Burn Notice -- the goose that is laying the golden eggs

Here's hoping that there is a resolution at tomorrow's City Commission Meeting to keep Burn Notice in Coconut Grove.

I am receiving emails from people, mostly from politicians, who want Burn Notice gone, claiming that it is not very high in USA network's ratings and that it does not have a large audience.

First off, Burn Notice is not on the air presently. The new season starts June 4. That is why they are not in the ratings. I suggest that people who are responsible for killing the show in Coconut Grove, look up the facts before they act, because they don't seem to have a clue presently.

Secondly, the ratings are high, despite what many think. I'll get to that, but the subject here is jobs and money -- why would we send jobs to Louisiana if we don't have to? Why would we take $6 million a year and throw it away, I am told it is $18 million, so even if it is $10 millions, don't we want to keep it here? Don't we care about jobs in this terrible economy and the trickle down effect? And even if the ratings were bad, which they aren't, if the show wants to pump millions into our area, why tell them to go away?

Many of you may not follow the show, but it has a cult following and they know every detail about every scene and they know that the show is filmed mostly in Coconut Grove and they know all the locations seen on tv and what streets were used and what stores are in the background and they seek out Burn Notice as part of their vacation and travel plans. Above is the exterior of Michael Westen's loft (he's the title character) -- blown up in one episode, still part of the scene at the Expo Center filming location.

Now for ratings, Burn Notice actually draws more viewers on the USA network than many mainstream network tv shows do, it actually is one of the most popular shows on tv. This came from By the Numbers, published March 6:

The season two finale of Burn Notice burned very brightly last night.

The March 5 installment drew a series best 6.1 million viewers, with a 4.5 national rating, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The episode also scored a series best 2.74 million adults 18 to 49 and 3.07 million adults 25 to 54. Compared to the mid-season finale this summer, last night’s telecast was grew 33% among 18-to-49 viewers, 37% with the 25-to-54 set and 31% in total viewers.

Relative to the season finale, it was not only the biggest telecast on cable on March 5, but beat a number of broadcasters in the process. USA said the show ranked first on TV among men 18 to 34 in its 10 p.m. timeslot; topped an encore of ABC’s Private Practice in that hour among adults 18 to 49 by 55%, persons 25 to 54 by 44% and total viewers by 36%; and outperformed ABC’s entire primetime lineup, including a fresh Ugly Betty episode and a repeat of Grey’s Anatomy, with the aforementioned demos.

So for those of you who are concerned about the ratings. Don't worry about Burn Notice, it is doing quite well. It is showcasing Coconut Grove and Miami and bringing jobs and money into our area in the process.

And on that note, I have to go, Burn Notice is blowing up a car in my friend's backyard today and I wanna go watch . . .