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CBSNEWS EXECS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE; RATHER RATINGS FADE IN MAJOR MARKETS
The Drudge Report ^ | 9/16/2004 | Matt Drudge

Posted on 09/16/2004 8:14:29 AM PDT by Rutles4Ever

Edited on 09/16/2004 8:57:41 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

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...


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush; cbs; cbsnews; downinflames; napalminthemorning; nationalguard; rather; rathergate; seebs; seebsnews; seeyadannyboy
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To: Rutles4Ever

241 posted on 09/16/2004 10:09:52 AM PDT by smith288 (Did you know John Kerry was a senator? What's his record, I wonder...)
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To: Rutles4Ever
"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."

There they go again, blaming the wrong person(s).

242 posted on 09/16/2004 10:09:53 AM PDT by admiralsn ("Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called 'walking.'")
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To: MeekOneGOP
I also watched his hit piece on "60 Minutes" last week and yesterday, too.

I'd have to have a barf bag handy to watch dan blather on any given night. He lost my interest during the 2000 election reports. He is a miserable piece of human scum

243 posted on 09/16/2004 10:10:02 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Charter member of the VRWC - and proud of it. - - - Hear BS on See BS.)
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To: 101st-Eagle

Good job!!!! I love it when I see people take action rather than bitch and moan and do nothing about it.


244 posted on 09/16/2004 10:11:22 AM PDT by diamond6 (Everyone who is for abortion has already been born. Ronald Reagan)
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To: txrangerette
Easy; their ratings level below their rivals has dropped far lower than it has been.

Yes, that is the implication, of course.

My point remains the same. "Lower" by how much?

245 posted on 09/16/2004 10:13:35 AM PDT by newgeezer (Just my opinion, of course. Your mileage may vary. You have the right to be wrong.)
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Comment #246 Removed by Moderator

To: Rutles4Ever

bump


247 posted on 09/16/2004 10:15:49 AM PDT by Roberts
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE

(from the All in the Family episode where Archie was being interviewed for CBS Evening News):

ARCHIE: "Edith, what channel is the Cronkite news on?"

EDITH: "Channel 2, Archie...the one we don't watch because you keep saying that Walter Cronkite is a Communist."


248 posted on 09/16/2004 10:16:34 AM PDT by raccoonradio
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To: Grampa Dave
I will link this thread to the Ad Boycott thread

And could you provide links to the Ad Boycott thread, pretty please? We seem to have a lot of new visitors and this would make it easier for them.

249 posted on 09/16/2004 10:16:48 AM PDT by MaeWest (Hey, Dan, we're here, we're jammied, and we're in your face!)
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To: All

Dan Rather's career is over, done, finished, see ya later aligator!!!!


250 posted on 09/16/2004 10:18:38 AM PDT by Halls
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To: OpusatFR
I am not gloating, but I would be dishonest if I were to say that I haven't longed for this day. God bless the bloggers, and may they remain ever vigilant.
251 posted on 09/16/2004 10:21:40 AM PDT by ashtanga
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE

I think "Walter Cronkite" is the CBS "brand name" ...

Good point..

Bandini is a BRAND NAME for crap.

Now we have two more names to substitute.

Not only is Dan in deep cronkite, the rather is hitting the fan.


252 posted on 09/16/2004 10:22:15 AM PDT by JesseJane ( "I inadvertently took a few documents from the Archives," Berger said.)
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To: rintense
I don't think CBS, NBC, and ABC would touch O'Reilly as an anchor, whether he thinks so or not. But how about this -- what if he wants to move his show to one of those networks and start making real big megabucks. Maybe he thinks his big U-turn to the left will help him. Maybe he thinks his apparently fraudulent romancing of the right has gotten him all he can get. Anyone know when his contract with FOX is up?
253 posted on 09/16/2004 10:24:38 AM PDT by ml1954 (Off with their heads)
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To: Rutles4Ever

RATHERGATE: Danny-boy has become what he hated (Nixon).
"What did Dan know and when did he know it?"

As Nelson in the Simpsons would say "Haaa-haaaa"


254 posted on 09/16/2004 10:26:19 AM PDT by W1_hooyah
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To: Rutles4Ever
Why this is incredibly important:

Advertisers pay on a "cost per thousand" basis. That is, they pay a certain amount of $ per each thousand television sets tuned to their broadcast. That means that ABC with a 9.2 rating (9.2 percent of all the families in Chicago) and Rather with a 2.3 rating (2.3 percent of all families were watching Rather) ensured that ABC made 4 times as much money for their Evening news as CBS did.

This also effects the affiliates greatly.

Bad Day at Black Rock!

This will not be allowed to continue!
255 posted on 09/16/2004 10:28:08 AM PDT by MindBender26 (Kill all Islamic terrorists now. Then they cannot kill our sons and daughters tomorrow)
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To: newgeezer

>Easy; their ratings level below their rivals has dropped far lower than it has been.
Yes, that is the implication, of course.

My point remains the same. "Lower" by how much?
===

Source: http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.asp?ref=/comment/anderson200409160904.asp

[snip]
Since 1993, with the advent of cable and the Internet, the audience for the notoriously left-leaning evening-news shows on ABC, NBC, and CBS has dropped by 34 percent. The "believability" of network news in viewers' eyes has dropped by about the same percentage.[snip]

"Rather is in last place among the three big broadcast networks with eight million viewers. The upside for him is that most of the people still watching probably agree with him.

As it has shrunk, his audience has also grown older, according to TV Guide. 60 Minutes II, the show on which Rather revealed the alleged Killian memos, has a median audience age of 60, and an abundance of commercials for painkillers and geriatric drugs. (By contrast, Fox News viewers have a median age of 36.)

In addition, Rather's audience is one that has access to fewer sources of information than most. According to the Census Bureau, less than 40 percent of those older than 50 use the Internet (compared with 60 percent for those under 50). Most of Rather's over-50s probably didn't see his memo story mercilessly debunked on the Internet within hours of its debut.
"


256 posted on 09/16/2004 10:29:00 AM PDT by JesseJane ( "I inadvertently took a few documents from the Archives," Berger said.)
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To: Rutles4Ever

Note that he is trailing even in Democratic strongholds like NY & LA!

I guess the "vast right wing conspiracy" is even more "vast" than CBS thought. LOL


257 posted on 09/16/2004 10:30:38 AM PDT by QQQQQ
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To: MindBender26

Time to dump stock in them.

Note to CBS employees: Think of your 401 K matching fund.. TANKING.


258 posted on 09/16/2004 10:33:05 AM PDT by JesseJane ( "I inadvertently took a few documents from the Archives," Berger said.)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE
Walter is long forgotten by the majority of Americans. Rather is the Brand.... and it is sinking fast.

Spoke with friend at CBS DC at noon. Someone scrawled on the men's room wall.

"Dan is just a small time bully.
He can dish it out but he can't take it.
Normally, I'd be afraid I would get in trouble because Dan would see this,
But he uses the bathroom next door now!"

(think about it)

I'm expecting that nothing will happen this week, but Sunday, after Episcopal services, some Viacom types will get together over "Old Fashions" or "Eye Openers" and do something serious.

Up until now, people at CBS were afraid of Rather. Soon, someone will stand up and shout, The Emperor Has No Clothes!"
259 posted on 09/16/2004 10:36:09 AM PDT by MindBender26 (Kill all Islamic terrorists now. Then they cannot kill our sons and daughters tomorrow)
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To: Arrowhead1952
I know what you mean. Me, too. I just wanted to see him lie with a straight face.

Unbelievable. He THINKS he's an UNbiased reporter. But it's like Rush just said, he has thrown OUT reporting that Killian's family are saying that Killian was a Bush SUPPORTER. He's throwing out ANYTHING that doesn't fit what the documents are saying.


Media Research Center:
Dan Rather on Bill Clinton:
"I think he’s an honest man."

   O’Reilly: "I want to ask you flat out, do you think President Clinton’s an honest man?"
    Rather: "Yes, I think he’s an honest man."
    O’Reilly: "Do you, really?"
    Rather: "I do."
    O’Reilly: "Even though he lied to Jim Lehrer’s face about the Lewinsky case?"
    Rather: "Who among us has not lied about something?"
    O’Reilly: "Well, I didn’t lie to anybody’s face on national television. I don’t think you have, have you?"
    Rather: "I don’t think I ever have. I hope I never have. But, look, it’s one thing-"
    O’Reilly, jumping in: "How can you say he’s an honest guy then?"
    Rather: "Well, because I think he is. I think at core he’s an honest person. I know that you have a different view. I know that you consider it sort of astonishing anybody would say so, but I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things."
    O’Reilly: "Really?!?"
    Rather: "Yeah, I do."
    O’Reilly: "See, I can’t. I want my government to be honest across-the-board. I don’t want people lying."



260 posted on 09/16/2004 10:39:02 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (There is only one GOOD 'RAT: one that has been voted OUT of POWER !! Straight ticket GOP!)
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