Tornado coverage

[MWmetalhead]

It depends on the market.

How long, I wonder, until Sinclair starts making reporters pull double duty by requiring them to file reports for both WWMT *and* WSBT?

[sinklair]

South Bend doesn’t want anything to do with Kalamazoo. They regard WWMT as small market. Plus WSBT already saw how bad the cross market experiment went when they had to manage Toledo’s failing newscasts.

[MWmetalhead]

I don't doubt WSBT's staff and management feels that way. Their corporate overlords, though, might have different (meaning idiotic) ideas.

[MasterB]

South Bend is a small market no one would know where South Bend is if it wasn't for that overrated college called ND overrated. WSBT is a small market TV station don't tell them that there egos can't handle it LOL .

[sinklair]

And Kalamazoo is on the map for Western Michigan and soggy cereal. It’s still a bad station group regardless of who is airing the crappy Sinclair must-run corporate propaganda.

[riggs]

A few years ago on a Monday night there was a tornado ripping through Dallas but the Cowboys were on Monday Night football. They were showing radar in the corner in a tiny box. They only broke away from the game at halftime for about 90 seconds. We're talking an F3 tornado ripping through heavily populated areas, but you know, football. No fines or nothing. What a joke.

[20/20 News]

Just so we have our facts straight: WWMT is part of Nielsen DMA market #42 (ranked by number of TV households). WSBT is part of DMA market #99.

[sinklair]

Have you watched WWMT recently? They are not in the same league as WOOD or the other stations. The only reason they pull any viewership is because they have carved out their own audience in the Kzoo end of the market where the other 3 stations choose to go after and split up the Grand Rapids end of the market. WWMT carries nearly all of Kzoo County. They get no viewership in Kent County. Try those facts.

[20/20 News]

I was a media department executive in a few Michigan ad agencies and TV stations, so I know facts when I see them. To say that WWMT "gets no viewership in Kent County" is pathetic. They are the affiliate of the leading national network (CBS) for pete's sake. Their Kent County numbers are fine except for local news. Likewise, WOOD does poorly in Kalamazoo County for the same reason: their local news focus. But both stations do OK in overall DMA numbers (although far below a few years ago, before audience fragmentation became severe). BTW I have no connection with WWMT or Sinclair; I just barf at seeing opinion stated as fact.

[sinklair]

20/20: So as a former “sales” exec you are weighing in on tornado coverage from the different stations?

[MasterB]

In Kalamazoo county in 97 they had a lot of rabbit ears to get Wood TV since Suckyvision Oh, I Mean Cablevision & LIN TV the then owners of Wood TV couldn't come to an agreement until a full year until that little thing called The Super Bowl got the deal done in 98 2 days before SB32. Cablevision always seem to agree to get Wood TV back in time for SB's 94, 96 I think Cablevision found a loophole in the deal from 94. It all had to do with a local weather channel when all it was weather radio audio with radar was all did finally become a general entertainment in 99 WXSP as UPN.

I have always preferred Wood TV & Fox17 more happens in GR than Kazoo in my opinion only watch WWMT for weather only.

[20/20 News]

Sinklair: Nope, never sold a minute. Higher.

[MWmetalhead]

From theoretical sign on to sign off, WWMT and WOOD have been the ratings leaders for decades. WWMT used to have Springer, Oprah, Wheel and Jeopardy. During that period, WWMT was frequently the sign on to sign off winner.

WOOD has long been the #1 biller and WWMT #2.

However, in the context of newscast ratings, I suspect the ratings of WWMT are very lean in the northern half of the DMA. Of course, they are the clear winner in the southern half of the DMA.

Years ago, I know the strength of the CBS schedule would sometimes if not often propel WWMT's 11 PM news to first place finishes in sweeps periods in the DMA at-large. I have no idea if such an outcome is a common or even semi-common occurrence in recent times, though.