MSNBC'S 'DONAHUE' HITS LOWEST NIELSEN RATING POSSIBLE

Drudge Report ^ | 08/27/2002 | Matt Drudge

[Pokey78]

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2002 16:25:04 ET XXXXX

MSNBC'S 'DONAHUE' HITS LOWEST NIELSEN RATING POSSIBLE

Phil Donahue has plunged in total collapse on MSNBC with cable viewers, NIELSEN ratings show.

DONAHUE has sunk to a basement rating of a .1, according to sources, the lowest possible rating's measure available!

MORE

Last Friday night, DONAHUE earned a .1 to CONNIE CHUNG's .6 on CNN and O'REILLY's 1.0 on FOX NEWS.

Even more amazingly, MSNBC for the entire day average only a 0.2, and it was beaten by both CNN'S HEADLINE NEWS channel and CNBC that day. (FOX was .6, CNN .5, MSNBC .2).

For the month of August, MSNBC's M-F prime time is down 21% among the key demos (25-54) from a year ago. Year over year, in total weekday ratings, FOX is up 75%, CNN is up 25%, and MSNBC is flat, with 0% growth.

CABLE WARS:

Friday August 23 at 8 PM ET: O'Reilly 1.0; Connie .6; Donahue .1

9 PM ET: Larry King 1.1; Hannity and Colmes .7; Hardball w/Matthews .3

10 PM ET Greta 0.7; Brown 0.5; Nachman .2

Developing...

[fortheDeclaration]

MSNBC programming executives have announced that DONAHUE will be replaced with MY MOTHER THE CAR reruns.

Good! That should at least double the ratings!

[Timesink]

People probably thought he was going to speak about political issues as a supporter of a third Party(Green) Instead, they got the same old Donohue.

Actually, IMHO they're NOT getting the same old Donahue. The huge ad campaign said nothing more than "I'm BAAAACK!", so I think most people were expecting the Donahue of old: an hour devoted to a single topic, an audience he could run around in and get comments and questions, just like his old syndicated show. Instead, they got a standard-issue all-politics shoutfest, and were like, "What's the point of THIS? There are already 30 other shows on just like it!" and stopped watching immediately.

[cyncooper]

Chris Mathews lost me for good--and I have NOT been back--when after Sept. 11 he kept questioning why President Bush used the phrase "the evil ones". I did hear Mathews later conceded the phrase was apt, but too late, I won't watch him again.

[Timesink]

Re:Chris Matthews, you neglected to mention that he is an arrogant A$$hole, and that he talks so fast that most of the liberals can't understand what he's saying. There went at least half of his potential audience.

Well, I don't know if I'd agree he's really a total jerk - I've never met the guy - but you're certainly right about him talking too fast for liberals to keep up!!

[fortheDeclaration]

You may be right, but my impression since he was replacing a political show (Keyes) that the emphasis would be on that subject.

Since Donahue had supported the Green Party he would be able to stand outside of both major parties and critize both equally.

If they thought the people wanted to see the 'old' daytime Donahue and are disappointed, like I said, expect the strippers to come on soon!

[L.N. Smithee]

0.1? Why, that's even lower than the Dr. Laura show!

HA HA HA HAAAAAAA!

This SHOULD end the debate about why conservatives dominate the "debate" shows. Because no one wants to watch a out-and-out liberal.

Unfortunately, the likes of Rather, Wallace and Jennings are serving the cause of advancing leftist POV very well without Donahue's assistance as standard-bearer.

[Great Dane]

Heard on the news yesterday, the reason for Clinton's failure to get a deal earlier, was that he demanded 50 million up front.

[Darksheare]

Well, I kinda figured that the attempt of trying to revive a "Donahue" show was akin to actually trying to do what the film "Jurassic Park" did in it's plot...

Revive a Dinosaur.

[alrea]

I did my part. I DIDN'T watch him.

And in other developments, MSNBC is considering bringing in Barney the Dinosaur as co-host to bolster ratings.

[Chad Fairbanks]

And what's even funnier is, he doesn't get any royalties from reruns... he doesn't own the rights LOL!

[Japedo]

Heard on the news yesterday, the reason for Clinton's failure to get a deal earlier, was that he demanded 50 million up front.

Whats he think this is Fund raising? :)

[Great Dane]

Whats he think this is Fund raising? :)

Clinton thinks everything is fundraising.

[OldFriend]

I watched for a few minutes the other night....he had a couple on who adopted an embryo from a family that had extra.

Donahue can only be described as deranged. His comments were frighteningly out of kilter.

[jwh_Denver]

How does something that simple, get screwed up on a show, unless they are all smoking crack?

No no no. They are on no drugs at all. It's called commie lib brain rot.

[Barnacle]

LOL

[Capt_Hank]

I couldn't help but laugh. How pray tell, did MSNBC think anyone would watch his show? I think FNC knows the same thing would happen if they gave Geraldo "The Fake" a show every day. I wish they would both go away. And while at it, take this character Glenn Beck with you. He takes up talk radio space before Rush in the Phila area.

[Illbay]

Bet they're looking back to the good old days of Alan Keyes' show.

[EODGUY]

"I thought Keyes' show was excellent, especially in his technique in getting intelligent guests and allowing them time to answer queswtions"

Isn't it pathetic that we are stunned when an interviewer actually asks intelligent questions of intelligent guests and allows them to answer. We have been inculcated with so much opinionated drivel that Dr. Keyes' behavior is shocking.

Dr. Keyes is a phenomenal person.

[The Wizard]

Fact: Any good TV guy could walk in tomorrow, make a few, (maybe 5) changes and take over cable tv news

[Proudklintoonhater]

MSNBC would do better just replaying Imus' radio show in prime time. It would be 50 times more entertaining than the bilge they currently run---and I'd watch it.