So who won the TV ratings battle in DC when it came to viewership of Hurricane Sandy coverage on Monday? According to dcrtv.com, the answer is Channel 4/ WRC.
dcrtv.com has the following storm newscast rankings for October 29:
4:30 AM:
1) WRC
2) WUSA
3) WTTG
4) WJLA
5 AM:
1) WRC
2) WTTG
3) WUSA
4) WJLA
6 AM:
1) WRC
2) WTTG
3) WUSA
4) WJLA
4 PM:
1) WRC
2) WTTG
3) WJLA
4) WUSA
5 PM:
1) WRC
2) WJLA
3) WTTG
4) WUSA
6 PM:
1) WRC
2) WJLA
3) WTTG
4) WUSA
11 PM:
1) WRC
2) WJLA
3) WUSA
4) WTTG
Meanwhile, The Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik paid tribute to the broadcast crews that went to Ocean City to cover the hurricane. He wrote on Oct. 30, “After 14 hours of watching Sandy storm coverage, I am convinced that no one deserves more praise than the reporters and camerapersons on the ground in places like Ocean City.
“Yes, there are wall-to-wall fools and hotdogs working at TV stations. In fact, some might say there are far more of them than serious journalists. But I have not seen many hotdogs or fools out in the storm in my 14 hours of watching Baltimore TV coverage of the storm today. I've mainly seen hardworking folks trying to get the story their editors sent them out to get -- and doing it even as they get soaked by a cold, hard rain and brutal winds.
“I have a screengrab up with this post of WBAL's Lowell Melser seconds before a long piece of what looked to be metallic siding came flying toward him and photographer Mac Finney on the streets of Ocean City Monday night. It happened at 7:53 p.m., and was a frightening moment. But Melser just went on with the story after taking a second or two to gather himself.
“In fact, he was so intent on explaining the scene on the streets of an abandoned Ocean City, that he went over, picked up the chunk of metal and held it out for the camera and viewers to see.
“And Deb Weiner, co-anchoring back in the studio, used the drama of what viewers had just witnessed to deftly make a larger point as they returned from Melser's report.
“"And his live shot began with him saying there was little wind," she reminded viewers. Her point was how volatile the situation was and how quickly the wind could pick up and instantly change the game. “