Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 14, 1995 TAG: 9504140012
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Ted Turner and Pat Robertson, two men with little in common except money to invest, were establishing broadcasting and satellite empires on the backs of TV stations airing cheap programming that consisted mainly of old movies and reruns of network television series.
Unfortunately for thousands of investors nationwide, reproducing Turner's and Robertson's successes wasn't so easy.
In the Roanoke-Lynchburg market, WJPR-TV (Channel 21) and what is now WFXR - then known as WVFT - (Channel 27) were about to be born.
The stations were relatively inexpensive to set up, but they had disadvantages. They were UHF, meaning they had channel numbers above 14 and their signal range was inferior to channels 2 through 13. At the time, a lack of network affiliation also was a liability.
Channels 21 and 27, limited by inferior transmitting equipment and insufficient financial backing, were both in bankruptcy court within three years after signing on in 1986. For seven years, the stations' signals were weak and unreliable. They didn't even make a dent in the local TV ratings, even after they got approval to merge their operations and broadcast identical programming.
Things started to change in 1993 when Grant Broadcasting of Florida bought the stations. New general manager Stan Marinoff came aboard 18 months ago; the station got new, more powerful transmission and production equipment; some new employees began a sophisticated and unrelenting promotional campaign; and the stations' network affiliate, Fox, began showing programming maturity and success.
The result is a TV station that is still fourth in a market dominated by stations that have been around for more than 40 years, but one that is now making its mark where it counts - in the ratings conducted by the A.C. Nielsen Co.
In the last two years, the station has increased its overall audience by more than 150 percent, at the expense of the "big three" in the market - WDBJ (Channel 7), WSLS (Channel 10) and WSET (Channel 13).
None of those is ready to cede a top-three spot, but the latest rating figures confirm a changing television market in which No. 4 Fox 21/27 has become a player.
Stations are rated by several factors, but the two most commonly used to sell advertising are ``rating'' and ``share.'' The ``rating'' is the percentage of all households with a television - whether the set is turned on or not - that are tuned to a particular show. The ``share'' is the percentage of all households with the television turned on that are watching the show.
So, a show with a rating of 5 and a share of 15 means 5 percent of all TV households were watching that show and 15 percent of all households with the TV on were viewing that program.
(See accompanying chart for key rating and share numbers for the Roanoke-Lynchburg market in the latest ratings period, Feb. 2 through March 1.)
In the Roanoke-Lynchburg market, viewers continue their love affair with traditional leader WDBJ, particularly with its local newscasts.
At noon, Channel 7's share of the audience was almost three times that of its nearest competitor, WSLS. In the 6 p.m. newscast - generally the best-watched local programming of the day and a station's showpiece - WDBJ more than doubles the rating and share of second-place WSET.
WDBJ's local audience is so strong, says programming director Mike Bell, that the station delivers the highest household rating for the ``CBS Evening News'' of any station in the country.
Even though the CBS prime-time schedule is taking a beating nationally, you'd never know that in this market. Channel 7 holds a strong lead over WSLS in that category as well.
Talk shows - which are popping up about as fast as Rush Limbaugh can say ``ditto'' - are not particularly strong here.
The hottest talker in the country - Ricki Lake - now has the most popular talk show here, airing at 4 p.m. on Channel 10. But she still comes in second - albeit only one rating point back - to ``Matlock'' reruns on Channel 7.
Perennial talk-show favorite Oprah Winfrey has apparently lost some strength since reformatting to avoid some of the more sensational talk topics. She loses to Channel 7's 5 o'clock newscast, but holds a slight edge over Channel 10's ``First News'' at that hour.
Fox rarely moves out of fourth place when comparing overall numbers with the big three, but the station has shown consistent growth, apparently shaving audience share from each of the other three commercial stations.
And 21/27 has been quite successful at developing niche markets. For instance, it broadcasts several hours of children's programs each day, which its competitors concede has been successful in drawing younger viewers before and after school each day. It also has drawn numbers of young adults to programs such as ``Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and ``The X-Files.''
It is the National Football League provider and is carrying a limited National Hockey League package now. Still, the Fox affiliate promotes itself as the weekend alternative to sports, airing a heavy schedule of movies - many aimed at families.
Where the station does not yet compete is in local news, a situation that will change within a couple of years, Marinoff said.
The station is exploring options for providing local news, weather and sports, including the possibility of a partnership with one of its competitors, a technique used by a number of Fox affiliates around the country. Relatively few Fox stations are running independent news operations.
Local news would ``enhance our image and our public service role,'' Marinoff said, both priorities for the coming couple of years.
``There is room for us to grow,'' he said. ``As long as we keep marketing ourselves, keep thinking, stay aggressive, there's no telling how much we can do.''
by CNB