Category Archives: WESH-2

No March madness: WFTV still No. 1

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The unusual — and basically meaningless — March sweeps ended on Wednesday. To no one’s surprise, WFTV-Channel 9 was once again the Nielsen powerhouse for Central Florida.

The ratings numbers show 9′s Eyewitness News was the top choice in households and in the 25-54 demo in all the time periods. WESH 2 News was No. 2, followed by WKMG’s Local 6 News.

At 10 p.m., WOFL’s Fox 35 News nearly doubled the viewers for the WFTV-produced Eyewitness News at 10 on WRDQ-Channel 27.

Details and more numbers here from from the Orlando Sentinel’s TV Guy.

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Blago! WESH gets video of gov at Disney

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Rod BlagojevichScore one for WESH. Reports on Thursday had former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich spotted spending time at Walt Disney World — hours before an expected indictment over allegedly trying to sell Pres. Barack Obama’s senate seat.

All the local media outlets were looking for Blago — and asking readers/viewers to help find the gov. Well, WESH’s dynamo Michelle Meredith found the governor — apparently just minutes before he was indicted back in Illinois. Watch the video and see a very upset Mrs. Blagojevich and someone who decides to act as body guard and chase reporter Meredith away. Click here to watch the WESH video.

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New news leader? WFTV, WESH battling it out

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Could WESH be about to end WFTV’s 30-year reign as the king of TV news in Orlando?

New Nielsen “people meters” data show — and parties at both stations acknowledge — a tight, two-station race between WFTV and WESH for the title of Central Florida’s news leader.

According to Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker, WFTV averaged 48,000 viewers to WESH’s 46,400 at 6 p.m. in the news-coveted 25-to-54 age group. For the demo at 11, WFTV had 43,200 to WESH’s 37,500.

Here’s the amazing part: Among viewers ages 18-to-49, WESH is the No. 1 station at 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m. — 30,000 viewers for WESH to 29,000 for WFTV.

“It’s a two-station race,” WFTV GM Shawn Bartelt told the Sentinel.

WESH GM Jim Carter agreed: “Based on the ratings I see, it’s a two-station race, and closer than it’s been in a long time. We were No. 2 at 11, just slightly behind WFTV. The rest of the time periods, we’re right there with them. The horse heads are next to one other. They’re neck and neck.”

WFTV still leads in the overall household ratings — 128,800 homes to WESH’s 100,100 at 6 p.m. But the demo results are a bit startling and perhaps indicate a shift in Central Florida’s viewing habits.

Read the full story here.

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Forget extension, Orlando stations set to drop analog signals

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Despite lawmakers’ approval of a plan to extend the digital transition period until June, at least three Orlando stations may pull the plug on their analog broadcasts as early as Feb. 17.

Public broadcaster WMFE-Ch. 24, Univision’s WVEN-Ch. 26 and indy WRDQ-Ch. 27 may turn off their analog signals 12 days from now, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

“I don’t think there is much of anything to be gained by postponing it to June 12,” WVEN VP/GM Antonio Guernica told the Sentinel. “I think everybody who is going to be ready is ready and those who aren’t ready now, I don’t believe they will prepare between now and June 12. There are some folks who will react only when they go to their TV and their favorite programming is not there.”

Meanwhile, among other stations: WKMG-Ch. 6, WESH-Ch. 2 and WKCF-Ch. 18 will likely wait until the new June deadline to end analog broadcasts, while WFTV-Ch. 9 hasn’t made a decision on what to do.

Why pull the plug early? Money. The stations could save thousands of dollars in electricity bills by turning off their analog transmitters by the original DTV deadline of Feb. 17. They’re already paying for power for both analog and digital transmitters now.

Read the full story here.

 

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Conan O’Brien with an alligator? Must be Super

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Conan O’Brien got a first-hand look at some Central Florida media stars when he visited WESH on Saturday.

O’Brien, in the area before attending Sunday’s Super Bowl in Tampa, dropped by the WESH 2 studios to talk about his Bud Light Super Bowl commerical as well as his upcoming move from Late Night to the Tonight Show on NBC.  WESH anchor Jim Payne and Orlando Sentinel TV Guy Hal Boedeker interviewed O’Brien about both topics.

But it was the other local media stars who grabbed the late-night funnyman’s attention. WESH had Gatorland deliver a group of gators and crocodiles to greet O’Brien (must be sort of like attending an NBC-Universal corporate meeting). The Gatorland residents, who have been featured on countless TV shows over the years, got up close and personal with the NBC star.

Click here to see a photo gallery of O’Brien with the gators and Payne at WESH.

Click here to read Boedeker’s interview with O’Brien, and click below to watch video of the interview:


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Today looking for O-Town Super fans

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Want to be on the Today show and get into Universal Orlando for free? You can if you’re a Cardinals or Steelers fan – or willing to at least pretend you are.

Today weatherman Al Roker will be at Universal Orlando on Saturday, and the NBC morning show is looking for folks to surround him decked out in Arizona Cardinals or Pittsburgh Steelers gear. Fans willing to show up at 5:45 a.m. and hang around for Roker’s live shots from 7 to 9 a.m. will be given one-day, two-park tickets to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

For more information, call 407-363-8220, e-mail UOPubRel@universalorlando.com or read more here at WESH.com.

NBC, of course, is broadcasting Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Cardinals and Steelers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

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