Strong Showing for Syndie Weeklies
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/7/2004 8:52:00 AM MT
Syndicated weeklies heated up the first week of summer, with eight of the top 10 showing gains and the other two holding steady for the week ending June 27.
Entertainment Tonight weekend led the way, as usual, with a 3.0, up 3% for the week and on par with the same week last year. Off-ABC’s The Practice, in second place, earned a 2.2, up 10% for the week and 16% from last year. West Wing, the top rookie weekly, was up 11% to a 2.1.
Stargate SG-1 at a 1.9, was unchanged and down 5% from last year. In fifth place, ER was up 20% to a 1.8, but down 25% year-to-year. She Spies, also at a 1.8, was up 6% week to week and year to year.
Rookie weeklies Unexplained Mysteries and Walker, Texas Ranger, were tied at a 1.7 and were also both up 6%, and 13%, respectively. Mutant X tied Andromeda for ninth place with a 1.6. Mutant was (ironically) unchanged on the week, but down 20% from last year. Andromeda was up 7% for the week and up 14% from last year.
Elsewhere, most of the action was in access, where the top four games and mags recorded solid gains over last year at this time, while off-net sitcoms were all down double-digits from last year.
In daytime, talk and court shows were little changed, led by Oprah, up 5% to a 6.5, and Judge Judy, holding steady at a 4.5. For Oprah, the big number was a 9.7 June 22 with guest Bill Clinton.
