") 127,000
KCAL 61,000

5 p.m.
KABC 230,000
KNBC 111,000
KCBS 90,000
KTTV 45,000

6 p.m.
KABC 239,000
KNBC 123,000
KCBS 78,000
KTLA 62,000

L.A.'s Late News Suffers Big Drops This November, While the Lakers Impact The 10 p.m. News Race

L.A.'s local TV stations are bleeding news viewers at 11 p.m., even as they're expanding their audience at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. That's the quick takeaway from the November 2012 local sweeps ratings, officially out today.

The real shift took place at 11 p.m., all the more fascinating because this November was a newsy month, between the election and Hurricane Sandy. KABC was still tops in the slot, with 274,000 viewers, but that was down from 404,000 in November 2011. KABC's drop brought KCBS within spitting distance, with 254,000 viewers (down from 274,000 last year). That's the closest KCBS has been to No. 1 in a while. KNBC was in third, with 205,000 viewers-- down from 209,000 last year.

So what happened? Let's look at several factors. For one, most of the networks are having a rough fall in primetime, and those viewership declines translate to fewer eyeballs heading into 11 p.m.

KABC's primetime averaged 495,000 viewers in November 2011 and 397,000 this year, for example. NBC has the exception this fall (thanks to "The Voice"), and KNBC enjoyed the only primetime lift among local stations this November, averaging 316,000 viewers. That still putting it in third place here in L.A., but it was a major boost from 195,000 viewers last year. Despite that big boost, KNBC still experienced a small dip at 11 p.m. this year.

That leads me to my other theory: The DVR is starting to have a lasting impact on local TV's late newscasts. I don't know the local L.A. DVR penetration, but nationwide, that number is approaching 50%. It's having a major impact on the networks, particularly at 10 p.m., and that means it's likely having a major impact on local news at 11 p.m. Viewers are using that time to catch up on what they missed earlier in the evening, and that means fewer available news viewers at that time.

Adding fuel to that theory: The story is completely different in the other major news timeslots, as local stations saw healthy boosts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and in the morning. Now, *that* can likely be attributed to a newsy month.

Before we hit those timeslots, let's look at what has happened at 10 p.m., where the Lakers' move to Time Warner Sportsnet and off KCAL has indeed changed the game. Even though KTTV saw its Fox primetime ratings plummet (261,000, from 432,000 last year), the station managed to raise its 10 p.m. news viewership slightly, to 146,000 (from 144,000 last November). KTLA was in second, with 142,000 (from 124,000). And then there was KCAL, which won the 10 p.m. November sweeps last year, but this year dropped to third (113,000, from 154,000). The culprit, of course, was the loss of the Lakers games.

At 6 p.m., KABC dominated the timeslot with 305,000 viewers, up from 283,000 in November 2011. KNBC (145,000, up from 118,000), KCBS (128,000, up from 81,000) and KTLA (77,000, up from 59,000) followed.

KABC also led 5 p.m. (283,000 viewers, up from 270,000), followed by KNBC (146,000, up from 130,000), KCBS (129,000, up from 99,000) and KTTV's "Studio 11" (42,000, up from 24,000).

In the 7 a.m. morning news show race, KABC's "Good Morning America" won (215,000), followed by "KTLA Morning News" (193,000), KNBC's "Today" (104,000) and KTTV's "Good Day L.A." (95,000). The changes on "Good Day L.A.," including the exits of longtime co-anchors Jillian Reynolds and Dorothy Lucey, had an impact, as the KTTV show was down from 115,000 viewers, while KTLA got a healthy boost.

Market leader KABC also won the 6 a.m., 5 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. races. The station's weak link? "Katie," the new Katie Couric talk show, which averaged just 89,000 viewers here locally -- behind "The View," "Dr. Oz" and even "The Chew" on the station. (It trails "Dr. Phil" in the 3 p.m. hour.) Meanwhile, the first November of "Live with Kelly and Michael," now featuring Michael Strahan, averaged 135,000 viewers here, down from "Live with Regis and Kelly" last November (184,000).

According to KCBS, its strong second place finish at 11 p.m. is the closest the station has been to first place in late news during a major sweep since February 2007, and the closest it has been to first place in late news during a November sweep since at least 1990.

KABC Continues Local TV Dominance; KCAL Wins 10 p.m.

KABC Channel 7 ended May with another dominant month-long win, leading the L.A. market and winning in every time slot the station produces news. At 11 p.m., on a Monday through Friday basis KABC's "Eyewitness News" led with 381,000 viewers, followed by KCBS Channel 2 (278,000), KNBC Channel 4 (212,000) and KCOP Channel 13 (34,000 -- behind "The Simpsons" on KTTV Channel 11 and "Friends" on KTLA Channel 5).

KABC also won at 6 p.m., with 277,000 viewers, followed by KNBC (116,000), KCBS (97,000) and KTLA (39,000). At 5 p.m., the story was nearly the same: KABC (216,000), then KNBC (102,000), KCBS (96,000) and KTTV's "Studio 11 LA" (34,000).

In the morning, KABC won 5 a.m. (109,000, followed by KTLA at 66,000) and 6 am. (223,000, then KTLA's 162,000).

CBS-owned independent KCAL took home the competitive 10 p.m. news race, with 185,000 viewers, followed by KTTV (170,000) and KTLA (123,000). (KCAL and KTLA don't include the last 15 minutes of their newscasts, however, which are coded as sports coverage and is usually the lowest-rated).

The "KTLA Morning News" (164,000) continued to beat out longtime rival "Good Day LA" on KTTV (112,000), although KABC's "Good Morning America" (221,000) wins the 7 a.m. spot.

It's probably worth repeating: With the advent of local people meters, stations now can get demo info on a daily basis -- making sweeps pretty much a relic of time past. But old habits die hard, and the rush by our local TV news operations to compete in sweeps is still high.

Channel 7 Dominates February, But Channel 2 Has Reason to Celebrate Too

KABC/Channel 7 once again led the Los Angeles TV market in February, winning all of the weekday news time slots among both total viewers and adults 25-54, the key news demo.

But KCBS/Channel 2 had reason to crow as well: On a full Monday though Sunday basis, KCBS' 11 p.m. newscast (125,000 viewers) narrowly edged out KABC (124,000) among adults 25-54 (they were both virtually tied at a 1.7 rating). KABC was still tops in total viewers, narrowly beating KCBS (333,000 vs. 323,000). For KCBS, considered an also-ran just a few years ago, the growth -- bolstered in part by CBS' strong primetime -- has been dramatic. According to KCBS, the Monday-to-Sunday demo win at 11 p.m. is the station's first since February 1994 (the Lillehammer Winter Olympics) and only the third time in 30 years.

"We are especially pleased that we have made such tremendous progress in late news," says KCBS/KCAL president/GM Steve Mauldin. "Two years ago, we were nearly 100,000 viewers our of first place. Today... we're number one in our target demo and just 10,000 viewers awat from being the most-watched newscast at 11 p.m."

KABC remains L.A.'s dominant TV station, however. On weekdays at 11 p.m., KABC (365,000 viewers) beat KCBS (305,000) and KNBC (219,000). The gap is wider at 6 p.m., with KABC (320,000) followed by KNBC (150,000), KCBS (112,000) and KTLA (76,000). At 5 p.m., KABC (292,000) also attracts more than KNBC (121,000) and KCBS (102,000).

(I don't have KMEX ratings, but the Univision station is traditionally a top market performer as well.)

In the early morning news race, KABC's "Good Morning America" (217,000 viewers) beats KTLA's "Morning News" (173,000), KNBC's "Today Show" (171,000), KTTV's "Good Day L.A." (110,000) and KCBS' "CBS This Morning" (53,000). But KTLA dominates in demos, winning the morning shows with 99,000 viewers 25-54, then KNBC (85,000), KABC (73,000), KTTV (72,000) and KCBS (26,000).

Back at the KCBS/KCAL duopoly, execs were also cheering KCAL's weekday total viewers win at 10 p.m. (132,000 viewers) vs. KTTV (121,000) and KTLA (84,000). KTTV won in the adult 25-54 demo, however, with 105,000 viewers.

The local L.A. stations still scramble to compete during sweeps months, even though they don't matter like they used to here. That's because L.A. has had local people meters since 2004 -- which means demo info, which used to only come during quarterly "sweeps months" is collected and reported daily. Old habits die hard.