• TV Week, Friday, December 8, 2006 11 AM

The Thanksgiving holidays left many syndicators feeling starved for attention as holiday pre-emptions trashed out ratings scores. While some series, including "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Insider," built viewership and touched season-long highs, most syndicated series were down week to week.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" hit a new low and "The Montel Williams Show" posting its worst numbers ever. "Ellen" had a strong week on the back of an appearance by President Bill Clinton on Nov. 21, and the show jumped 5% over the previous week to a season high of 2.2.

The only other talk show to demonstrate any growth was NBCU's "Maury Povich," with a 4% climb to a 2.4. But "Oprah" was harpooned for a full point, dropping 13% to 6.2, and "Montel" staggered down 17% to a new low of 1.3. However, "The Insider" benefited from coverage of the Michael Richards and Kelly Ripa controversies to strike its highest rating of the year, adding 4% to hit a 2.8.

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