Baseball Preemptions Strike Out Syndies

Preemptions due to baseball playoffs on Fox battered the ratings for a significant number of syndicated shows in the week ending Oct. 16. But most magazines, bolstered by coverage of former Beatle Paul McCartney’s star-studded wedding to American heiress Nancy Shevell nonetheless did well.

Magazine Shows

Entertainment Tonight (CTD)  widened its lead over the field with a 6% increase from the week before to a 3.8. Inside Edition (CTD) held steady at a 3.0; The Insider (CTD) jumped 6% to a 1.7 and moved up to third place; Access Hollywood (NBCU), which did not air 30 times in the top 53 markets because of baseball, still dipped only 16% to a 1.6; Extra (WBDTD) managed to hold firm at a 1.5 despite being preempted 14 times in large markets; while TMZ (WBDTD) lost 22% to a 1.4.

Freshman Shows

The season’s most expensive new off-net sitcom Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) continued to suffer, sinking 11% to a 3.9. The show slid thanks in part to a baseball-fueled decline in its TBS cable ratings. On the other hand, as baseball’s post-season comes to an end, the show’s multiple runs on TBS are expected to send Big Bang’s ratings skyrocketing.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Twentieth) was flat at a 1.2; 30 Rock (NBCU) slipped 15% to a 1.1 in mostly lower-rated, late fringe time periods; while Till Death (Sony) was unchanged at a 0.6.

Excused (CTD), a new latenight dating show, held steady at a 0.6

Veteran Off-Net Sitcoms

Among the veteran off-net sitcoms, Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) tumbled 13% to a 5.6; Family Guy (Twentieth) ticked up 3% to a 3.5; How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth) also inched up 3% to a 3.1; Seinfeld (Sony) slid 4% to a 2.2; while Friends (WBDTD) was flat at a 2.2.

Talk Shows

In talk show action, Dr. Oz (Sony) was tied by Dr. Phil (CTD) for No. 1. Oz was unchanged at a 2.8, while Phil grew 4% from the week before to a 2.8 and was the top talk show for the fourth time in five weeks this season, including this week’s tie.

Live with Regis and Kelly (Disney-ABC) was flat at a 2.5; Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) picked up 5% to a 2.3; Maury (NBCU) also added 5% to a 2.1; Rachael Ray (CTD) rose 7% to a 1.5, tying the The Doctors (CTD), which also gained 7% to a 1.5.

Newcomer Anderson (WBDTD), which was preempted 14 times by baseball games, still climbed 8% in households to a 1.3 and 14% in the women 25-54 demo to easily to lead all first-run daytime rookies.

We the People with Gloria Allred (Entertainment Studios) rebounded 25% to a 0.5 after falling 20% in prior session, while Jeremy Kyle (Debmar) lost 20% to a 0.4.

Court Shows

Judge Judy (CTD) dominated the courtrooms, surging 5% week to week and 51% year to year to a 6.5. No. 2 courtroom Judge Joe Brown (CTD) was heavily preempted and dipped 8% to a 2.4; People’s Court (WBDTD) was flat at a 1.9; and Judge Mathis (WBDTD) was unchanged at a 1.5.

Game Shows

Among game shows, Wheel of Fortune (CTD) was up 2% from the previous frame to a 6.7; Jeopardy (CTD) remain3ed at a 5.6; Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury) was also flat at a 2.6, while Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) got a 9% dividend to a 2.5.

Off-Net Weekly Hours

Law & Order (NBCU) and Criminal Minds (CTD) finished in a dead heat at the top of the off-net weekly hours. L&O, which had been the frontrunner in the previous session, slipped 6% to a 3.1, while Minds improved 3% to a 3.1. Numbers (CTD) added 5% to a 2.3; Monk (NBCU) was off 4% to a 2.2, tying The Closer (WBDTD) — which was unchanged at a 2.2 — and Without a Trace (WBDTD), which tacked on 5% to a 2.2.