Broadcast (TV) viewership hits record low (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

The Washington Times ^ | July 8, 2010 | David Bauder

[abb]

Americans avoided television in historic levels over the past week.

CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox together had the smallest number of prime-time viewers last week in two decades of record-keeping, the Nielsen Co. said. Given the dominance of the big broadcasters before then, you'd probably have to go back to the early days of television to find such a collective shrug.

The first week of July tends to be among the slowest weeks of the year in television, anyway, with families more engaged in barbecues and fireworks. The problem was magnified this year because July Fourth came on Sunday, largely knocking out one of a typical week's biggest viewing nights.

Together, the four networks averaged 18.9 million viewers last week, Nielsen said. During the season, "American Idol" alone usually gets a bigger audience than that.

NBC's "America's Got Talent" is emerging as the summer's most popular show, with its two original episodes last week the only programs to top 10 million in viewership, Nielsen said.

While the biggest broadcast networks are suffering, the Spanish-language Univision is stepping up. Among the closely-watched 18-to-49-year-old demographic, Univision finished second only to Fox in prime-time last week.

It's not World Cup soccer that is behind Univision's success, it's the prime-time telenovelas "Soy tu Duena" and "Hasta Dinero Separe." Those soaps accounted for eight of the 20 most-watched programs among 18- to 49-year-old viewers of all languages last week, Nielsen said.

snip

[Wiggins]

I just had a new chimney liner installed and told the contractor to take down the tv antenna while your up there.

[RobRoy]

I actually picked up a copy of the old Ozzie and Harriet show cheap.

Holy cow that show was lame. Unbelievably so.

[PATRIOT1876]

*Caught “Duel” on a cable channel the other day. I can’t believe it was a prime-time ABC Movie of the Week after seeing what’s on ABC today.*

Duel was great!
Loved to watch Dennis Weaver...”There ya go!”

I imagine that an ABC Movie of the Week nowadays would be entitled, “Lady Gaga finds a Booger”

[a fool in paradise]

television is so 1974

We have websites, digital radio, CDs, ipods, video games, personal computers, cellphones, youtube, and social networks.

The only people still watching the nightly news on the alphabet networks are stuck in a decades old HABIT and don’t care that the anchors are lying to them nightly.

[PATRIOT1876]

Modern culture is so close to becoming like the movie “Idiocracy” I wonder if someday people will mistake it for a documentary....

[GeronL]

bump

[bgill]

There’s something wrong in tv land when viewers scan through the tv menu day after day and despite having a hundred channels to choose from there’s still nothing to watch.

[SandyLynn]

I have to tell y’all..I absolutely LOVE watching reruns of All In The Family on TV Land! What’s great is my 17 year old daughter enjoys it too..and she adores the character of Archie Bunker! Mike and Gloria..not so much!!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks abb.

Together, the four networks averaged 18.9 million viewers last week, Nielsen said. During the season, "American Idol" alone usually gets a bigger audience than that... the Spanish-language Univision is stepping up. Among the closely-watched 18-to-49-year-old demographic, Univision finished second only to Fox in prime-time last week. It's not World Cup soccer that is behind Univision's success, it's the prime-time telenovelas "Soy tu Duena" and "Hasta Dinero Separe."

[Brookhaven]

All of these guys are also heavily involved in cable (owning multiple cable channels), so things might not be as dire as you think.

What is interesting (and getting missed, imho) is how the digital change will eventually bury cable. Broadcast TV (ironicly) is going to end up outlasting cable.

Go to zap2it.com, put in your zip code, click TV, then select broadcast (antenna) as your provider. You’ll be amazed at how many channels you never even heard of are being broadcast in your area. And it is all because of subchanneling.

Digital allows over the air broadcasters to send out multiple channels on a single signal. So instead of channel 2, you have 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4...2-30. Yea, I have one broadcaster in my area that is sending out 30 seperate channels on a single transmission. Sure, most of it is junk, but so was most of the stuff on cable when it started.

There is only one station in my area that is broadcasting a single channel. I assume it is because once you are broadcasting one channel, the additional cost to broadcast another subchannel on that signal is essentially $0.00. With 10 broadcasters currently in my area, I wouldn’t be surprised to one day have at least 100 free, over the air channels available.

With free broadcast channels on one end, and internet TV/media on the other end, the guy in the middle getting squeezed out is going to be pay cable/satellite TV.

[freekitty]

There is so much more to do than watch those hacks peddle their crap.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Duel held my kids’ attention, so it must be good... I just wish they would have shown it with the Movie of the Week theme and the commercial break bumpers. Would have completed the experience.

[a fool in paradise]

Remember when the radical left told their audiences “tune in, turn on, and drop out” and “the revolution will not be televised”?

Now the counterculture of 40 years ago IS the dominant culture (also controlling academia and well seated within government at all levels especially in unelected positions).

And they demonize those who hold traditional American beliefs; those who still believe that there is no better country in the world right now to live in.

The stated goal of those in charge is to knock the US down a couple pegs. That we consume too much. That our standard of living is too high. That we don’t deserve to be the lone superpower in the world.

[a fool in paradise]

There is so much more to do than watch those hacks peddle their crap.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I have to tell y’all..I absolutely LOVE watching reruns of All In The Family on TV Land! What’s great is my 17 year old daughter enjoys it too..and she adores the character of Archie Bunker! Mike and Gloria..not so much!!

Gloria: But, Daddy, don’t you realize that over 18,000 people a year are killed by handguns?

Archie: Would it make youse feel better, little goil, if they was pushed outta windows?”

EVERY 17 year old should see that episode!

[dangerdoc]

I have a new HDTV, beautiful 1080p picture. Unfortunately, there is no TV I want to watch and no new movies I want to buy.

Kind of sad really.

[a fool in paradise]

That figure is far far fewer than the nmber of people killed every year by abortion.

[Karliner]

Have’t watched anythnig but the local news and two shows ver the past years. Too many commercials, too my left wing jargon has either made me angry, or as with the commercials, I lose interest and find myself reading.

[abb]

http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/07-02-10-memo-details-consolidation-of-houston-chronicle-and-san-antonio-express-news/
Memo details consolidation of Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/454576-Jackson_PUSHES_Comcast_For_10_Minority_Basic_Set_Aside.php
Jackson PUSHES Comcast For 10% Minority Basic Set-Aside
Also calls for 25% of ad budgets, “vendor dollars” to go to minority-owned firms

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/454563-Coalition_of_the_Unwilling_Comcast_NBCU_Critics_Unite.php
Coalition of the Unwilling: Comcast/NBCU Critics Unite
21 groups including Bloomberg, Writers Guild join to oppose merger

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703636404575353323078085874.html
FCC Restarts Comcast-NBC Review

http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/shirky-stays-message-ny-tech-meetup
Shirky Stays on Message at NY Tech Meetup

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Headlines/publishers-editors-took-pay-cut-in-09-while-newspaper-marketers-gained-inland-finds-61936-.aspx
Publishers, Editors Took Pay Cut in ‘09 While Newspaper Marketers Gained, Inland Finds

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/evening_news_ratings_week_of_june_28_166881.asp
Evening News Ratings: Week of June 28

http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2010/07/news-stocks-lag-despite-dramatic.html#comments
News stocks lag despite dramatic rebound

[dforest]

I think people are sick of it. The shows are boring and uninspiring, the news is all Obozo all the time, and he makes us miserable.

Same old stories and the media lets the WH determine everything. Just watch, Obozo will ruin sports too, he already insinuates his nasty face into it.

They all suck.