‘KTLA Morning News’ Does Indeed Rate

After five weeks on the air, the “KTLA Morning News” has shaken up the Los Angeles early morning news competition. While Steve Weinstein’s Aug. 9 Calendar article, “ ‘KTLA Morning News’ and Fox’s ‘EDJ’ Hardly Rate,” gave the impression that the “Morning News’ ” audience was so minuscule that it barely registered on the ratings, quite the opposite exists.

According to A. C. Nielsen ratings for the July rating period (July 10-Aug. 7), the “KTLA Morning News” scored a 1.6 rating or the equivalent of 80,000 households. In comparison, the established “CBS This Morning’s” 2.2 rating was the equivalent of 110,000 homes.

The article stated that KTLA’s household reach was out of a universe of 5 million homes, which is erroneous. Granted, there are 5 million television households in L.A.; however, only 23% of those, about 1.1 million, watch anything on television during the hours of 7-9 a.m.

If you narrow it down further to the percentage of those 1.1 million viewers that watch any of the four morning news programs, the available household reach becomes only about 490,000. To reach 80,000 households or 16% of the available news audience with a brand-new program is a significant achievement in only five weeks, especially compared to a show with a long and rich history such as NBC’s “Today,” which reached about 160,000 homes and maintains established viewing habits.

The story (and ratings) are even brighter according to the Arbitron rating service, where the “KTLA Morning News” surpassed “CBS This Morning’s” ratings with a reach of 90,000 households versus CBS’ 80,000.

The article also noted that the combined averages of the three network shows increased from a year ago (8.2 vs. 8.0). What was omitted was the notable fact that their combined share of audience was down 4%, despite a 3% increase in homes tuned to television in the

7-9 a.m. time period due to KTLA’s entry into morning news.

Historically, the debut of the “KTLA Morning News” was equal with or greater than the debuts of similar independent morning news programs in other markets. WNYW-TV in New York, which now airs one of the most successful local morning news programs in the country--regularly beating “CBS This Morning” and “Today”--took four years to come into its own. In fact, when “Good Day New York” premiered in October, 1988, it registered a 1 rating, further behind its network rivals than KTLA.

In its five weeks on the air, the “KTLA Morning News” has achieved what it set out to do: provide a local alternative to the three national news programs with an emphasis on local news, traffic and weather.

As with any news program, be it network or local, it takes time to find and sustain an audience. The initial results have exceeded our expectations. KTLA is confident that both viewers and rating services will acknowledge our achievements in the rating periods to come.