Big Three Nets' Evening News Dives Deepen (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

NewsBusters ^ | May 11, 2010 | Tom Blumer

[Zakeet]

Five weeks ago (covered at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), the Big Three Networks' combined evening news audiences dropped to below 20 million -- an audience about 5% less than what Matt Drudge in the summer of 2006 headlined as “TV’s Lowest Week.”

Three weeks ago (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), their combined audience came in at 19.61 million, down over 12% from the previous year.

For the week of May 3, the combined total fell further, to the point where they're one more really bad week away from hitting an all-time low -- a low that was "achieved" in mid-June of last year (Source -- Media Bistro, week of May 3, 2010; week of May 4, 2009):

The May 3, 2010 combined total audience is less than 2% higher than the 19.06 million of June 15, 2009. The 25-54 demo audience is less than 200,000 above that same week.

Those who properly point out that the audience figures cited here are much larger than seen on cable news networks can take some comfort and solace in the following:

• Just 10 years ago, the nets' evening news audience was about 12 million larger in a country with a population that was about 9% smaller.

• At this point, it's likely that many people who continue to watch these shows, other than the brave souls at the Media Research Center who do it so the rest of us don't have to, are lost causes to conservatism. Otherwise, they couldn't bear sitting through what Brian, Diane, and Katie constantly feed them. The fact that their numbers are shrinking may mean that more people are open to sensible conservative arguments.

• Though it's difficult to gauge, it seems that right and center-right new media outlets are gathering a bit of a head of steam compared to the leftist counterparts.

Anyway, the regularly scheduled summer viewing slump is only a month away. Two words: Faster please.

[GonzoGOP]

Anyway, if you want to feel better, Rush with 20 million plus listeners beats all three combined now.

Now that is the kind of news that does make me feel better. Thanks :)

[TChris]

[Grampa Dave]

The left wing PR mediots for the DNC, ABCNNBCBS, are losing their fans/viewers each day.

Every loss is a potential gain for our side even if they don’t go to Fox News.

If they are not listening to and possibly buying into the evening lies of the left, that is a plus for our side.

[csmusaret]

We don’t know that because they didn’t publish the numbers for Telemundo and Univision.

[Jack Hydrazine]

“And poor Katie still makes $15 million a year. Wonder how the president of CBS answers that to his stockholders.”

She’s an affirmative action hire. We had to promote her to that position in order to keep the bureaucrats off our backs!

[oh8eleven]

With choice of Katie Couric, Brian Williams and I-don’t-know, it’s no wonder.
I channel surfed onto "I-don't-know" last night, and her delivery, voice pitch and facial expressions overrode whatever leftist propaganda she was trying to read off the teleprompter.

[GeronL]

Katie’s getting paid how much??

lol

[Dr. Scarpetta]

In comparison here are the Neilson ratings for the cable news stations.

May 10 P2+Prime Time

FNC – 2,164,000 viewers
CNN – 511,000 viewers
MSNBC –872,000 viewers
CNBC – a scratch w/100,000 viewers
HLN –413,000 viewers

Thanks for the info.

[catnipman]

I think they are going to the graveyard.

Yep. Just like Sears customers, Oldsmobile buyers, etc.

Even though he was a conservative, my dad watched the alphabet idiot nightly news every night until the day he died simply because of habit. I'm sure a big chuck of their viewers are quite elderly and are literally dying out.

[GalaxieFiveHundred]

[April Lexington]

Even though he was a conservative, my dad watched the alphabet idiot nightly news every night until the day he died simply because of habit. I'm sure a big chuck of their viewers are quite elderly and are literally dying out.

Think about it... elderly dad. Katie Couric... Maybe he was hoping for a wardrobe malfunction or something?

[abb]

http://recoveringjournalist.typepad.com/recovering_journalist/2010/05/the-last-great-newspaper-novel.html
The Last Great Newspaper Novel?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/mediawatch/2010/05/dan_rathers_still_sticking_by.html
Dan Rather’s Still Sticking by His Guns, Pard ...

http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/newsweeks-meacham-and-steven-rattner-lunch-lucky-hosts-facebook-sale-3070619?src=rss/fashion-memopad/20100512#/article/media-news/fashion-memopad/newsweeks-meacham-and-steven-rattner-lunch-lucky-hosts-facebook-sale-3070619?page=1
Steven Rattner and Newsweek’s Meacham Lunch

http://www.observer.com/2010/media/reuters-empoliticoem-line-emnewsweekem
Reuters, Politico Line Up for Newsweek

[Chode]

showing how she uses a rest room without using the seat???

[longtermmemmory]

Perky Couric (the official unit of feces is in “courics”) lost more than the other two COMBINED!!!

The old media is not dying fast enough. (and bill oreily is still on the air preventing Glen Beck from taking his rightful place in prime time)

[abb]

http://www.observer.com/2010/media/reuters-empoliticoem-line-emnewsweekem
Reuters, Politico Line Up for Newsweek

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/newspaper-industrys-international-trade-group-cancels-its-annual-conferece/?ref=media
Newspaper Industry’s International Trade Group Cancels Its Annual Conference

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/mort_offers_voluntary_buyouts_as_8CwFVYC2CkE4aPUGJTasxK
Mort offers voluntary buyouts as deadline looms

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-tveverywhere-20100512,0,5464845.story
With TV Everywhere, pay-TV industry seeks to fend off an Apple invasion

http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/today-s-robin-hood-would-target-media-says-russell-crowe_67006.html
Today’s Robin Hood would target media, says Russell Crowe

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=183245
Laid-off Baltimore Sun staffers tell their stories on new website

[MovementConservative]

And if the lost big three viewers are going from NBC to MSNBC we aren't gaining anything.

It's not that they are moving to MSNBC, it's people are moving away from the tv medium period. No reason to watch the evening news when you have gotten it all day from Drudge/HuffPo/FR/HotAir.

It's not about gaining, it is more about taking the narrative away from the networks and fragmenting it so there isn't one Walter Cronkite driving the media narrative.

[RayChuang88]

When you have cellphones like this:

Apple iPhone 3Gs

Motorola Droid

Google Nexus One

All capable to receiving live video through a 3G cellphone network, small wonder why the evening newscasts are dying among a younger generation.