Call me mister sentimental.

Cue the music and bring up full Andy Williams: "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

Yep, it's that time of year again. The November sweeps.  

In the past, stations filled the airwaves with deep-throated fear mongering, energy-pumped teases and secrets to the fountain of youth — all yours, if, and only if, you hang in till the late newscast to see the "special report."

Stations are still grinding out such pieces during sweeps. But some top-25 stations are spreading their best stuff throughout the year. And the sweeps stories being produced seem to be more substantive, honest-to-goodness investigative journalism or simply good enterprise stories with high local interest.

Some of this has to do with Nielsen's introduction of Local People Meters. With the advent of LPMs in Orlando, Sacramento, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Portland and Baltimore, every day is judgment day in the top 24 markets.

"We do special reports year round in our late newscast, and they are promoted year round," says Brad Remington, executive news director of KTVK Phoenix. "We believe we have to build audience 12 months a year and that is true more than ever in an LPM world."

In a somewhat ironic twist, another factor sweeping away the old sweeps mentality is the lousy newsroom economy. Staffs have been cut and reporters are in short supply. There's a cold, but positive, realization that sweep stories eat up valuable newsroom resources. So news managers are wisely questioning, more than ever, whether sweeps pieces really drive an audience. Are they worth the cost and effort?

"I see no indication that sweep stories actually enhance viewership on any given day," says Steve Cohen, news director of KUSI San Diego. "The old sweep mentality forces news directors to marshal limited resources to reach for the holy grail of a ratings pop. The pop is gone. Even the most successful stories on diet, health and political corruption, are now just more of the same for viewers."

The attitude of Peggy Phillip, news director of KSHB Kansas City, is more typical, however, especially at stations outside the LPM markets. "We do them, but I'm not a big fan," she says. "It's Nielsen-induced busy work."

You don't have to look back too far to find examples of sweeps specials run amok.

Last November, we had plenty of reports on sure-fire anti-aging creams, the latest and greatest diet and topics that might be better left alone.

Remember the to-do over one of the more infamous sweeps pieces coming out of Los Angeles, KTLA's special report: "Is Your Betty Ready?"

If you were unsure what a betty is, the opening lines of the report cleared it up: "So what is a betty? Well, put simply, it's the hair down there."

Flashing back again to last November, you had to wonder who at WFSB Hartford, Conn., gave the go-ahead to: "Testing Finds Cocaine On Cash ... Drugs Found On 4 Out Of 9 Bills." Did we really need to test money for traces of drugs? Was the station just dusting off some consultant's old list of to do pieces for the sweeps?

It's easy — and for some pleasurable — to beat up on consultants. Without a doubt, they can take their share of the blame for where we are in the world of hyped-up sweeps pieces and "Nielsen-induced busy work." 

But in an informal survey of consultants and news directors, I found the consultants taking a more cautious approach to sweeps than the news directors.

First, listen to the consultants:

Jim Willi, principal and senior vice president, AR&D: "I am ambivalent on special reports during sweeps. For the most part — I'd say in 90 percent of the cases — they are not really special enough to viewers to cause them to make a viewing appointment. I have had stations tracking the effect of special reports during sweeps for years and there seems to be little correlation between a sweeps piece and a bump in ratings. 

"And, while you may get a bump in a metered market, the chance of getting a bump with a special report in a diary market is very slim because the diary holder would actually have to fill out the diary that night.

"On the other side of the argument, there are a few extremely strong reporters — and stations with strong investigative reputations — that can actually drive a meter upward with a well-marketed special report. Larry Barker at KRQE in Albuquerque certainly drives viewership with his late news investigations during sweeps. WFLA in Tampa has a couple strong investigative reporters — Steve Andrews and Mark Douglas — who can move the needle. But the list is miniscule compared to the number of stations that put on these special reports that frankly aren't | More …