Preemptions shake up syndie skeds

Top-rated newcomer 'Rachael' slipped only 5% to a 2.0

By ADDIE MORFOOT

Heavy news coverage of the Oct. 2 Amish schoolhouse massacre, a severe Chicago storm that knocked out power to thousands and blocked out Nielsen on Oct. 3 as well as 10 baseball playoff games created numerous preemptions for syndicated shows during the week ended Oct. 8.

Rookie and veterans largely held up well, however, suffering only minor losses at worst even though daytime broadcast viewing declined by an average of 108,000 households week to week.

For example, "Rachael Ray," the top-rated newcomer in firstrun, slipped only 5% to a 2.0. Yakker finished first or second in its time periods in 22 of the 55 metered markets while hitting its highest ratings yet in seven major cities during the week.

Second-place newcomer "Geraldo at Large" dropped 13% to a 1.4, followed by "Cristina's Court," which was unchanged at a 1.3. "The Dr. Keith Ablow Show" and "The Megan Mullally Show" tied for fourth with a 0.9. "Ablow" fell 10% while "Mullally" was up 13%. "The Greg Behrendt Show" and "Judge Maria Lopez" were each unchanged at a 0.8.

Among the freshman off-net sitcoms, "According to Jim" was highest rated, holding steady at a 1.7. "Scrubs" fell 6% to a 1.5, while "Still Standing" was unchanged at a 1.4. "One on One" remained at a 0.8 for a second consecutive week.

Among the new weekly off-net hours, "CSI: Miami" was up 5% to a 4.6. "Without a Trace" was unchanged at a 2.7, while "American Idol Rewind" was down 4% to a 2.6. "The Shield" was up 7% to a 1.6, while the digitally remastered "Star Trek: The Original" series was down 8% to a 1.2. "Masterminds" rose 20% to a 0.6, and "Hip-Hop Hold 'Em" debuted at a 0.2 in 46% of the country.

Among veterans, very few shows were up year to year.

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" had the biggest improvement of any firstrun strip in any genre, growing 11% year to year and 3% week to week to a 3.1.