CBS Television Distribution‘s syndicated show, “Dr. Phil” is feeling the afterglow with local stations because of its resurgence in the ratings, according to TVNewsCheck.

“We were more than happy to renew Phil; its ratings have improved,” Randa Minkarah, senior vice president of Fisher Broadcasting, told TVNewsCheck. “The advertisers like Phil, too. It’s a known quantity to them.”

CBS Television Distribution shows “Dr. Phil” averaging a 3.2 household rating giving it a 23 percent lead over its nearest competitor.

Among women 25-54, Dr. Phil is No. 1 with a 1.7, up 6% from this time last year. Ellen is No. 2 with a 1.6. Live and NBCUniversal’s Maury are tied at No. 3 with a 1.5 rating.

Some stations are taking advantage of the newly found eyeballs by placing the show as a 4 p.m. lead in to their 5 p.m. newscasts.

Those time slots attract more viewers and ad dollars than 3 p.m. At 3 p.m., an average 34.5% of households use television while at 4 p.m. the HUT is 39%.

Of course, the improved ratings bring a larger price tag, but Michael Fiorile, vice chairman and CEO of Dispatch told TVNewsCheck the price is worth it, ““It did a 6 rating its first day in its time period [on Columbus' WBNS] against Ellen’s 3.7 and the court shows did a 2. We’re pretty high on the show right now.”