FTVLive told you yesterday that WMAQ is this/close to beating Chicago blowtorch WLS in the late news ratings.

But, it appears that WLS is not going down without a fight.

Robert Feder writes that in a last-ditch effort to stave off defeat, the ABC O&O is pulling out all the stops — and some of the commercials — from its 10 p.m. newscast.

On Monday and Tuesday night, the ABC-owned station dropped two commercial breaks from its late news, postponing its first interruption until 10:21 p.m. It’s a maneuver designed to retain audience ratings by discouraging viewers from channel surfing.

WMAQ which has used the ploy in the past, responded by dropping its commercial breaks until 10:22 p.m. Tuesday. The NBC-owned station is poised to overtake WLS among viewers between 25 and 54 — a key demographic driving advertising revenue.

Feder says that as of Wednesday, WMAQ continues to lead at 10 p.m.

It might be time to break out, "My Daughter is a Stripper and so am I" sweeps story to end the ratings.

Just saying....