Eyewitness News is #1 in four newscasts

(NEWS RELEASE) - February 2012 was historic for the Eyewitness News team, which was number one in four major newscasts and grew the size of its audience in several other newscasts as well.

News viewers continue to see the difference in local television news coverage, and they’ve made Eyewitness News This Morning at 5 a.m., anchored by Danielle North and Patrick Little on WPRI 12, the number one morning newscast in the Providence-New Bedford DMA, according to a new Nielsen ratings report.

Eyewitness News at 10 on Fox Providence was the number one newscast at night, and Eyewitness News at 11, anchored by Susan Roberts and Mike Montecalvo on WPRI 12, was the number one late news choice among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

Along with tremendous viewership gains in nearly every newscast, Eyewitness News at Noon was the number one noon newscast in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

In fact, WPRI 12 was the only local station to grow its audience at noon and was up 7 percent, while WJAR was down 14 percent and WLNE was down 42 percent.

When it comes to afternoon programming, "Judge Judy" ruled the air as the number one program at 4 p.m. "Judy" grew 57 percent in the time period, while WJAR was down 43 percent and WLNE was down 48 percent.

In addition, Fox Providence showed great growth with "The Doctors," which was up 38 percent in its 4 p.m. time period.

Nielsen ratings also show Eyewitness News continues to show terrific growth with its evening newscasts, as well.

Eyewitness News at 5 p.m. on WPRI 12 increased its audience 47 percent. Eyewitness News at 6 p.m. has continued to close the gap on WJAR and is closer to number one than at any time since 1994.

“Viewers are recognizing the difference in our newscasts,” says news director Joe Abouzeid. “We appreciate their loyalty and will continue to work hard to bring them the quality of coverage they’ve come to expect from the Eyewitness News team.”

More statistics:

• Eyewitness News This Morning at 4:30 a.m. is number one, with more than three times the audience of WJAR
• Eyewitness News This Morning at 5 a.m. grew its time period by 3 percent, while WJAR fell 35 percent
• Eyewitness News This Morning at 6 .a.m is up 6 percent, while WJAR remained flat
• Eyewitness News This Morning at 7 a.m. on Fox Providence grew 138 percent, beating ABC’s "Good Morning America"
• "Wheel of Fortune" is number one in its 7 p.m. time period, beating both WJAR and WLNE combined
• "Jeopardy!" is also number one in its 7:30 p.m. time period, beating WJAR and WLNE combined
• FOX's prime-time lineup dominates in all demographic groups, even with a Patriots Super Bowl on NBC
• Sports Wrap on Fox Providence increased an impressive 49 percent
• Seinfeld (airing at 11 p.m. on Fox Providence) has more than twice the viewers of WLNE’s 11 p.m. news
• When it comes to online news coverage in the Providence area, WPRI.com outpaced the unique traffic of Turnto10.com and ProJo.com for the second month in a row.

“It’s gratifying to see viewers counting on us for local news coverage, breaking news coverage, and our Target 12 investigations,” says Jay Howell, president and general manager of WPRI 12, Fox Providence and myRITV. “Viewers see that we are truly committed to bringing them the best information both on-air, online, and on our mobile platforms.”

Source: Nielsen Media, February 2012, comScore Inc. January-February 2012