Mags Lead Rebound

With Wimbledon preemptions and lowered July 4 HUT levels behind them, most syndicated shows turned in solid ratings gains for the week ended July 13. According to Nielsen, magazine shows were the hot ticket, with double-digit gains all around.

Genre leader Entertainment Tonight
was up 14% to a 4.8. Inside Edition, up 11% to a 3.0; Extra, 32% to a 2.5; and Access Hollywood, a whopping 47%, tying Extra
at a 2.5.

In daytime, four of the top five talk shows perked up. Oprah
led with a 12% gain to a 5.5; runner-up Dr. Phil
was down 5% to a 4.1; Live With Regis and Kelly
was up 9% to a 3.5; and Maury
inched up 3% to a 3.3. The Jerry Springer Show
rose 8% to a 2.7.

The verdict on court shows was an even split between winners and losers. Up: leader Judge Judy, 12% to a 4.7; Judge Joe Brown
, 6% to a 3.3; and Judge Mathis, 6% to a 1.9. Down: Divorce Court, 11% to a 2.5; Texas Justice, 8% to a 2.2; and Judge Hatchett, 11% to a 1.7. People's Court
was flat at a 1.9.

Among rookies, Ask Rita
appeared on the national list with a 0.4. Among the other rookie first-runs, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire
recorded a 3% gain to a 3.0; Pyramid
was up 25% to a 2.0; The John Walsh Show, a no-show last week (the victim of Wimbledon preemptions on NBC), earned a 1.4. Celebrity Justice
was up 8% to a 1.3; Good Day Live
was unchanged at a 1.1; and Ex-Treme Dating
was flat at a 0.9 in its fifth week on the national chart after an 11-month slow rollout.

All the top five weekly hours gained vs. the previous week and last year: No. 1 ET Weekend, at 3.4, 10% for the week and 13% year-to-year; No. 2 ER, with a 2.5, 19% for both the week and the year; World's Wildest Police Videos, at 2.3, 15% and 10%, respectively; Buffy the Vampire Slayer, at 2.1, 5% for both; and Mutant X, also at 2.1, 24% and 11%, respectively.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.