CBS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE; RATHER RATINGS FADE IN MAJOR MARKETS

[LRB]

CBS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE; RATHER RATINGS FADE IN MAJOR MARKETS

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU SEPT 16, 2004 11:42:09 ET XXXXX

CBS CONCERN OVER VIEWERSHIP PLUNGE; RATHER RATINGS FADE IN MAJOR MARKETS

CBS executives on both coasts have become concerned in recent days that Dan Rather's EVENING NEWS broadcast has plunged in the ratings since the anchor presented questionable documents about Bush's National Guard service.

NIELSEN numbers released this week show Rather fading and trailing his rivals in every Top 10 city, other than San Francisco, with audience margins in some cities running more than 6 to 1 against CBS!

Executives fear many voters inclined to vote for Bush are now switching off Rather.

"The audience appears to [be] polarized," a top CBS source said from LOS ANGELES on Thursday. "Rightly or wrongly, we're being perceived as 'anti-Bush,' which I do not think is fair to Dan, who is a fine journalist... of course we do not like to see the ratings coming back the way they are this week."

In Philadelphia, the nation's #4 market, Rather pulled a 2.6 rating/5 share on Tuesday night against ABC's 13.3 rating/23 share and NBC's 4.0/7.

In Chicago, Rather hit a 2.3/5 to ABC's 9.2/20.

CBS trailed ABC by more than 2 to 1 in Los Angeles.

And in the nation's top market, New York, Rather finished not only behind NBC NIGHTLY NEWS and ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT -- but also pulled less audience than reruns of the SIMPSONS, WILL & GRACE and KING OF QUEENS.

Rather finished dead last in New York during the 6:30 pm timeslot among all broadcast channels tracked by NIELSEN on Tuesday.

Developing...

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Filed By Matt Drudge
Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
http://www.drudgereport.com for updates
(c)DRUDGE REPORT 2004
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

[Drbio]

Sounds like people are responding to their moral fiber. People do not want the MSM fabricating "evidence" to make a story which promotes the anchorman's agenda.

CBS and Rather are getting what they have long deserved.

[Dooby]

Playing Devil's advocate, I have never seen anything about what the CBS news ratings were shortly before this fiasco. I say this because as far as I know, CBS Evening News' ratings have always been in the proverbial toilet. So there might not be a measurable change.

[LRB]

Dooby, I think that they have pretty much been in last place, but it seems what little viewship that they had is shrinking even further.

[Drbio]

Even if that is accurate, fabricating a story of national importance is hardly a productive Neilson strategy.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: Dooby
Playing Devil's advocate, I have never seen anything about what the CBS news ratings were shortly before this fiasco. I say this because as far as I know, CBS Evening News' ratings have always been in the proverbial toilet. So there might not be a measurable change.

I think britt hume said something like a 25% drop in ratings since the story broke.

[mavsman55]

I hope they go out of business.

[dude1394]

[dude1394]

More here

[dude1394]

Thought this was pretty telling about what even CBS recognizes about their credibility.

cbs

After Matter: Notes, reactions and links...

Big Fallout: '60 Minutes' Delays Report Questioning Reasons for Iraq War (New York Times, Sep. 25):

In a way that's the network's biggest admission yet: we don't have the credibility now to run that story.