Posted on 10/13/2004 6:17:02 AM PDT by OESY
The peacock's feathers are fraying. After more than a decade as the dominant broadcast network, General Electric Co.'s NBC is having a rocky fall.
So far this season, the network has endured double-digit ratings declines in both total viewers and viewers aged 18 to 49, the demographic that advertisers pay a premium to reach.
Particularly troubling: For the first time since 1987, NBC is losing the ratings race on Thursdays, the night that by far draws the most advertising dollars and has been the bulwark of NBC's "Must See TV" franchise.
NBC Universal Chairman Bob Wright, publicly putting a brave face on things at a Goldman Sachs conference last week, said the network is "performing very well." Still, executives are trying to stop the bleeding. NBC last week yanked the poorly performing "Last Comic Standing" from its schedule. Still, some analysts say the network is limited in the amount of immediate triage it can perform....
Other new series just aren't performing: "LAX" has fallen 43% in viewers 18 to 49 since its preseason premiere Sept. 13, "Hawaii" is down 38% and the expensive animated comedy "Father of the Pride" is off 34%.
While audience falloff from a show's premiere is expected, these declines are steeper than the industry considers acceptable. Overall, NBC is down 12% in total viewers and 16% in the 18-to-49 age category.
NBC is facing powerful competition from Viacom Inc.'s CBS, which has improved its ratings on six nights and is winning Thursdays, largely because of its hot "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" franchise....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Average TV viewership of people 18 to 49 years old, between Sept. 20 and Oct. 10:
TOTAL VIEWERS, IN MILLIONS / CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR
ABC 5.1 / 3%
CBS 5.4 / 11%
NBC 4.97 / -16%
Sources: Nielsen Media Research, the networks
How sad. I didn't know ABCCBSNBC were still on the air. I haven't watched any of them since cable came along.
I wouldn't necessarily say the decline in network ratings is due to politics. I would be more inclined to think it is because network television programming is at it's worst in television history.
There are far better forms of viewing entertainment other than morally reprehensible "reality" TV.
Oh well, they're all losing - but now SeeBS is top maggot on the dung heap.
I agree that these enterprises have 'edsel'ed out. I know noone who watches networks anymore except for an occasional golf tournament which is recorded for later viewing without the Nanz 'touchy/feely' inanity and commercials. Better still is to watch with the tube muted!
All these bozo's have to do is put on some family friendly programing and tell the news straight instead of showing such biased stuff. Can't they look at Fox news and learn a lesson? Apparently not!
They are on their way out, but they just don't seem to get why or how.
I'm wanting to buy a 49 Hudson as soon as they come out!
I like the original CSI, but I watch the reruns on Spike so I won't give SeeBS the ratings.
What do you expect when you put a hack like Zucker in charge of the Entertainment Division!
Monk BTW is an NBC/Universal production.
My two teenage sons have never watched a minute of non-sports network programming in their lives and I think they're pretty typical of their generation. If you think the nets are in trouble now, wait ten years. Dinosaurs, every one, and the asteroid has already hit.
Watch the WB!!! SMALLVILLE, GILMORE GIRLS, 7th HEAVEN, JACK & BOBBY and EVERWOOD are all great family shows!
I don't watch ABCCBSNBC either they offer nothing.
Ditto!
I also, have not watch ABCNBCCBS in years! Seems that the trend is increasing!
I love SMALLVILLE. :)
I happened to channel surf across a moment of 'the Oval Office' last night. It may have been a repeat on cable. I don't even know what night it is on normally.
The scene showed one of the President's staff members facing down a general in the White House. I happened across the scene at the moment this general headed for the door stating that he'd air his greviences in the press. The staff member said, "Oh no you won't."
As the general turned to face the staff member, she took him to task for fronting for 'republican' contractors and attacked him for wearing a medal he wasn't qualified to wear.
Why the word 'republican' needed to be inserted, I don't know, but this is the typical scene I'd opted not to view by never watching the program.
When networks turn out this filth, they are sending 50% of their audience to the sidelines.
I must admit, I wouldn't watch a program that had Martin Scheen in it. There's been very few more anti-American communist sympatizing socialists in our nation than this piece of cow excrement.
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