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Couric Newscast Slips Again in Ratings

Apr 29, 2008  •  Post A Comment

For the second week in a row, “The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric” has notched record low ratings.
The newscast dropped some 50,000 viewers to average 5.34 million total viewers for the week of April 21, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. “Evening News” had averaged 5.39 million viewers the previous week.
Finishing first in the broadcast network flagship news race for the week was “The NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” with 8.01 million total viewers.
ABC’s “World News With Charles Gibson” averaged 7.79 million viewers, a quick rebound of some 280,000 from 7.51 million viewers the previous week. There was speculation that the newscast was suffering from public backlash against the ABC News debate between Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Among viewers 25 to 54 years old, the key news demographic, “World News” and “Nightly News” tied with an average 2.33 million viewers each.
“CBS Evening News” averaged 1.58 million viewers in the 25-54 demo, a week-to-week drop of 110,000 viewers in the demo for which advertisers will pay top dollar.

4 Comments

  1. Well I, for one, think you guys are ‘piling on’ poor Katie. She isn’t to blame for the ratings, and I defy anyone to refuse the deal she was OFFERED to leave “Today.”
    But if this ‘chickification’ of TV news continues there is no denying it’s continued slide into irrelevance. And, if it isn’t ‘chicks’ it’s pretty-boys with whiney voices.

  2. When did the focus of broadcasting the evening news – or any news for that matter, become “the presenter” instead of the “news?”
    In 1982, when I got my journalism degree, success and popularity was based on the STORY not the person who read it to the camera. Unfortunately, our news presenters ARE the story now and success is based on their popularity.
    I’m not sure Walter Cronkite, Charles Kuralt, Chet Huntley or David Brinkly would ever be voted “Hottest Man” awards or be considered “stars” like our Hollywood-style “Anchors” of today, but they certainly had what counted most – straight, non-biased, non-spun honesty in “reporting” our news.
    Broadcast news is about the NEWS STORY, not the presenter.

  3. katie is insipid. no energy…asks dumb questions. no wonder people prefer men commentators. katie should retire or do a show on fashion or trends. anything but commenting on something that requires a brain.

  4. I’ve found your site on page one of google. Congratulations 🙂

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