By Katie Maurer

John Hannon is pleased with the progress of his station’s foray into the nightly news business.

Hannon, general manager of WBDT-TV Channel 26, Dayton’s CW, launched a 10 p.m. newscast in late August.  In the ensuing six weeks, the broadcast has raised the rating 9 percent in that time slot, according to September Nielsen household ratings.

The station went from airing “Friends” during the 10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. time slot with a 2.3 household rating to its 2.5 rating average with the news through Sept. 28.  The news broadcast is handled by the team from WDTN-TV Channel 2.

Hannon said he didn’t expect these kinds of numbers for a couple of months.

“It’s far and away exceeded our revenue and ratings goals,” he said.

While the newscast has been an early success for the CW, officials from Dayton’s other 10 p.m. news broadcast said they are not worried.

Dean Ditmer, general manager of WRGT-TV Fox 45, said it’s too early to tell if his station has been affected.

“We won’t know demographically until the end of the year what the newscast is delivering,” he said.

In the recent ratings, the longstanding Fox 10 p.m. newscast outdrew the CW news, but it did feel an effect.

The 10 p.m. news on Fox 45 was averaging a 5.6 household overnight rating Monday through Sunday, 30 days prior to the launch of the CW’s nightly news.

Since the launch on Aug. 20, the newscast averaged a 4.9 rating, according to the ratings.

Jarrett Hicks, research director for Cincinnati-based Inside Media, said the fall book of ratings will be the best indicator of how the news broadcasts are doing.

The fall ratings, due out in December, will be a good gauge because both stations will have had a stretch of consistent primetime programming and about four months will have passed into the CW’s newscast.

Hannon said the news broadcast is evolving daily and he’s adjusting it to meet viewers needs and demands.

He said the CW would not have had as much success if they would have launched a news broadcast themselves.

The station has some changes planned downed the line, but Hannon would not disclose them at this time.

“Some changes we have coming up have the potential to excite some viewers in the market,” Hannon said.

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