Big crowd tunes in for Bush's speech

MediaLifeMagazine.com ^ | 12/19/05 | Diego Vasquez

[LdSentinal]

Some 36 million watch Big Four networks

President Bush hasn’t made a primetime speech since September. After this weekend’s revelation that Bush authorized domestic spying on suspected terrorists in the aftermath of Sept. 11, everyone wanted to hear from the president.

Last night’s 20-minute presidential address about the Iraq War on the Big Four broadcast networks averaged 36.5 million total viewers from 9-9:30 p.m., according to Nielsen fast affiliate ratings. Final viewership numbers, measuring just Bush’s speech, will be out tomorrow.

The 36.5 million total viewers were a 15 percent increase over the 31.8 million who tuned into Bush’s post-Hurricane Katrina address in September. In April, 32.8 million people tuned into the Big Four to watch another Bush address on Iraq, his most-watched address of the year on broadcast before last night. Both those speeches came on Thursday night.

CBS led the Big Four during the 9 p.m. half hour with 13.1 million total viewers, according to overnights. ABC was second with 9.8 million, Fox third with 7.1 million and NBC forth with 6.5 million.

The speech drew a 12.0 adults 18-49 rating among the four networks, with ABC leading with a 3.5 rating and Fox just behind at a 3.4.

[Spok]

I'm surprised the Big 4 carried his speech-they've been leaning more toward total blackouts recently. If his numbers continue to improve, this is a certainty.

[Rennes Templar]

Waiting for next poll bump.

[rhombus]

America always needs those fireside chats. Lesson to the next President because the war on terror won't be over by then. We have short attention spans and need constant reminders.

[Darkwolf377]

I'm not surprised--they covered it because of the wiretapping story, and how this is in "response" to the recent "revelations".

[princess leah]

Too bad so many "sheeple" watch C BS> for their information. They're like smokers who can't quit a terrible addiction or some that don't want to!

[Howlin]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1543530/posts

[Darkwolf377]

I cut it out completely--not only do I have no cable, I don't have an antenna so I don't even watch "free" TV--DVDs only. And I haven't missed much.

There's a TV on where I work that only gets free TV, and I sometimes catch some of the alphabet network news, and it would be funny if the people watching didn't take it as gospel.

[bnelson44]

This will turn into a poll bump for Bush by the end of this week.

[California Patriot]

Re: smoking and MSM habit -- nice analogy, "Princess". I'll have to remember and use that!

[radar101]

The Press Conference this morning was EVEN BETTER. He told those fool media people: "Life is tough--it is tougher if you're stupid".

[Arizona Carolyn]

Not if they continue the practice of polling dems at almost 2 - 1.

[California Patriot]

Good, inspirational speech by W. Glad it had big numbers. This should help his numbers too, and the war's.

Keep it up, Mr. President.

[radar101]

More like Jimmy Jones' Kool-Aid Drinkers.

[radar101]

Explanation for Kool-Aid Drinkers: THE PEOPLE'S TEMPLE, http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_jones.htm BY JAMES WARREN (JIM) JONES Background of the People's Temple: This was a Christian destructive, doomsday cult founded and led by James Warren Jones (1931-1978).select and ordain a minister on their own. However, ordinations conducted without denominational endorsement were not considered valid within the rest of the church.) ................. The Peoples Temple was initially structured as an inter-racial mission for the sick, homeless and jobless. He assembled a large following of over 900 members in Indianapolis IN during the 1950's. "He preached a 'social gospel' of human freedom, equality, and love, which required helping the least and the lowliest of society's members. Later on, however, this gospel became explicitly socialistic, or communistic in Jones' own view, and the hypocrisy of white Christianity was ridiculed .............................................while 'apostolic socialism' was preached." 1 It was an interracial congregation -- almost unheard of in Indiana at the time. When a government investigation began into his cures for cancer, heart disease and arthritis, he decided to move the group to Ukiah in Northern California. He preached the imminent end of the world in a nuclear war; Ukiah was judged to be as safe as any when war broke out. They later moved to San Francisco and Los Angeles. After an expose during the mid 1970's in the magazine New West raised suspicions of illegal activities within the Temple, he moved some of the Temple membership to Jonestown, Guyana. .............................................................The Temple had leased almost 4,000 acres of dense jungle from the government. They established an agricultural cooperative there, called the "Peoples Temple Agricultural Project." They raised animals for food, and assorted tropical fruits and vegetables for consumption and sale....................................... Jones developed a belief called Translation in which he and his followers would all die together, and would move to another planet for a life of bliss. Mass suicides were practiced in which his followers pretended to drink poison and fell to the ground.......................... During the late 1970's, Jones had been abusing prescription drugs and appears to have become increasingly paranoid. Rumors of human rights abuses circulated. As in most high-intensity religious groups, there was a considerable flow of people joining and leaving the group. Tim Stoen, the Temple attorney and right-hand man to Jones left to form Concerned Relatives who claimed that Jonestown was being run like a concentration camp, and that people were being held there against their will. This motivated Leo Ryan, a Congressman, to visit Jonestown in 1978-NOV for a personal inspection. At first, the visit went well. Later, on NOV-18, about 16 Temple members decided that they wanted to leave Jonestown with the visitors. This came as quite a blow to both Jones and the rest of the project. While Ryan and the others were waiting at Port Kiatuma airfield, the local airstrip, some heavily armed members of the Temple's security guards arrived and started shooting. Congressman Ryan and four others were killed; three were members of the press; the other was a person from Jonestown who wanted to leave. 11 were wounded. Fearing retribution, the project members discuss their options. They reach a consensus to commit group suicide. 914 died: 638 adults and 276 children. Some sources say 911 died. Most appear to have committed suicide by drinking a grape drink laced with cyanide and a number of sedatives, including liquid Valium, Penegram and chloral hydrate. Some sources say it was Kool-Aid; others say FlaVor-Aid®. Other victims appear to have been murdered by poison injection. The Guyanese coroner said that hundreds of bodies showed needle marks, indicating foul play. Still other victims were shot. A very few fled into the jungle and survived. The bodies were in a state of extensive decay when the authorities arrived. There was no time to conduct a thorough investigation. TV station KTVU in San Francisco CA has a collection of photographs of the "Peoples temple Agricultural Project." Some are quite disturbing. Unfortunately, their web site implies that all of the dead committed suicide.

[TomGuy]

ABC, CBS and NBC also carried the presser today.

This goes against the grain of those who've whined about the mean ole MSM.

I've posted many times that, before the President can get air time, he first has to ask. Last evening and this morning are proof of that.

[LdSentinal]

This goes against the grain of those who've whined about the mean ole MSM.

Mean they are. The sweeps are over. Repeats are king and the networks don't mind a Presidential address.

Now imagine if Bush asks to speak during the Olympics in February.

[the anti-liberal]

Re: smoking and MSM habit -- nice analogy, "Princess". I'll have to remember and use that!

[Carolinamom]

The alphabet networks might increase their sinking ratings if they carried President Bush's speeches more often.