Super Bowl ratings fall short of record

The 2007 Super Bowl Bears didn't quite match up to the 1986 Super Bowl Bears in the local television ratings either. Sunday's game delivered a 50.2 rating and 77 share for CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 (peaking at 8:15 p.m. with a 51.9 rating), according to Nielsen numbers for the Chicago market.

Channel 2 estimated its local audience at more than 3.8 million.

That fell short of the record-breaking 63.1 rating and 87 share scored by NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 for its broadcast of the Bears' 46-10 blowout over the New England Patriots on Jan. 26, 1986. (At the time, Channel 5 estimated its local audience at more than 5.1 million, although competitors claimed that figure was highly inflated.)

One local rating point equals 34,308 households; share represents the percent of sets in use.

Nevertheless, Channel 2 bosses were pleased with the ratings -- if not the outcome of the Bears' 29-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts -- noting that it was the most-watched broadcast in Chicago since Game 6 of the Bulls' NBA championship over the Utah Jazz in 1998.

"We were thrilled to be the Super Bowl station for this amazing moment in Chicago history," said Joe Ahern, president and general manager of the CBS-owned station. "It was a great ride! Clearly, you can tell from our ratings that Chicagoans came together, turned on their televisions and cheered on the Bears."

While critics faulted Channel 2 for excessive hype and unabashed boosterism on its newscasts, the Super Bowl and related specials proved to be a windfall, adding millions in advertising revenue to the station's bottom line.

Nationally, it was the highest-rated Super Bowl in seven years, with CBS drawing a 42 rating and 63 share -- or an estimated 93.1 million viewers.

•  Univision Radio's WRTO-AM (1200), the Spanish-language news/talk station known as "La Tremenda," will be honored for its coverage of Hispanic community issues -- including its advocacy journalism on immigration reform and specials on the Mexican national elections -- with a 2007 Studs Terkel Award.

Other winners cited by the nonprofit Community Media Workshop are Stephen Franklin, labor reporter for the Tribune, and Mary Gavin, publisher of the biweekly Evanston Roundtable.

The 17th annual Studs Terkel Awards will be presented March 28 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph. For ticket information, see: www.newstips.org

•  •  Chicago television news legend Bill Kurtis is becoming something of a radio mogul too: His Tallgrass Broadcasting, which already owns radio stations in Kansas and Oklahoma, is buying five stations in New Mexico.

Inside Radio reports that Kurtis and partner Joseph Walker agreed to acquire the properties from Broadcast Entertainment Group for $1.25 million.

•  Jack and Virginia Taylor's weekly talk show has moved to a later time on NextMedia Group's north suburban news/talk WKRS-AM (1220). They're now on from 12:15 to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Other changes to the Saturday lineup at WKRS include: "DPlantman" with Don Guzan at 7 a.m.; "CrossStreet" with Joan Conlisk and Karen Cunningham at 8:30 a.m., and "Jerry's Garage Talk" with Jerry Boothe and Nick Dowdal at 10 a.m.

New programs on Sunday are the audio replay of NBC's "Meet the Press" at 11 a.m., Gina Wood's "Open Road Radio" at 1 p.m., and "Travel Today" with Peter Greenberg at 1 p.m.

•   Pat Hughes, who's gearing up for his 12th season as the voice of the Cubs on Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN-AM (720), has been named 2006 Illinois Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

It's the third such honor for Hughes, who previously won in 1999 and 1996. The award will be presented in April inlisbury, N.C.

•  John Scholl has resigned as traffic coordinator for CBS Radio all-news WBBM-AM (780) and the Bears Radio Network to join the nonprofit Center for Cultural Interchange. The Chicago-based organization organizes student exchange programs.