Channel 11 goes on top at 10: The news is a new ratings leader

Channel 11 goes on top at 10: The news is a new ratings leader.

BY JIM HARRIS

Along a hallway behind the KTHV, Channel 11 newsroom, cheap chunks of foam plastic painted as small boulders line the wall. But there's nothing cheap in KTHV employees' eyes about what each "milestone" signifies -- starting with Gannett's purchase of the station in 1994 -- and the biggest is at one end.

"No. 1 across the board at 10 p.m.," the inscription reads.

There is a growing excitement around KTHV, and not just from upbeat Craig O'Neill's office down that hallway. Channel 11 narrowly unseated perennial news king KATV Channel 7 in the 10 p.m. newscast in the February Nielsen ratings.

But there's no chest beating. "We only beat them in one newscast," says KTHV news director Mark Raines. "We still have other newscasts to catch up in."

KATV maintained its overall stranglehold on the local news scene, with leads over its two competitors in the other time slots. But KTHV's win at 10 is significant for several reasons: 1) In 12 years, KATV has lost only once at any time slot: to 10 p.m. in July 1994 to KARK, Channel 4; 2) KTHV was mired in last place for decades, and 3) more viewers watch the 10 p.m. news than any other broadcast.

How did Channel 11 do it? Personalities? A female anchor? Strong CBS prime-time lead-ins? Promotional catch phrases, like "THV" and "See and Feel...