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

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

[Rutles4Ever]

Just the title...

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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...

[newgeezer]

That's all fine and dandy. I'm thrilled that Danny Boy's ratings are so low.

But, I still don't see any statistics to back up the assertion that Rather's ratings have "plunged" since Memogate broke.

Maybe I'm the only one who either cares about or doesn't know the "before" numbers. Not that I'll lose any sleep over it. It'd just be nice to know.

Coincidentally, I'm listening to Rush on tape delay and, at this very moment, he's reading this Drudge article on the air. Rush says Rather's ratings have plummeted but, he doesn't seem to notice (or care) that there are no "before" numbers. Oh, well. Drudge says there's a plunge. So, it must be true. (Or, just like CBS News wanted the memos to be real, we want the plunge to be real. Sure, he's been in last place for a long time but, I'll be happier when his ratings number is zero.)

Still, as someone else mentioned above, I'm skeptical. People like to watch a trainwreck. I actually thought about watching CBS Evening News the past few days for the first time in months or maybe even years, thinking I might get to see ol' Danny Boy squirming. As it turned out, I didn't watch anything. But, if my TV had been on, chances were much better than they've been in a long, long time that it would've been tuned to CBS Evening News.

[hiredhand]

HA! HA! HA! This is great! I'm grabbing a copy to put on the screensavers that rotate through on my laptop at work :-).

Thanks :-)

[plushaye]

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

I was amazed at what was in this Drudge Report. It's based on actual ratings numbers. Viacom, CBS execs, and advertisers must be really concerned. Just shows you the incredible power of the consumer, specifically CBS News viewers, to just turn off Mr Rather. Good for them.

[N. Beaujon]

This is why it was so important not to watch just to get a list of advertisers to boycott. By watching they get ratings. Boycotting the show itself achieves a far better result: advertisers abandon ship like lemmings leaving the Titanic.

Numbers talk. If Rather generates ratings via controversy the advertisers will stay. If viewers abandon CBS out of disgust, there is NO reason for them to support this crappy network and they wont. ALL of our goals are accomplished and, further, we didnt have to suffer through the insufferable propaganda-filled Blather of CBS News, 60 Minutes, or any of their other worthless "news gathering" operations (e.g. circuses.)

If you want to send letters to advertisers, let one or two Freepers watch, get a list and them slam them with mail. But to watch them for that result is to undermine our cause: shutting down propaganda mills parading as news outlets by averting our "eyeballs".

[NYer]

[OPS4]

CBS IS OWNED BY VIACOM. WHat else do they own?
Readon fellow Freepers.


acom Inc. (NYSE: VIA)
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036 (Map)
Phone: 212-258-6000
Fax: 212-258-6464

http://www.viacom.com
Viacom has its eye on synergy. One of the world's largest media companies, Viacom spans movies, television, radio, and the Internet. It owns BET (Black Entertainment Television), CBS, Paramount Pictures, the United Paramount Network (UPN), MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon), Showtime Networks, and Comedy Central, and produces and syndicates TV shows through Paramount Television and CBS Enterprises. Viacom also owns 39 TV stations, publisher Simon & Schuster, 81% of Blockbuster (the #1 video rental chain), and Infinity Broadcasting (some 185 radio stations), and has dozens of Internet holdings. CEO Sumner Redstone controls about 71% of the firm through his National Amusements theater chain.


Overview & History

Key Numbers
Company Type Public (NYSE: VIA)
Scottrade: $7 Online Market Orders, FREE Dow Jones News, Fast Executions, Real-Time Account Balances!
D&B D-U-N-S Number Subscribers Only
Fiscal Year-End December
2003 Sales (mil.) $26,585.3
1-Year Sales Growth 8.0%
2003 Net Income (mil.) $1,416.9
1-Year Net Income Growth 95.2%
2003 Employees 117,750
1-Year Employee Growth (2.4%)

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Chairman and CEO Sumner M. Redstone
Job Openings
Co-President and Co-COO; Chairman, President, and CEO, CBS Television Network; Acting CEO, UPN Leslie (Les) Moonves
Co-President and Co-COO Tom Freston
SEVP and CFO Subscribers Only
SVP Corporate Relations Subscribers Only

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News Corp.
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16 Competitors Listed For Viacom

Rankings
#64 in FORTUNE 500
S&P 500
#37 in FT Global 500
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BET Holdings, Inc.
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I am writing to Viacom, and its affiliates.
OPS4 God BLess America!

[princess leah]

Dan Rather should be renamed "Pharoah Dan" - The original Pharoah didn't get it either until he had lost his entire army chasing Moses and God's people right into the sea. GLUB, GLUB, Dan and CBS!

[plushaye]

We don't know from Drudge which other news channel gained while CBS News lost. Was it ABC News, which has pursued the CBS forgery story really aggressively? Inquiring minds want to know. There are some non-CBS network news execs who are having a wonderful day today, I bet.

[Indie]

we're being perceived as 'anti-Bush,' which I do not think is fair to Dan, who is a fine journalist

Self-righteous even as the ship's bridge slides under the water. Pukes.

[RJL]

"Rightly or wrongly, we're being perceived as 'anti-Bush,' which I do not think is fair to Dan, who is a fine journalist...

Hey CBS & Gunga Dan, America is laughing at you!

[MeekOneGOP]

haha! I just sent that to the CBS Scam Center! Copied your "Title" as the "Subject" and the rest in the email with this below that:

---

Please investigate Dan Rather's coverage of the FAKE documents regarding President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard on "60 Minutes" last week.

Sincerely,

[OPS4]

Gore Commission (President¹s Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters)
Leslie Moonves, 28 April 2004 .
According to web pages: he co-chaired the Gore Commission (President¹s Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters), was a member of Clinton's Advisory Committee on the Arts, is on the Board of Governers of the UCLA Center for Communications Policy, and is on the Executive Board of the UCLA

Could it be that Les is mad because his Buddy AL Gore Lost?
Ops4 God BLess America!

[trentk]

Couldn't happen to nicer guy. And trailing 2-1 to one of the most loathsome talking heads in mediadom, Peter Jennings! You know, in "Bias", Bernie Goldberg predicted this was eventually going to happen- wish they could dole some of's Dan's "don't watch" over to Brokaw and Jennings.

[JesseJane]

>That's all fine and dandy. I'm thrilled that Danny Boy's ratings are so low.
But, I still don't see any statistics to back up the assertion that Rather's ratings have "plunged" since Memogate broke.
==

Maybe you can try to find some statistics from the Neilsen ratings people.. If Drudge reports the numbers, perhaps theres a source there for you to check out a day over day, or week over week ratings chart by network.. Other than that, maybe there is a media whiz here at F/R that can point to a source to answer your question..

[Argus]

Rather can always get a job anchoring the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live.

[auggy]

" "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"

It's Not FAIR...WAAAAA..It's Just Not FAIR...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Like a bunch of 2 year old kids.

[Prime Choice]

ping on #3 - I believe that is some of your handy work.

Thanks for the ping. Looks pretty similar, don't it? : )

Eh...I think this is a case analogous to the South Americans and Egyptians both building pyramids. Neither ever saw the other's work, but both came up with the same basic idea.

I kinda like the idea of Rather with two black eyes. Considering all the thumping he and CBS are getting, he oughta be pretty black & blue by now. ; )

[IonInsights]

other than San Francisco

The center of strange world.

[AFPhys]

You wrote:
"We're watching the implosion of CBS now. With a fair amount of satisfaction I might add. But you know the other mainstream media outlets have GOT to be wide eyed themselves as they watch this. I'm sure it's affecting them as well, and how they'll operate in the future..."

I couldn't care less what the Old Mediots think of the New Media any more. We are in the ascendency, and predictably, many are failing to understand how to cope with new technology.

Those who are wise, will learn from us, and discover how to incorporate us into their sphere of story production. Those who do not will fall.

We have known for many years the power we influence on the conservative talk media - the evidence is indisputable. It was only a matter of time before the old guard would buckle under the pressure. That story appears now to have become evident to even them - as usual, far later than it was evident to us.

We, collectively, were easily more accurate than the "experts" the FRAUDcasters employed during the BASH* ... we had the JFK,jr pinned down as a classic "death spiral" long before the Old Media did, and Limbaugh picked up his monologue FROM the FR post that nailed that ... we KNEW in 2000 that the USSC had told the SCOFLAWs "game over" a half hour before their "court analysts" did (but that is because Coulter was sick in bed that day - she probably would have beat us then) ...

There are just so many of these instances now they are really too great to enumerate, and they occur nearly daily. If the Old Media were interested in the truth, rather than their agenda, the FR "virtual think tank" would have been mentioned a hundred times this year in a hundred stories.

One thing is certain, though, this method of news research is on the ascendancy, and theirs is not

Right now, the Old Media FRAUDcasters have been put on notice. The Vast (Right Wing) Pajama gang have demonstrated the impact they can have on the world.

---
*BASH == Battle Against Saddumb Hussein

[cajun-jack]

I read somewhere yesterday that this roberts guy is a canuck high school dropout just like jennings!!!!!!!!!!

Damn!!! are we all so stupid that we have to have uneducated canadians tell us how stupid we are???

Thalia asurias?? is a canuck and sounds like she has a big chew of red man in her jaw when she talks.

Why don't the "networks" remember the days when a reporter was exactly that??? report what they knew to be true and left the commentary to the mucky mucks that thought they were so smart?

Just like every major address by a prez...3 or 4 morons on the t.v. for 30 mins telling us what they said...like we are so stupid we can't understand the english language.

They all just make my ass wanna take a dip of snuff!!!

Damn them and damn their mommas for having them!!!