Putting Columbus in Jeopardy
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/13/2002 8:00:00 PM
The Jeopardy college championships were taped in Columbus, Ohio, last month, and Dispatch's WBNS-TV already is getting a ratings boost for King World's No. 1 game show—even though the taped shows don't air until November.
Taking the show on the road is quite an endeavor for King World, adding $2 million to the show's budget to custom-build a set and move the crew for more than a week. But Jeopardy executive producer Harry Friedman agrees that the ratings jump and the buzz such an event creates both in Columbus and nationally are more than worth it. That's why King World is packing up Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune fairly often.
Talks involving King World, Dispatch Broadcasting, WBNS-TV and Ohio State University, where the event was taped, began months ago. WBNS-TV got the Wendy's fast-food chain, based in nearby Dublin, to promote the taping and provide information about ticket distribution. Dispatch also advertised the event in its newspaper, The Columbus Dispatch, and on its two radio stations, WBNS(AM) and -FM, as well as on WBNS-TV.
Comparing the Sept. 27-Oct. 8 ratings with the comparable period last year, Jeopardy on WBNS-TV is doing an average of 12.1/22 vs. 9.7/18. "We're up four shares and literally three ratings points, and I attribute that primarily to the hype and the partnership," says Frank Willson, director of marketing and design for the station. And those are the ratings before the championship shows air Nov. 11-15 and 18-22.
Thousands of OSU students began lining up at the student center, some as early as 4 a.m., to try out for the show. Only one made it to the championships; WBNS-TV, of course, hopes the Buckeye beats the representative from Ohio State's archrival, the University of Michigan.
Columbus is King World country, it would seem. WBNS-TV is Dr. Phil's top affiliate nationwide, so far scoring an average 8.7 rating/28 share in its 10 a.m. time slot, more than twice the show's national average. The show debuted in Columbus with a 10.0/27.
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