NBC's Plan "A"
NBC's Plan "B"
Replace her with this fake rock.
NBC's Plan "C"
Blame it on Bush
Posted on 04/18/2005 5:49:27 PM PDT by kingattax
NEW YORK (AP) - For 487 weeks, viewers have made NBC's "Today" show team of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer their favorites in the morning. The steady rise of ABC's "Good Morning America" is threatening that dominance.
So far this season, the "Today" ratings lead has averaged 662,000 viewers, down from almost 1.3 million last year at the same time, according to Nielsen Media Research. Five years ago, "Today" regularly won by nearly 2 million.
There have even been a few days - the Monday after Pope John Paul II died and last Tuesday's Mariah Carey concert - when the ABC team of Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer came in first.
"The program has momentum and momentum that has been building for six years," said Ben Sherwood, executive producer of "GMA" since taking over from Shelley Ross last year.
Over nine years the gap has been big and small, but 'Today' has never lost its status as the top morning show, said its spokeswoman, Lauren Kapp.
"Since when is another loss considered a success?" she said. "The strength of 'Today' speaks for itself."
"Today" has averaged just over 6 million viewers this season, "Good Morning America" 5.36 million, Nielsen said.
It would be a huge psychic blow to NBC if "Today" were eclipsed. It is NBC's most profitable show, and the primary architect of its remarkable winning streak - former executive producer Jeff Zucker - has ascended to NBC Universal Television Group president.
Andrew Tyndall, a consultant who monitors the content of network news programs, said "GMA" has picked up its pace and sharpened its focus.
All of the morning news shows are newsy and move quickly during their first half-hour, a Zucker innovation. Sherwood said he's trying to bring that philosophy to the rest of the show, even for feature-oriented segments.
"We're trying to make a program that connects with the hurried pace of most American mornings," Sherwood said. "Every choice is aimed at how our typical viewer is living - making breakfast, making lunches for school and trying to get out the door. You want to be connected with what's going on in the world and what people are talking about that day."
ABC seems to be doing fewer celebrity interviews and more taped reports, Tyndall said. Sherwood said he just tries for something that people can connect to: a segment with Hillary Duff focused on giving a fan a chance to meet her instead of a straight interview.
News anchor Robin Roberts has proven popular and will soon be given an even bigger role in the show, Sherwood said.
Many of the popular segments where "Today" blazed a trail are now a few years old: the morning concert series, the wedding planned by viewers, the "where in the world is Matt Lauer?" road trip where the host travels to a mystery location each day. It is placing high hopes on the "Live for Today" segment where participants try out dream jobs.
The addition of a third "Today" hour is a financial success but not universally popular at the show; it's also another full hour of programming to plan every day.
Couric had such an unnaturally high level of respect and popularity a few years ago that it was impossible to last, Tyndall said.
"All she's gone from is being the perfect superstar to being just really good," he said.
One factor in the "GMA" rise may simply be ABC's improving fortunes in prime time. The idea is if someone is watching ABC in the evening, the TV remains on that channel when it is turned on again the next morning.
It escaped no one's attention that ABC's victory on April 4 came the morning after "Desperate Housewives" was seen by nearly 25 million people
Katie has gone from being super good to BULKED UP!
Ain't a one of 'em got more than bb's except for the "Perky Saggy One's" flattened out old hackie sacks.
I knew she was trouble the minute she walked on the set....
Hell, I'm still trying to figure out why NBC dumped Debrah Norville, who's still a looker, for the Perky Katie.
Yeah, I could watch Deborah Norville all day with the mute button.
But Katie fills me with rage and unseemly behavior when I happen to come into the room before my wife can grab the clicker and switch it to Fox.
ROFL
Katie's fault.
Poor little commie katie :( I don't understand why anyone outside of the DUmmies watch that propaganda laced show.
Hmmm . . . I don't suppose this could be the effect of all those threads exposing the Today Show's liberal bias, could it ;-)
In other news, Ashton Kutcher has threatened Britney Spears.
The media NEVER spells her name right. It's Qaty al-Khouriq.
Kootie Kouric knows the only way she can come off as a "serious journalist," instead of the talk-show ditz that she is, is to attack conservative guests.
The sweet part is that NBC has a mega-bucks contract to keep her on!
You have answered your own question.
LOL...good one
Could be. Or maybe people are just getting tired of Perky Katie and her colonoscopies...
Many FReepers like to give Couric a hard time about the colonoscopy, but I think it's actually one of the few good things she's ever done. It took guts, so to speak, to do it, and to the extent it encouraged others to get colonoscopies, it probably saved some lives.
I used to watch Hugh Downs on the Jack Paar show.
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