• August 28, 2006

It's a first. A Spanish-language TV station ranked first in the ratings in early fringe (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.) for three months in a row this summer. WXTV, Univision's owned-and-operated station in New York, was rated No. 1 among adults 18-34 and 18-49 for June, July and August with the first-run novela "Heridas de Amor" (Wounds of Love). About 20 percent of the New York population is Hispanic, according to U.S. Census estimates. The station also ranked first in August among the 18-34 and 18-49 demos between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. with the popular novela "La Fea Mas Bella" (The Prettiest Ugly Girl). An added boost: WXTV posted strong ratings for its news. Noticias Univision 41, the station's local newscast at 6 p.m., was No. 2 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s, besting the local newscasts on WCBS-TV, WNBC-TV and WNYW-TV. WABC-TV's local newscast was No. 1.