You might think that a presidential election year might give the Big Three networks' evening newscasts a shot in the arm.
You would be wrong.
Full-year figures released last week and available MediaBistro's TVNewser showed yet another audience decline.
The comparisons that follow are of the 2007-2008 ratings year just ended (each ratings year begins of fall season premieres) to 2006-2007:
NBC's small pickup is more than wiped out by the audience losses at ABC and CBS.
The first week of the new ratings year was better than the previous week, but the overall downward trend clearly continues, as you can see by comparing it to the two previous years' averages:
Viewership should be strongest right now, but it isn't. NBC's decline is especially steep, and makes you wonder if the fever-swamp nuttiness of MSNBC is hurting the parent brand.
They''ll say the audience declines are because of competition from alternative media. That's somewhat valid, but the nets continue to chase their audiences away faster than would otherwise have happened with their relentless bias.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
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Hey, hey...good bye!
September 30, 2008 - 21:16 ET by dmannWell golly.........ya think they'd at least buy a clue, maybe listen to the their consultants that are getting paided whore $$. Arrogence is a synonym for stupity!
Network propaganda
October 1, 2008 - 04:52 ET by kiwikitDoes this mean that the sum of their audience is now LOWER than Rush? Flipping the Web last night, I noticed talk/TV. Why would anyone voluntarily listen to these screamers? It'll be like the craziness of DNCspam on all channels. I've not been able to stomach that for years. . . ever since the 'RATs took over what Brian Lamb initally created as a good thing and then destroyed with his politically correct lines.
And we were always told to never underestimate the...
September 30, 2008 - 21:20 ET by ThalpyAnd we were always told to never underestimate the tastelessness of the American public! Have we been wrong all along? Do they have some judgement? I guess so. No, wait...
Talk Radio combines with the Internet as a Knockout MSM Punch
September 30, 2008 - 21:20 ET by JayTeeNeither Talk Radio nor The Web alone can severely injure the MSM . . . BUT I do think that Both "combined" are busting the MSM talking points. talk radio is carrying the Same Consistent message compared to the MSM's Thrashing attack on everything Republican.
The MSM IS DIVING IN THE TANK for Obama . . . and these Obvious over the Top attacks on Sarah are out of Bounds for a mother of five, avg. American wife who has career Success that is the envy of every American.
The MSM Can't Handle the TRUTH !!
The Republican Revolution will not be Televised
I hope your right
September 30, 2008 - 21:23 ET by general companyBut I got 2 words for you, Football, and Baseball
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Non sequiter
October 1, 2008 - 07:56 ET by Indiana JoeHuh? Football and baseball are the same this year as last, right? So the impact is the same, seems to me.
I think the point here is that a presidential election would normally be expected to raise the viewership numbers. The assumption being, more people follow the news before an election. Not only are they not going up, they're continuing to slide.
Why? Well, hard to say, but this theory seems reasonable.
"To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection." - H. Poincaré
But there's also a real
September 30, 2008 - 21:36 ET by MidAmericaBut there's also a real question of how many people are actually watching the network news. Just because a TV is turned on it doesn't mean anyone in the house is watching it.
I would suspect that a lot of the decline is because their audience is dying (literally) and young people haven't picked up the habit of setting aside one hour at the same time every evening to watch the 'news'.
Absolutely. Time was,
September 30, 2008 - 21:41 ET by balboaAbsolutely. Time was, everyone sat around to watch the news for an hour. Doesn't happen anymore. Parents are driving their kids from soccer practice to piano lessons after leaving work and grabbing dinner along the way.
So they get their news when they can from more readily available sources.
Absolutely
September 30, 2008 - 21:48 ET by allanfTheir numbers in the 18-54 range are terrible.
NetworkTotal ViewersA25-54 Viewers
NBC
8,521,000
2,599,000
ABC
8,181,000
2,521,000
CBS
6,156,000
1,915,000
These programs are dinosurs now. Why watch a biased broadcast when you can get news on the internet.
Bravo!
September 30, 2008 - 22:08 ET by Captain KirockThe sooner these liberal dinosaur shows are gone, the better.
Don't forget that the shows are also 3 hours late on the west coast and the ratings relfect that. I live in California and I do not know anyone who watches these shows anymore. My 15 year old daughter has an I Pod Touch & she can provide me with more up to the minute news than Katie Couric can.
Yup, I agree. I remember
October 1, 2008 - 10:43 ET by celatorYup, I agree. I remember when a fairly typical family would have supper together, and then sit down at 6 pm to watch television, comment on the stories, and spend time together.
The older kids would be out playing with their friends, the younger ones hanging around the house or yard. Athletics were basically pick up games in the neighborhood with no parents or other adults hovering around yelling at the kids to "Hit the ball!!!".
And we learned to resolve conflicts, form teams, compete, and win or lose with a certain amount of grace, even if it took a fist fight to settle the issue ;+}. We played our brand of baseball, football, boxing, hockey etc. Screw the rules if they didn't work in our situation. We made up our own.
We seemed to have time to relax together as a family, enjoy, argue, play, laugh together in a way that is rarer now, I suppose. There were nine kids in our family and it worked out for us.
As a grandparent watching my kids raise their kids, I think we had it easier, better and felt less pressure to "perform" as parents. Sigh.
The major media report only half the news. Why are they surprised they have only half the potential audience?
Tom: Do you think that
September 30, 2008 - 22:04 ET by d1carterTom:
Do you think that the big three will be the next to demand a bailout?
Maybe it's just me...
September 30, 2008 - 23:27 ET by jawebster1but I never watched network news even when it was popular to do so. Even as a youngster, I knew the news was biased. I watched Katie Couric's first show when she had Rush on, but I haven't watched her since. I missed her unfriendly interrogation of Palin, thank goodness. Thanks to my DVR, I watched the Palin part on Gibson's show and zipped through the rest. I watched the first night only. So my question is, who watches network news anymore, anyway? Jim Webster
I don't watch much TV,
September 30, 2008 - 23:38 ET by chambodiaI don't watch much TV, anyway, but it's getting to the point that I want to actively avoid watching. I bought the Office DVD the other day, and even though I love that show, I felt like a traitor for buying an NBC product. At least I'm not supporting their advertisers.
conservative icons
I simply refuse to watch
October 1, 2008 - 00:33 ET by jdhawkI simply refuse to watch the TV networks' news programs and that includes the commentator like programs like "Meet the Depressed," etc. That applies to my home, office, and out and about. If I am a guest at someone's home, I will simply state the reasons why I refuse to view these TV networks' news programs and if my host refuses to turn it off or change the channel, I will leave the room.
About the only place that I have been unable to escape from the networks' news programs is at airports. CNN is almost ubiquitous at these locations.
To my way of thinking, this downward slide in viewership isn't happening fast enough.
Since people can now link directly to the DNC website...
October 1, 2008 - 00:49 ET by wnaegele...they feel it's better to get Dem spin right from the donkey's mouth rather than having to visit the media-hole at its other end...
The wind blows hard sometimes
October 1, 2008 - 00:49 ET by wdhorningEasy explanation: people are learning who the idiots are, when instead of "fair and balanced" you get whinning about the "bad guys" they do not like.
I have one thing to say:
October 1, 2008 - 03:49 ET by ArchConservativeNBC! NBC! NBC! NBC!
I really do hope that network news is a thing of the past by 2012. It couldn't get better than that.
You support the troops by supporting the mission! If you don't support the mission, have the guts to say you don't support the troops.
I Say NO!!! to PBS, CBS, NBS, ABS, MSNBS ...
October 1, 2008 - 05:24 ET by JaykeI Say NO!!! to PBS, CBS, NBS, ABS, MSNBS and any other BS station that thinks I'm stupid enough to swallow their PROPAGANDA disguised as news. I hope they read this.
7%
October 1, 2008 - 06:35 ET by Red JeepBottom line only 7% of the country watches the Big 3 evening newscasts. These programs can’t be the 4th branch of government with numbers like that. Except for sports and a few nighttime, mostly medical, soap operas for women, ER etc, few watch TV anymore. TV is dying as a major source of entertainment and news. Its demise is yet to be reported on. Rush Limbaugh has more listeners than most TV shows have viewers.
You are correct. They all stink.
October 1, 2008 - 08:56 ET by ArchConservativeI was referring to the chant at the RNC in Minnesota. I hate (loathe) The Big Three. It's a terrible waste of my Hi-Def TV to even watch them for one minute.
Don't Worry about the big 3
October 1, 2008 - 09:44 ET by Redrowan2000Chris Dodd and Barney Fife I mean Frank are going to make CBS-NBC and ABC along with MSNBC and CNN eligible for the bailout. I mean if ACORN can get money why not them? And what 2 politicians received the most donation money from Freddie and Fannie?--Chris Dodd and Hussein Obama....Hey but good news everyone, we as a country are now lifting restrictions on those with the HIV vrus from entering the country.
"Don't let the bastards grind you down."
Red
Don't Worry about the big 3
October 1, 2008 - 09:44 ET by Redrowan2000Chris Dodd and Barney Fife I mean Frank are going to make CBS-NBC and ABC along with MSNBC and CNN eligible for the bailout. I mean if ACORN can get money why not them? And what 2 politicians received the most donation money from Freddie and Fannie?--Chris Dodd and Hussein Obama....Hey but good news everyone, we as a country are now lifting restrictions on those with the HIV vrus from entering the country.
"Don't let the bastards grind you down."
Red
The network newscasts are dying for a good reason!
October 1, 2008 - 12:41 ET by Mary Louise TurnerThe network newscasts are dying and for a good reason. It is obvious that as the campaign wears on, the networks' worship of Mr. Obama is getting more obnoxious. Worse still, the networks arrogantly deny their bias. With this kind of garbage, do the networks really think they'll get their viewers back? It's not just the broadcast nets, folks: CNN and MSNBC are also tanking, for the same reason.
MLT... ...and to top it
October 1, 2008 - 12:49 ET by bigtimerMLT...
...and to top it off, I saw on the business channel this morning good ol' GE's stock was down around 9%, parent co. of NBC/msnbc....
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh