November 3, 2004

KGW-TV dominates on election night, topping all Portland (OR) television outlets in coverage

Portland, OR -- The hotly contested general election brought out near-record numbers of voters in Oregon, Washington, and across America. KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8 emerged as the clear ratings winner among Portland television stations, earning nearly double the viewership of the closest competitor in the crucial evening hours.

Throughout Election Day 2004, viewers turned to NewsChannel 8 as the undisputed news leader. Through its own platforms and alliances with other media partners, Northwest NewsChannel 8 also brought viewers unprecedented coverage on its 24-hour regional news service, Northwest Cable News, kgw.com, and PAX.

NewsChannel 8 was the only local station able to provide national and local coverage on KGW while also simultaneously providing continuous local coverage from 8 p.m. to midnight on Northwest Cable News. In addition to NewsChannel 8's broadcast and cable coverage, kgw.com received over 1.5 million hits throughout the day.

Five thousand viewers also watched NewsChannel 8's live streaming video of election coverage via the website.

Nielsen preliminary ratings: (some time periods vary due to stations' scheduling choices)

3-3:30 p.m.STATIONSHARE
KGW11
KATUDid not provide election coverage
KOINDid not provide election coverage
4-5 p.m.STATIONSHARE
KGW18
KATU9
KOIN12
4-4:30 p.m.STATIONSHARE
KGW18
KATU9
KOIN12
5-8 p.m.STATIONSHARE
KGW24
KATU13
KOIN11
8-8:30 p.m.STATIONSHARE
KGW25
KATU17
KOIN13
8:30-11 p.m.STATIONSHARE
KGW23
KATU11
KOIN13
11 PMSTATIONSHARE
KGW18
KATU14
KOIN13

"NewsChannel 8 showed its commitment to being 'Where the News Comes First' by being the first on the air and providing more coverage through several platforms than any other station in Portland," said KGW President and General Manager Paul Fry. "All year long our goal at Northwest NewsChannel 8 was to provide viewers with the most comprehensive, accurate and insightful election coverage. We sponsored two live televised debates on the mayoral contest, and we premiered a weekly program, 'Viewpoint,' that focused on election issues for the last six weeks. We also provided free airtime to federal candidates though Belo's unique "It's Your Time" program."


"We worked hard to bring viewers the most thorough election results on Tuesday," said NewsChannel 8 Executive News Director Rod Gramer. "We were able to offer an unmatched level of comprehensive coverage. We're honored that viewers responded by making NewsChannel 8 their choice for election night coverage."

About KGW-TV
KGW is part of Belo Corp., one of the nation's largest media companies with a diversified group of market-leading television, newspaper, cable and interactive media assets. A Fortune 1000 company with approximately 7,900 employees and $1.4 billion in annual revenues, Belo operates media franchises in some of America's most dynamic markets and regions, including Texas, the Northwest, the Southwest, Rhode Island, and the Mid-Atlantic. Belo owns 19 television stations (six in the top 15 markets); owns or operates seven cable news channels; and manages one television station through a local marketing agreement. Belo's daily newspapers are The Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) and the Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, TX). Belo operates more than 30 Web sites, several interactive alliances and a broad range of Internet-based products. Additional information, including earnings releases and corporate communications, is available online at www.belo.com . For more information contact Brenda Buratti at (503) 226-5130.