Posted on 09/08/2006 8:39:00 AM PDT by MindBender26
The overnight Nielsen Ratings are in, and they are a disaster for Katie Couric.
Couric's CBS Evening News was beaten by ABC WNT in New York, Chicago and other major markets
After all the hype, CBS and the other networks had expected a "honeymoon" lasting for at least a month as viewers sampled Couric's new show. It lasted one night.
Although she eeked out a national ratings win, the big cities have already abandoned her.
In places such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, where the big advertising dollars are spent, last night's CBS/Couric ratings free-fall mean one thing; Viewers sampled her Wednesday night, and didn’t like what they saw.
The huge ratings drop would have been understandable had there been a major breaking story, and viewers would have been expected to go to Gibson or Williams for Cronkiteian experience and “gravitas.” But it was a slow news night, a perfect time for Couric's "perky charm" to radiate and attract viewers, but both she and the ratings fell flat.
Bottom line, $15 million a year and months of super-hype.... all for nothing.
Old contacts at CBS I spoke with this AM said everyone is making lunch reservation to eat/drink together.... but at restaurants far from Black Rock or West 57th. Everyone wants a "tribal think" to decide who (other than themselves) is to blame for this disaster, but they are eating in out of the way places in Greenwich Village or the East Side, so they won’t be seen together.
There will be much more of this over the weekend.
Thanks for the info.
I think one reason it was so funny is that it was so unexpected. Brit is no stick-in-the-mud! I think all of the panelists were surprised.
Couric sinking faster than the Titanic sounds like an authentic Ratherism.
I envision guest appearances of Oprah for starters. We will see changes in wardrobe and hair. Set changes. Changes in camera angles. Odd features on whatever the tabloid story du jour is. Hollywood guest appearances.
And then.....Katie on the Road!! Broadcasting from various cultural meccas. We will see her in LA for the Academy Awards, in New York for the spring fashion shows, etc. Or even worse, she will visit SMALL TOWNS to let viewers se what it's like to live "so far off the beaten path."
We could all help by sending e-mails with such suggestions as "I think Katie looks better in green," or "Katie needs a haircut" or "What happened to Bryant Gumbel and Dan Rather?" Heheheh.
"And how many other viewers were Rush fans?"
Hey that's a good point. If she couldn't get top ratings even with Rush helping her out, I don't see much hope for her. Of course I never did, but that could be put down to wishful thinking, never a reliable mindset.
I will never watch it so it makes no difference to me.
"Her ending of asking viewers to suggest her sign-off was real tacky."
Yes, it was an easily-seen-through maneuver to try to get viewers to "help" her, and therefore to have an emotional investment in her success. Pathetic Psych 101 stuff. It was a miscalculation, however, because the damsel-in-distress schtick does not go along well with the heavyweight gravitas necessary to carry a network newscast.
I definitely agree with you on that.
Some Republicans refer to WCCO as WDFL and the main news anchor (Don Shelby) as DFL Don.
DFL, meaning Democrat Farmer Labor.
"And the hairspray used on tonight's soft-focus camera was provided by the New York Rangers, and OOohh La La Sassoon".
Who is next Rachel Ray?
Yes. After suffering through the Rather fiasco there is a definite sense of trying to unring the bell. With predictable results. Because they can't see what they are doing wrong.
This in itself is illustrative of how far out of touch the arrogant MSM has become. Who watches a show daily for a month to decide if they like it? No normal human. Manhattan cretins, maybe.
"Morning in America" is like the perfect AM drivetime talk show. Excellent news and entertainment.
Hi, where do you get those ratings? do you a link?, Thanks
Who'd have thunk it? Slow witted, liberally biased, perky bimbo flops as an evening news anchor...
CBS execs were smoking crack when they signed her up... whoever approved that hiring, and the further decision to "hip up" the evening news should all be fired and have their salaries retroactively forfieted.
HEY CBS.... I'll run your nightly news broadcasts for 6 months... you will only have to pay me $1, and if your ratings are as good or better than what you have now.. I'll walk away... if they are better.... I want $20 Mill a year.
Here's the catch though... you have to give me ABSOLUTE control over it. Hirings, Firings, content, etc etc etc.. No undermining, no re-editing... no no no. My way, 6 months... $1... what do you say?
If your ratings are worse than they are now.. I'll walk away.. .sorry wrote that wrong...
Still... offer stands.
She could pull (off) a Sharon Stone "slouching in the chair under the lights" act ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.