November sweeps: TV competition heats up in morning-news scene
People love to complain about two things: traffic and weather. Especially in Seattle. Add local television news to the mix, and here we have the perfect triumvirate on which to gripe, kvetch and moan — just in time for that all-important (in TV land, anyway) time of year: November sweeps.
During last year's November sweeps — the period when TV stations try to goose ratings in order to draw maximum advertising dollars — we watched hours upon hours of local news in the 5 o'clock hour and assembled a list of our biggest pet peeves about the way it's done: ominous weather stories! Questionable "breaking" news! Britney Spears promos disguised as news stories! Oh, such fun we had.
But with the rise of 24-hour cable news networks and easy access to news online, who's watching the news at 5 p.m. anymore? We decided this year we'd turn our attention to mornings — one of the few growth spots within the local TV news industry.
"People are using morning shows the same way people have used newspapers forever: to start their day, to make sure their world was safe overnight and make sure their neighborhood was safe overnight," said Bill Kaczaraba, Q13's news director. "Everybody's got to wake up at some time in the morning and know what's going on. I think morning news is going to continue to grow."
From 5 to 7 a.m., most local stations go head-to-head with early-morning newscasts. The ratings hierarchy at that hour generally mirrors that of the evening race — KING on top, KOMO and KIRO battling for second place, and KCPQ in fourth. (In November, KIRO beat KOMO in the early morning, but fell just short of overtaking KOMO's second-place spot at 5 p.m.)
But we didn't watch at 5 a.m., because that's just too early. Besides, things get a bit more interesting at 7 a.m., when local morning shows like "Q13's Fox News This Morning" and the recently launched "Seattle Live" on KONG go after viewers who are used to tuning in to ABC's "Good Morning America" and NBC's "Today." While Q13's 3-1/2-hour wake-up call has seen consistent growth since its inception in 2001 — more than doubling its viewership over the past three years — KONG's "Seattle Live" is trying to find a news audience in a time slot that previously had aired infomercials.
"You don't set the world on fire getting out of the gate. You look for that slow and steady growth," said Ryan Craig, director of programming and research at KSTW, which airs the syndicated younger-skewing morning show, "The Daily Buzz," from 6 to 9 a.m. "Right now, the (morning) market is really saturated. I don't know that there's room for another version of the 'Today' show, even if it is local. ... I think there's an opening for a straight local newscast from 7 to 9 a.m."
But hey, we were watching! While the rest of the city watched Matt and Katie on top-rated "Today," we tuned in to "Seattle Live's" Allen Schauffler and Joyce Taylor and Q13's Bill Wixey and Carmen Ainsworth. Now get us some coffee. Please.
Traffic and weather, always together
It doesn't matter what time of day it is — you cannot get away from weather stories on local newscasts. The onslaught is arguably worst in the mornings, when people are tuning in to see whether they should dress in layers or skip the fleece jacket that day. (Here's a fashion tip: Always skip the fleece.)
News directors may tell you there's no such thing as weather overkill. I'm not calling them liars, but one foggy November morning, I found myself actually counting the number of times I heard the word "fog" in a single Q13 newscast: 74 times. In related news, uses of the terms "soupy" or "pea soup": 6. Number of Scrabble points earned for spelling the word "fog": 7.
"If fog becomes a top story, then you're going to see more of it," Kaczaraba said. "We're very comfortable with our blend of news, traffic and weather. ... I've been here for over two years now, and not a single e-mail or viewer comment has said that we do too much weather."
To be honest, I don't mind seeing lots of weather stories on Q13 because meteorologist M.J. McDermott is so much fun to watch. (More on her and other morning personalities later.) But you know what would be really fun? If morning newscasts had a secret word of the day, like on "Pee-wee's Playhouse." You know what to do when someone says the word, "fog," right? Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
A balancing act
News directors, like viewers, approach morning newscasts differently than they do evening broadcasts. "I think people in the evenings want a compilation of what happened today. They're going to focus and concentrate," said Pat Costello, news director for KONG's sister station, KING, which produces both stations' newscasts.
Morning viewers aren't likely to be settling down in front of the TV; rather, they're puttering — or dashing — around the kitchen or bedroom, getting ready for the day. They're not watching the news so much as listening to it.
"Morning news is mostly audio-driven, so (viewers) have to be able to understand what you're talking about while they're brushing their teeth," Kaczaraba said.
This means more of an emphasis on words and less on pictures, which is a challenge in a medium that relies so heavily on visuals. And because morning viewers are tuning in and out at different times, it means a lot of déjà vu and "Am I hearing things or have I just not had my morning coffee?" moments, if one were to watch an entire 2-hour block in one morning. (Don't try this at home.)
"People don't have time to devote hour after hour to watching news," Costello said. "There's a lot of restarts and repetition, and rightfully so. ... Later in the morning, there's a much more sedentary audience that's willing to sit down and watch. To try to satisfy both is the balancing act."
Similarly, lifestyle-oriented morning programs have to strike a balance between news stories and features. That means an anchor might be talking about Iraq one minute and sampling turkey-and-gravy-flavored soda the next. Those faint of heart need not apply.
The home-court advantage
"We want to have information that you can't find by watching the 'Today' show," Costello said. "That's the distinct competitive advantage."
Case in point: "Seattle Live's" co-anchors didn't just report on last week's Seattle Marathon; they actually ran it (or at least, half of it). Cameras followed Taylor and Schauffler through training (who knew KING had an in-house gym?) and all the way to the finish line, where the co-anchors shared a sweaty hug.
While I'm not suggesting that all journalists should exert themselves to that extent for a story, it was an effort that viewers surely appreciated. Besides, how often do you get to see a TV news anchor wearing a baseball cap?
The Matt & Katie factor
It all boils down to this: Whom do you want to wake up to in the morning? If ratings are any indication, NBC's "Today" has found just the right morning mix in Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Ann Curry and Al Roker. By their nature, morning shows allow personalities to shine, and viewers may think of Matt and Katie as friends rather than just talking heads.
"I think personalities mean a whole lot in the mornings. We call them breakfast companions," Kaczaraba said. "When you combine your personalities with a strong local news product, then you have the magic combination."
Locally, I'd like to award the Personality Prize to Q13 meteorologist M.J. McDermott, who can always find a pun-a-licious segue into the weather (example: "No one's going to whine about the weather today" following a story about the best wine to accompany Thanksgiving dinner). McDermott's laid-back style — she's the anti-Barbie — and penchant for seemingly saying whatever comes into her head makes her the perfect morning personality for the Seattle market.
"I was born without elbows. No, it's not true," she said one morning, in a typical you-had-to-be-there moment. That's what I want to hear in the mornings — something to make me chuckle or smile as I'm contemplating my closet.
"M.J. is just the morning optimist," Kaczaraba said. "She's fun; she's not dry. She'll go right onto the edge with her humor."
I found myself actually looking forward to the moments leading into the weather report, simply for the "What will M.J. say next?" factor.
Those intangibles are what morning shows need to really click — and keep viewers like me from clicking to another channel.
Pamela Sitt: 206-464-2376 or psitt@seattletimes.com
