Posted by chicagomedia.org on July 24, 2009 at 11:13:05:
No ratings gain yet for WBBM Ch. 2 news director
No ratings gain yet for Ch. 2 news director
July 24, 2009
LEWIS LAZARE | Sun-Times Media & Marketing columnist
The ratings needle hasn't moved in any sustained way yet for CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2's flagship 10 p.m. newscast.
Though WBBM News Director Jeff Kiernan isn't obsessively focused on the ratings right now, he has to feel some disappointment that his efforts behind the scenes haven't paid off yet six months into his tenure at the station. Kiernan came to WBBM in January with a reputation for quick turnarounds of troubled newscasts. In his last news director job he took the late news product at the CBS station in Boston from third to first in just 18 months.
It may be tougher sledding in Chicago. Still, Kiernan is trying to effect change wherever he can. Kiernan, for instance, took the daring step of going with a single anchor -- Rob Johnson -- at 10 p.m. in May. Kiernan describes it as "an experiment" -- his way of suggesting it's a move he may not stick with over the long haul. He describes the solo anchor as a "point of difference" to separate WBBM's newscast from those of competitors.
And if there is one thing Kiernan has obsessively focused on in his first six months on the job, it's doing everything possible with the resources at hand to differentiate Channel 2 from its competitors. He hopes viewers who have sampled the 10 p.m. news product recently have noticed how WBBM is often choosing to lead its 10 p.m. newscast with different stories from those seen on competing newscasts and then telling those stories in a style unique to the station.
Kiernan points to Wednesday's 10 p.m. newscast as a good example. Instead of leading with that evening's big and obvious news event, President Obama's press conference, Channel 2 led with a followup story about a man who says he was hazed by fellow members of a local high school football team.
"We heard from viewers, and decided to come back at it," said Kiernan. Reporter Mai Martinez's piece included others' accusations against the victim.
Kiernan said the choices he's making about story lineups are driven by one thing: "We constantly ask ourselves what is of interest to the viewers."
For now, Kiernan seems to be downplaying a quick turnaround in WBBM's 10 p.m. news fortunes. Rather, he talks more about winning back viewers one by one as they sample the station's revamped news product -- a slower approach to winning in the ratings, to be sure. But perhaps a more realistic one. "It's a process," said Kiernan.