Syndication Ratings: Syndies Settle on Day Two

After two days, CBS’ The Doctors has an early lead among this year’s crop of syndicated rookies.

The show’s two-day average was a 1.5 rating/4 share among weighted metered-market households, according to Nielsen Media Research, off 12% from its lead-in and 17% from its year-ago time-period average.

As of Tuesday, The Doctors was winning its time period in three of the top 20 markets: on WSB Atlanta at 10 a.m., where it grew 9% from its premiere to a 2.4/9; on KUSA Denver at 1 p.m., where it jumped 40% to a 1.4/6; and on KOVR Sacramento, Calif., at 2 p.m., where it climbed 57% to a 2.2/7.

Warner Bros.’ The Bonnie Hunt Show averaged a 1.0/3 over its first two days, down 29% from its lead-in and 9% from its September 2007 time-period average. It was the top-rated show in its time period on KING Seattle at 2 p.m., where it was flat from Monday to Tuesday at a 1.8/8, and on WEWS Cleveland at 10 a.m., where the show climbed 69% to a 2.7/12.

NBC Universal’s Deal or No Deal -- this year’s first game show to premiere, with Debmar-Mercury’s Trivial Pursuit: America Plays coming up Sept. 22 -- is averaging a 1.3/3, down 7% from both its lead-in and year-ago time-period averages. On WOIO Cleveland at 7 p.m., Deal climbed 64% to a 2.3/4, while on WNBC Los Angeles, the show improved to a 0.7/2 from a 0.4/1, a 75% jump.

The race between the two new court shows narrowed, with Sony’s Judge Karen jumping 38% on Tuesday to a 1.1/3 -- with some help from its lead-in, which improved 22% -- giving the show a 0.9/3 two-day average, down 11% from both lead-in and year-ago time periods.

That put Karen in a dead heat with Program Partners’ Family Court with Judge Penny, which also is averaging a 0.9/3, up 13% versus both its lead-in and year-ago time-period average.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.