When it comes to local news at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. the nation’s No. 1 station delivers it all en español.
Univision-owned KMEX in Los Angeles outperformed not only local rivals KABC-TV, KNBC, Fox-owned KTTV and KCBS-TV with its early-evening and late-evening newscasts, but every other station in the nation among sdults 18-49 in September.
It’s KMEX’s third consecutive month as the top-rated station in the U.S. for early prime and late local news.
“Our local stations are the hearts and voices of their communities, and this is true nowhere more so than Los Angeles,” Kevin Cuddihy, Univision Communications president of local media, said. “Our KMEX team has done a remarkable job centering newscasts on issues that are important to our viewers in this market. I am proud to say that more people turn to Univision’s local evening news in Los Angeles than in any other market in the country, and our numbers keep growing. This proves the power of our deep ties with the L.A. community and solidifies our position as the pre-eminent source for critical information important to Hispanics.”
KMEX averaged 138,000 viewers for its 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. By comparison, the top English-language station — KNBC — averaged 114,000 viewers.
Additionally, the average audience for KMEX’s Noticias 34 at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. increased by 20% in September compared to the same period a year ago.
The strong afternoon and evening ratings for KMEX’s local news strongly contrast with its local news performance in mornings. The station’s primary Spanish-language rival, Telemundo-owned KVEA, has enjoyed top-dog status among all adults 18-34 with its two-hour block from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. As a result, KMEX in June retooled its pre-Despierta América local wakeup programming with A Primera Hora.
A Primera Hora features segments on such topics as lifestyle, culture, entertainment, community affairs and technology, in addition to straight-ahead news, traffic and weather.
September Nielsen data for A Primera Hora was not released by KMEX and unavailable at press time.
