On Top in the Twin Cities
Between reading headlines and bantering with co-host Jamie Yuccas Thursday on the“WCCO Morning Show,” Jason DeRusha decided to have a snack on the air.
He choked down a raw egg.
“The egg tasted pretty good, actually. Silky, with the eggy essence you’d expect,” DeRusha said later of his bit that mimicked David Letterman’s from the night before. “Who am I kidding? It was pretty gross. But anything for the show.”
That attitude also led DeRusha to tweet passionately from Miley Cyrus’ concert and pose in downtown Minneapolis as David Caruso’s character on “CSI: Miami.” Not behavior typically exhibited by a local news anchor, but it’s a key reason why Channel 4’s morning program has grown 18 percent in total viewers since a new anchor team was installed in June — a remarkable feat considering that early risers are slow to trade allegiances.
Not only is “WCCO Morning Show” now the top-rated wake-up program in the Twin Cities, but “CBS This Morning” also has ascended to No. 1 in the Twin Cities for the first time in recent memory.
In fact, “CBS This Morning” has jumped 19 percent, making the Twin Cities the largest market in the country in which CBS is ahead of ratings heavyweights “Good Morning, America” and “Today.”
“I’m surprised there has been this much growth this quickly,” said Norah O’Donnell, who co-hosts the national show with Charlie Rose and Gayle King. “That we’re No. 1 in Minneapolis means we’re really putting points on the scoreboard.”