Posted on 09/16/2004 12:23:38 PM PDT by NCjim
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 [be] 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.
Sorry, but a fine journalist would have ordered an internal investigation on the first day.
A competent journalist would have given some time to critics of the story.
The evidence strongly suggests CBS execs smoke from bongs the size of Clarence Cleamons' saxophone.
This means the drop in viewership is among the left-to-middle demographic.
Sweet.
newsflash to MSM
Dan Rather is NOT a fine journalist!
Dan Rather was not Duped.
Dan Rather is reaping what he sowed.
Polarized is to imply it is 50 50.
This is not a 50/50 issue. THis is a credibility issue which has nothing to do with "polarizing."
Looks like his program is just about where it belongs, with the other re-run situation comedies.
Lemme see heah . . . Dangbad Dan has a FORGED memo that sez a buncha stuff ugly about Dubya. . and Dubya's suppose to answer the questions raised in that FORGED memo that sez a buncha stuff ugly about him . . . ? Sorry, Dangbad Dan, you are the one on the HOTSEAT, not Dubya!
I don't think this demographic goes unnoticed in newsrooms. Recall that when ABC Nightline interviewed Vietnam veterans on Aug. 9, they coincidentally chose to conduct the group interview in the S.F. Bay area. Also that signature specialist, Matley, who helped verify the questionable Bush documents is based in the S.F. Bay area.
So when the topic is politically controversial, the modus operandi seems to be to seek a "representative sample" which is however sympathetic to the liberal side by taking the sample from a liberal area, such as San Francisco or nearby.
My technique is to search for the title before posting, but that only works when unaltered titles are used...
Apparently, we're "alone" unless there are French, Germans, or Russians there
Golly – I feel so sorry for that Cronkite wannabe POS. Hope Rather gets canned.
The NYTimes' and Blather's claims that yes, the memos are
fake, but what they say are true -- amounts to saying it's
okay for a cop to plant evidence on someone whom he thinks
is guilty just because he thinks he's guilty. So now these
formerly allegedly respectable news organizations have bared
their real, their vicious, souls.
"Will we ever again see a major network that gains general
trust as a non-partisan source of news? I'm pretty sure we
won't. " -- Paul Mirengoff, here:
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/007850.php
NYPost headline: KAMIKAZE KERRY RIDES ALONG WITH LOSER DAN
at http://www.nypost.com/commentary/19491.htm gotta
love it.
elsewhere, the Coulter weighs in with "Kelley backs up her
shocking allegations with names of highly credentialed
people -- who have absolutely no connection to the events
she is describing. No one directly involved is on the
record, and the people on the record have never met anyone
in the Bush family. In other words, her stories have been
'vetted' enough to be included on tonight's 'CBS Evening
News' with Dan Rather. ... TV commentators have assured me
that Dan Rather is an equal opportunity idiot ..." at
http://anncoulter.org/columns/2004/091504p.htm
I have switched to watching The Simpsons from 6 - 7 PM.
Doesn't matter. Danny Boy believes in the Easter Bunny and nobody can talk him out of it. Maybe Sumner Redstone should have a friendly chat with him before CBS is completely in the toilet. CBS News already is.
Har
Good way to get your point across...
FR had more than 5.5 million hits and nearly 200,000 unique visitors. Records.
Wow!
Make that 1999,999 unique vizators.
I am not EweNique
Dang, 5.5 MILLION hits!
Thanks, Buckhead and The Swift Family Robinsons...
Hmmm. Seems CBS has lost some audience. Has anyone done a complete list of Freeper victories? Let's see, there was
Whoopi Goldberg, CBS' Reagan movie that ended up put on Showtime, what else can you think of?
"Rightly or wrongly, we're being perceived as 'anti-Bush,'
Oh good try Mr. MSM.
You may be anti-Bush (Duh) and what does RathTHer have to do with "fairness" as stated here:
I do not think is fair to Dan, who is a fine journalist
LOL, his "fineness" is costing you Millions. Of course this CEO type just sees the lost revenue as a contribution to the Kerry Campaign.
of course we do not like to see the ratings coming back the way they are this week.
Well then tell the truth. It' s easy. But the MSM is tanking anyway, so why should they bother...
They think if they just had the right information everyone would thank them for exposing Bush and tune in to their braodcast. They really believe that they are right.
I fail to see how a 6-1 margin is Polorized.
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