JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Channel 4, The Local Station, was the most-watched television station in the Jacksonville market for the 2020-2021 broadcast season, according to numbers released by independent measurement from Nielsen Media Research.
WJXT was No. 1 for the entire broadcast day in the most coveted demographic for advertisers: adult 25-54 viewers. In all three of the marquee local news dayparts News4JAX finished No. 1 in the same key demo. The strength of News4JAX broadcasts are driven by the station’s original reporting, breaking news and weather coverage, news anchors viewers know and trust, and the station’s deep connection to the local community.
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WJXT continues to be a prominent choice for prime time viewing as well in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. The lineup of Last Man Standing and The Big Bang Theory beat ABC and CBS prime for all major demographics the 2020/2021 season overall. The Big Bang Theory on WJXT is the top syndicated entertainment show in Jacksonville. Also, Entertainment Tonight finished the broadcast season as the top entertainment news show and Inside Edition finished the broadcast season as the top syndicated news magazine show.
“I said it last year. I’ll say it again this year; rumors of the demise of broadcast television just aren’t true,” said Bob Ellis, WJXT & WCWJ vice president and general manager. “While streaming and other forms of entertainment have increased to be certain, the role of the broadcast television station hasn’t changed. It’s still the best place to get current, factual local information that affects your life. It’s still the best place and most efficient for businesses to place their advertising messages if they want it to be seen by a large audience. Do certain shows on streaming services and cable TV flash and get viewers? Of course. But the consistency and size of the audience day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month in local TV, and especially on Channel 4, remains unmatched.”
Morning news on Channel 4 continues to win every major demo from 4:30 am-10 am. News4JAX at 4:30 a.m. is No. 1 by 66% for adult 25-54 impressions. News4JAX at 5 a.m. is No. 1 in the time period with 7,000 adult 25-54 viewers and nearly beats the combined ratings of First Coast News on WTLV and Action News Jax on WJAX and WFOX.
At 5:30 aa.m., News4JAX wins by 136% with 9,000 adult 25-54 viewers. News4JAX at 6 a.m. is #1 with 11,000 adult 25-54 viewers in the 6-7 a.m. time period.
The Morning Show (7‑9 a.m.), anchored by Jennifer Waugh, Bruce Hamilton, Melanie Lawson and Richard Nunn, is No. 1 in the time period, with 11,000 adult 25-54 viewers beating out all other newscasts, including the national broadcasts of NBC’s Today Show on WTLV, CBS This Morning on WJAX and ABC’s Good Morning America on WJXX. It also has nearly double the viewers of Action News Jax on WFOX.
May 2021 marks The Morning Show’s 119th consecutive month winning the time period in household ratings as well. At 9a a.m., The Morning Show 2 beats the Today Show 3 in all major demos.
“When you think about the last year and the things we’ve had to endure, local television news played a critical role in informing and helping understand what was happening,” Ellis said. “To be the most trusted source in Jacksonville for news and information during this past year is extremely high praise. We’ve been the most watched local news for decades, but this year it feels a little more special, a little more prominent given the stories we’ve covered.”
In evening news, News4JAX at 5 p.m. is the most watched in the time period, with an average of 9,000 adults 25-54 watching every day for the broadcast season.
News4JAX at 5:30 p.m. is No. 1 in the time period with 10,000 adults 25-54.
News4JAX at 6 p.m. anchored by Tom Wills, Mary Baer, and chief meteorologist John Gaughan is No. 1 with 12,000 adults 25-54, beating the closest competitor, Action News Jax on WJAX, by 37%.
The story continues in late news where WJXT is No. 1 with The Ten O’Clock News at 10 p.m., with 10,000 adult 25-54 viewers and outperforms Action News Jax on WFOX by 140%. Again at 10:30 p.m., News4JAX is No. 1 with 8,000 adult 25-54 viewers, beating WFOX by 175%.
News4JAX is No. 1 at 11 pm for adults 25-54, with 7,000 tuning in.
Source: Nielsen August 27, 2020-May 26, 2021, average. PAVs for news programming. Prime is based on time period averages WJXT and WFOX M-F 8-10 p.m, WTLV, WJXX, WJAX, WCWJ 8-11 p.m. Total broadcast day is Monday-Friday 3 a.m.-3 a.m.