Tuesday, November 02, 1999
Money giveaways on newscasts point out absurdity of sweeps
BY JOHN KIESEWETTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
So you want to be a millionaire? Would thousands of dollars be OK?
Two Tristate stations, WKRC-TV and WCPO-TV, could give away more than $500,000 in cash to viewers watching their newscasts during November sweeps, a month when ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire returns and Fox's Greed: The Multi-Million Dollar Challenge debuts.
Don't expect Channel 12's Troubleshooter or Channel 9's I-Team to expose these attempts to bribe you. These contests are on their stations.
• Since Monday, Channel 12 has been giving away $25,000 a night to viewers with the winning Big Bucks Bingo numbers (from Reach magazine) during the 11 p.m. news.
When the game ends Nov. 24, the CBS affiliate will have given away $450,000.
Jim Scott, on sister Clear Channel radio station WLW-AM (700), will announce more Big Bucks Bingo numbers every weekday morning.
• On Thursday, the first day of sweeps, Channel 9 will give away $1,000 to viewers at 5:30 and 11 p.m., if the last four digits of their Social Security number match winning numbers. Winners can double their money by answering a news trivia question.
To combat Clear Channel's eight-station radio monopoly here, Channel 9 has enlisted DJs from WUBE-FM (105.1), WGRR-FM (103.5), WKRQ-FM (101.9) and WIZF-FM (100.9) to read numbers.
Up to $80,000 could be doled out when Channel 9's Watch and Win ends with sweeps on Dec. 1.
All for ratings.
Stations have given away sweeps' prizes before — Channel 12 helped WVMX-FM (94.1) award a house in May — but never has so much cash been handed to so many.
@subhead:Sweetening for sweeps
@body:
Sweeps month contesting, a growing national trend, expands to the networks this month with the two-week return of ABC's Millionaire (Nov. 7-21, Channels 9, 2) and Fox's new Greed (8-10 p.m. Thursday, Channels 19, 45).
But WLWT (Channel 5) and WXIX-TV (Channel 19) aren't going to play the game. For now.
“From a journalistic standpoint, we don't think that contesting is all that appropriate. But it has become pretty commonplace (elsewhere),” says Bill Manning, Channel 5 creative services director.
A cynic would say that what passes for TV news during sweeps months has become so bad that they're paying you to watch.
Why else should any sane person tune in those sensationalized sweeps series about killer bras, moldy motel rooms or germ-infested salad bars?
Aren't you sick of those Exclusive Reports You'll Only See Here, A Story That Could Save Your Life, reports that Every Parent Must See?
Well, many TV executives are fed up with them, too.
“I wish sweeps would go away,” says Steve Minium, Channel 12 news director. “If we could be measured (by ratings) year-round, you'd see all this silliness go away.”
CBS Television President Leslie Moonves and Fox Sports Television Chairman David Hill concur.
“Sweeps suck!” Mr. Hill told TV critics earlier this year. “What happens is that we throw all our best stuff on, and it's a train wreck.”
“Getting rid of sweeps would be a huge plus,” Mr. Moonves told TV critics earlier this year. “It is hurting us all.”
@subhead:All about ratings
@body:
Sweeps are conducted four times a year for TV stations to get information about their viewers' age and sex.
Cincinnati stations receive daily ratings from 360 Nielsen meters here. But those machines only report that the set is on, not who is watching. If anyone.
Demographics come from Nielsen diaries distributed four times a year (February, May, July, November), combined with the meter data. Stations base advertising rates on February, May and November sweeps. (July is generally ignored because of low summer viewing.)
Years ago, Arbitron moved to year-round radio ratings based on diaries. Jon Lawhead, Channel 19 general manager, and other TV executives wish that Nielsen would do the same for TV.
“Everybody gets in this big tizzy three times a year,” Mr. Minium says. “And we're not judged by our year-round effort, but all this stunting and specials.”
To be honest, Channels 12 and 19 could gain most from a sweeps truce. Channel 19's 10 p.m. news gets hurt by sweeps specials and miniseries.
While Channel 9 won all three sweeps months last season, Channel 12 won most of the other months. Channel 12 has won most weekday newscasts since losing May sweeps. With CBS' strong fall start, Channel 12 won the 11 p.m. news in October by three ratings points (about 24,000 homes) over Channel 9 and Channel 5. Says Mr. Minium: “At 11 p.m., we just kill everybody.”
Now, they'll pay some of them, too?
For nine months a year, Cincinnati has solid, competitive TV newscasts. Nine months of normalcy, and three months of embarrassing lunacy.
If enough people like Channel Surfing for Dollars during sweeps, the give-aways will grow. That's something Every Viewer Needs to Know.
John Kiesewetter is Enquirer TV/radio critic. His column appears Monday and Wednesday. Write: 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; fax: 768-8330.
