New Talk Shows Off To Slow Start

With the first two of four new fall talk shows getting off to a slow start,  it seems that stations may be asked to show some patience with this fall’s syndicated talk crop.

Sony Pictures Television’s Greg Behrendt debuted Tuesday with a 0.8 rating/2 share weighted average for its primary runs in 52 metered markets, down 33% from its lead-in and year-ago time period averages of 1.2/4.

Airing at 9 a.m. on Tribune’s WPIX in the top-ranked market of New York, the show averaged a 1.0/4, off 29% from its 1.4/5 half-hour news lead-in and 9% from a year ago, when Judge Mathis pulled a 1.1/4.

It did better in women 25-54, averaging a third-place 1.1/7 on WPIX, behind Regis & Kelly and the third hour of the Today, while maintaining its ratings lead-in average in the demo.

In No. 2-ranked Los Angeles, Behrendt was at a 0.7/3 at 10 a.m. on KTLA, off 13% from its news lead-in (0.8/3) and 30% from Jerry Springer a year ago.

Station owner Tribune, partnered with Sony on the show, recently expanded its KTLA morning news show by an hour to 10 a.m., presumably to provide Behrendt with a different audience flow than the previous 9 a.m. entrant, Maury. But Tuesday, the news program plunged 47% from the 1.5/6 Maury delivered in the final half-hour a year ago.

Behrendt’s best performance came in Cincinnati, the 34th largest market, where it averaged a 2.8/7 at 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, Telepictures’ Keith Ablow grew slightly in its second day, rising a tenth to 1.0/3. But its debut in New York, preempted Monday for 9/11 coverage, suffered with a 0.5/2 at 10 a.m. on Fox’s WNYW. It fell 44% from its Tyra Banks lead-in (0.9/4) and 62% from last September’s time period inhabitant, Texas Justice (1.3/5).

Next week, King World’s Rachael Ray and NBC Universal’s Megan Mullally debut.