The Bruce Jenner interview Friday on ABC was a triumph for all concerned.
Jenner, the Olympic champion in transition to become a woman, explained the decision with logic and passion. The questions by Diane Sawyer showed both curiosity and the sensitivity. The most surprising moment was when a nonplussed Sawyer was told Jenner was a Republican.
And WISN-TV (Channel 12) localized the story with a strong package by reporter Toni Valliere that included interviews with two transgender Milwaukeeans.
Her live intro, however, demonstrated the risks of incorporating social media into the moment when standing in front of a big screen display of Twitter responses to the interview she quoted a certain Carrie Bradshaw’s remarks.
That is the name of the fictional “Sex and the City” character of course. But since on Twitter people often assume pseudonyms a proper reference would have been, “someone posting under the name of Carrie Bradshaw.”
But it was a small glitch in an otherwise solid night. Nationally, it drew an audience of 17 million the highest rated “20/20,” since 2000, when Barbara Walters interviewed John and Patsy Ramsey, parents of a murdered child.
Locally it was the most watched show of the night, earning a respectable 11.8 rating and a 23 share. Not quite Packers numbers, but then what is? A local rating point represents 8,932 television homes, meaning an average of 105,397 homes watched the game in the Milwaukee market, and that 23% of all sets in use were tuned to the show.
WISN management said there were no calls of complaint about the show, and that comments on the station’s were about 70% positive. ‘I don’t watch crap,” wrote one naysayer.
Curiously the second most watched show aired opposite it; “Blue Bloods” on CBS, which earned an 8.5 rating.
It was previously reported here incorrectly that the Jenner special also helped WISN win the 10 p.m. news race. It was second to WDJT-TV (Channel 58).
Tags: Jenner, transgender, WISN, WISN-TV Posted by