After a turbulent stretch that led to lineup changes, The Score is celebrating a fall ratings book in which its two new shows ranked at or near the top in the station’s key demographic.
The “Spiegel & Holmes” afternoon show rated first in its time slot (2-6 p.m.) in the Chicago market among men aged 25-54 with a 5.9 share. The “Bernstein & Harris” midday show, with twice-weekly appearances by Leila Rahimi, ranked second in its spot (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) with a 7.4 share, the highest of the station’s shows. It trailed WLS-FM, which had a 9.5 share.
Nielsen’s fall ratings book covers Sept. 12 to Dec. 4. Laurence Holmes’ first show with Matt Spiegel was Sept. 23, and former CBS 2 sports anchor Marshall Harris joined Dan Bernstein on Sept. 30.
The Score operations director and brand manager Mitch Rosen paired Holmes with Bernstein in middays in June 2022, and the show rated well from the start, posting a 7.5 share in its first book that summer to rank second in the time slot.
But it ended this September after Bernstein reacted poorly on the air to Barstool Eddie of Barstool Chicago calling him by his last name. The episode eventually gained traction online, and Bernstein became the target of outrageous vitriol.
The situation didn’t sit well with Holmes, who maneuvered out of middays and into the afternoon chair vacated by Danny Parkins, who left for FS1’s new morning show in August. Former host Jason Goff had been the favorite for the opening, but the sides couldn’t agree on terms. Harris, who left CBS 2 in July, took Holmes’ spot.
During prime hours (6 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday), The Score ranked second with a 6.3 share, trailing WLS-FM, which had a 6.8. For the full week (6 a.m.-midnight Monday-Sunday), the station tied for fourth with a 5.2 share, trailing WLS-FM (6.0), WDRV-FM (5.4) and WLIT-FM (5.3). WCHI-FM also earned a 5.2.
The Score’s “Mully & Haugh” morning show (5:30-10 a.m.) ranked fourth with a 5.2 share, trailing WLS-FM (6.5), WDRV-FM (6.1) and Spanish-language WLEY-FM (5.4).
Sports-talk competitor ESPN 1000 no longer appears in Nielsen’s ratings after ending its subscription to the service at the beginning of the year.