Posted on 10/03/2006 5:58:50 AM PDT by abb
CBS's Katie Couric-anchored newscast has fallen to third place in a three-way race for viewers among the broadcast evening newscasts, triggering an exuberant news release from CBS News marveling at Couric's unprecedented double-digit, across-the-board gains in her first month and celebrating her victory over the decades-old ratings curse that has plagued new anchors.
The multimillion-dollar campaign to launch Couric as anchor of the perennially third-place "CBS Evening News" delivered two weeks in which Couric's was the most-watched newscast. It opened with more than 10 million viewers and settled -- not unexpectedly -- down to about 7.9 million the second week.
Couric's slide continued in Week 3; she finished in second place with about 7.7 million viewers, behind perennial evening news winner Brian Williams, who logged about 8.2 million on NBC.
And, while final numbers on Couric's fourth week in office will come out today, it appears from preliminary stats that she has fallen to third place with about 7.5 million viewers, behind Williams's 8.2 million and Charles Gibson's 7.6 million at ABC. To get there, Williams and Gibson held firm week to week, while Couric continued to shed some viewers.
CBS News noted that last week Couric was still in first place among the 25-to-54-year-olds advertisers try to reach with news programming. In that demographic group, Couric tied Williams, and they were one-tenth of a ratings point ahead of Gibson.
CBS slapped Couric on the back for reversing the "historic pattern of first-month losses when anchors change."
"The ratings history of network evening news anchor changes reveals a clear pattern of audience loss in the first month versus the same period a year earlier," CBS News said. "Compared to the five anchor changes of the past two decades, Couric has dramatically reversed that pattern with the broadcast's remarkable growth."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Katie who??? Must be some LSM wench...
It amazes me that over 7 million people watch this idiocy, third place or not.
..which is exactly where Bob Schiefer was when Katy took the reigns. lol! And it cost CBS how much to accomplish this broadcast miracle?
I rarely watch the evening news but last night I was going back and forth between CBS and ABC. I think ABC makes a more serious, authoritative impression. There's no question that Katie has one of those self-conscious teen-age girl voices. It might be okay for the light stuff but it isn't a newsreader's voice.
Oh, well.... CBS News was headed for extinction anyway. Katie only accelerated it by a couple of years.
I'm waiting for her to begin Kathy Lee Gifford look: slit skirt, no sweater or coat, see-thru silk blouse, no ....
"...and we're back in the bicycle race between ABC, CBS, and NBC news of the broadcast division.... CBS's new cyclist, Kewpie Couric, is pedaling furiously and is now only 120 yards behind the pack instead of 125 yards behind... that's a 5 yard gain this month alone and-- OOh she's down!"
"Yes, but look how gracefully she slides across the roadway, leaving cloth, spandex and flesh along the rut-ridden curbside.."
"Yes, and now rolling with the velocity... I give her an 8!"
"8.3 because of the little smile of hers when she bounced between that granite mile-marker and the possum roadkill..."
"CBS is lucky to have her!"
""Absolutely."
Best headline of the day bump.
Here's the big problem for the network evening news: fewer and fewer people are watching them. Why wait for the evening news when you can get news much faster with 24 hour cable news channels and the public Internet?
Voice/delivery/content... the 'perky-one' fails on all counts.
Third place in a three way race is LAST!
Maybe she could supplement her audience with a column in the Chicago Tribune. That would reach an additional 19 people.
Go Katie Go!Sis Boom Bah!
More celebrating of mediocrity by MSM. . .
/sarc
Katie is the ANCHOR around CBS's neck!!
How did the Today show rate during the same period?
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