Dennis Richmond’s final newscast on Channel 2 got an extraordinary 15.6 rating, more than the combined viewership of the ABC, CBS and NBC stations.

A 15.6 translates into 400,000 households, about three to four times the normal number of viewers. The Chron’s Peter Hartlaub called the 15.6 rating “freakishly huge” and says that even though the season-ending “American Idol” served as a lead-in to Richmond’s last newscast, the audience stayed through the news. (Photo credits: Bob Larson, Contra Costa Times)