Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams will remain in originals
for two months longer than planned, extending production through July, the
company said Monday.
Debmar-Mercury has been pleased by Wendy's recent
ratings. The show averaged a 1.3 live plus same day national household rating
in the February 2013 sweep, up 8% from last February's 1.2. Among women 25-54, Wendy
improved 11% to a 1.0 in the February sweep, tied for seventh place among all
the talkers with Disney-ABC's Katie and NBCU's Steve Harvey.
"Expanding the number of original episodes will allow
us to continue the program's incredible momentum well into the summer, when our
core audience grows with younger viewers drawn to Wendy and her unique take on
hot topics of the day," said Debmar-Mercury copresidents Ira Bernstein and
Mort Marcus in a statement.
Bernstein and Marcus attribute Wendy's
ratings growth to the recent expansion in mid-December of the show's "Hot
Topics" segment, which features former drive-time dee-jay Williams riffing
on the news of the day. In general, Wendy Williams fares better in the
syndie ratings race when the show airs brand-new episodes, according to Debmar.
