CBSNEWS EXECS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE; RATHER RATINGS FADE IN MAJOR MARKETS

The Drudge Report ^ | 9/16/2004 | Matt Drudge

[Rutles4Ever]

Just the title...

MORE INFO

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU SEPT 16, 2004 11:42:09 ET XXXXX

CBS EXECS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE; RATHER RATINGS FADE IN MAJOR MARKETS

CBS executives on both coasts have become concerned in recent days that Dan Rather's EVENING NEWS broadcast has plunged in the ratings since the anchor presented questionable documents about Bush's National Guard service.

NIELSEN numbers released this week show Rather fading and trailing his rivals in every Top 10 city, other than San Francisco, with audience margins in some cities running more than 6 to 1 against CBS!

Executives fear many voters inclined to vote for Bush are now switching off Rather.

"The audience appears to becoming polarized," a top CBS source said from LOS ANGELES on Thursday. "Rightly or wrongly, we're being perceived as 'anti-Bush,' which I do not think is fair to Dan, who is a fine journalist... of course we do not like to see the ratings coming back the way they are this week."

In Philadelphia, the nation's #4 market, Rather pulled a 2.6 rating/5 share on Tuesday night against ABC's 13.3 rating/23 share and NBC's 4.0/7.

In Chicago, Rather hit a 2.3/5 to ABC's 9.2/20.

CBS trailed ABC by more than 2 to 1 in Los Angeles.

And in the nation's top market, New York, Rather finished not only behind NBC NIGHTLY NEWS and ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT -- but also pulled less audience than reruns of the SIMPSONS, WILL & GRACE and KING OF QUEENS.

Rather finished dead last in New York during the 6:30 pm timeslot among all broadcast channels tracked by NIELSEN on Tuesday.

Developing...

[Quicksilver]

NIELSEN numbers this week show Rather fading and trailing his rivals in every Top 10 city, other than San Francisco, with audience margins in some cities of more than 6 to 1 against CBS... MORE..

San Francisco still loves you Dan ...

[marty60]

Ratings = $$$$$$

Now Jay Leno just ended his career with a scathing attack on GWinner. He didn't do it on his show. HE called a media scum to GIVE an interview. (LA WEEKLY)

[Rutles4Ever]

Wow. I was thinking the exact same thing when I heard about O'Reilly's defense of Rather and CBS.

[hawkaw]

It's too bad Drudge's picture of Dan on his web site doesn't have the pencil going all the way though his head and back as some Freeper created here.

[demkicker]

CBSNEWS EXECS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE; RATHER RATINGS FADE IN MAJOR MARKETS

Obviously, they aren't concerned enough or they wouldn't have allowed episode 2 of the dog and pony show last night.

[Tamzee]

Too bad we all didn't buy put options on this last week

You know the saying with stocks .... Hindsight Is Money-Money

[Right Wing Professor]

People don't want to waste their time listening to a pack of lies. Who would have thunk it?

[Revolting cat!]

And Doris Day is our Patron Saint: Que Sera, Sera!

[carmody]

I emailed my local station affiliate and told them the fake document story was a bad reflection on them. Told them I'd watch another local news broadcast since CBS was more interested in shaping the outcome of an election RATHER than reporting on one.

[HawaiianGecko]

Tony Blakely of the Washington Times and Townhall has the pajama people figured out. This is one of the most intelligent and important articles I have read this year.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/tonyblankley/tb20040915.shtml
 

[Rutles4Ever]

This is kind of vague. I don't doubt the 6-to-1 drubbing, but is that pre-Rathergate?

I'm wondering if the story is not so much the ratings but CBS' incentive to DO something about their sinking ship...

Methinks Rather doesn't want to be put out to pasture with a 0.6 share...

[Quicksilver]

Hey C^BS, there's always the Dukes of Hazzard reruns!

[Rutles4Ever]

I guess I missed the detail that these are "this week's" numbers.

I guess the question I'm asking now is, what were the ratings pre-Rathergate? Is this a big change or more of the same?

[Stellar Dendrite]

"Rather has become a laughingstock and can never recover what little credibility he had"

Karma's a b*tch, eh Dan??

[Gucho]

"CBSNEWS EXECS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE;"

"THE ROAD TO C BS"

[GWB00]

Wait until they see their ratings when the memo scandal's been resolved. There are a lot of people monitoring the show to see how the forgeries are handled. When that is over, there will be a further drop.

I agree with you. I have not watched CBS News for years, but this week I have been watching it every night. It is kind of like watching a car wreck.

[SevenofNine]

HA HA

OUCH seem in my city alone Los Angeles his ratings are tanking to 5 to 1

OUCH

[HawaiianGecko]

Bloggers knew!
Kathleen Parker  ----> Has it figured out too!

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/kathleenparker/kp20040915.shtml

The implication that bloggers are slacker dust bunnies has delighted bloggers, the best of whom are lawyers, professors, scientists, renegade journalists and techies of various sorts, such as the brothers Johnson (Charles and Michael) at "Little Green Footballs," whose years of experience in state-of-the-art graphics and Web design at the "pixel level" enabled them to quickly duplicate the CBS memos and demonstrate their likely origin on a very modern computer.

All of which brings me to my premise that the blogosphere isn't just a challenge to journalism in its currently stagnant state, but a potential boon to problem-solving of a higher order. The beauty of the blogosphere is that it is self-igniting, self-propelling and self-selecting, a sort of intellectual ecosystem wherein the best specimens from various disciplines descend from the ethers, converge on an issue and apply their unique talents.

Though virtually newborn, the blogosphere has blossomed exponentially in a matter of Earth-time seconds, from a few random voices to a mighty and diverse chorus of sometimes spectacular talent. Bloggers are the Big Bang of the Information Age.

It seems, therefore, not unreasonable to hope that as this new galaxy expands - with the best and brightest emerging as natural evolution commands - bloggers might apply their immense energy and collective intellect to solving an array of human problems.

[vollmond]

I have been humming songs from "The Pajama Game" for days now :). I even had a wild idea of groups of people protesting CBS affiliates by dressing in pajamas and performing musical numbers from "The Pajama Game" right in front of their doors. A little light hearted street theatre ridiculing CBS is much better than angry protests.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

True, what right thinking person would watch any of the Alphabets??