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‘Rachael’ Still Leader of Freshman Pack

Oct 24, 2006  •  Post A Comment

“Rachael Ray” continues to dominate the freshman syndicated pack, leaving talk show competitors behind.

For the week ended Oct. 15, “Rachael” held steady week to week with a 2.0, more than double its closest competitor, “The Dr. Keith Ablow Show,” which garnered a 0.9, according to Nielsen Media Research. “Ablow” had been sharing second place with fellow newbie “The Megan Mullally Show,” but this week “Mullally” slipped 11 percent to a 0.8. The show’s downgrades in New York, Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio, have not yet taken effect. Meanwhile, “The Greg Behrendt Show” was down 13 percent to a 0.7, its lowest rating yet.

By genre, most first-runs continued to be down versus 2005, though some are managing to show signs of life. Almost all talk and court shows experienced week-to-week gains, even though all are down or flat year to year. “Cristina’s Court” was up 8 percent for the week with a 1.4, and “Judge Maria Lopez” was up 13 percent to a 0.9.

Other highlights for the week included “Entertainment Tonight,” which continues to lead newsmagazines with a 5.2, its highest rating in six months. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” continued to lead talk shows with a 6.7, unchanged from the previous week. “The Jerry Springer Show” was up 14 percent to a season high of 1.6.