A final note about ShelbyFest lifting WCCO’s 10 p.m. news to a first-in-a-quarter-century ratings victory among advertiser-prized 25-to-54-year-olds:
I had quipped that “the station still has a major problem building on CBS’s gargantuan prime-time numbers.” This is been millstone ever since CBS began dominating prime-time and WCCO’s late news stayed stuck at number two behind KARE.
But for the record, Don and the Gang did improve on the network numbers in November’s victory: CBS 9 p.m. weeknight prime-time averaged a 5.4 rating, while the 10 p.m. news racked up a 5.9. Obviously, it’s a measure of popularity, not necessarily news quality, but at least for a month, the newsroom has bragging rights over Hawaii Five-O, the Good Wife, and The Mentalist.
The Don deserves his due for his great body of work in local TV news here.
But…did his long goodbye really propel WCCO-TV to a ratings victory? Maybe. Maybe not. Where’s the proof that it did? Why trot out that notion a second time without evidence?
Don’s final send-off on Monday the 22nd no doubt had a lot of curious viewers tuning in. Overall, I do not think that ‘CCO-TV can rest on the laurels of Don’s great work over a generation of time. Frank and Amelia, and particularly Amelia, are so-so compared to other local anchors. Fortunately for ‘CCO, they have some young woman reporters who could step in to replace Amelia and at a savings in cost, too.