Each of the Big 3 networks' evening news broadcasts is pulling an historically low audience, or close to it -- and it isn't even summertime yet.
While they continue to pretend that Obamamania is as alive and well as it allegedly was in January, they have seen 25% of their viewers go elsewhere, including one-third of the 25-54 demographic.
Year over year, they're down a collective 6% overall, and a stunning 10% in the 25-54 demo, which now consists of less than 6 million pairs of eyes. Test patterns might be able to outperform that.
Here is the latest chart showing the post-Jan. 26 skids:
Almost three years ago, in July 2006, Drudge headlined "TV's Lowest Week," which linked to a wire story about how network TV in general, including the evening news shows, had just endured their worst week for total audience since the boob tube became widely used in households. That wire story said that:
“World News Tonight” averaged 7.3 million viewers and “Nightly News” had 7.2 million (both 5.1 rating, 11 share). The “CBS Evening News” averaged 6.5 million viewers (4.6, 10).
As you can see above, the combined audience for the week of May 11, 2009 was over a half-million lower that early July 2006's 21 million (7.3 + 7.2 + 6.5).
And as I said, it isn't even summertime yet.
ABC, at 7.14 million is already lower than it was during the summer of 2006. I guess that selectively edited Charles Gibson hatchet job on Sarah Palin didn't have any long-term effect. Sorry, Charlie.
This will never happen, but if the nets continue to lose evening news audience at the same rate as they have since January 26, no one will be watching them by next March or April. Sadly, we won't be that lucky.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters
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Are the viewers going somewhere else or are they just going?
May 20, 2009 - 13:07 ET by JTPAre any of the cable channels picking up the viewers?
Maybe the 3 nets should just consolidate.. the reports and analysis are the same for all 3 anyway.
"Live for yourself...there's no one else more worth living for.
Begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more"- Rush--Anthem
Rush numbers
May 20, 2009 - 16:07 ET by ThisnThat"Maybe the 3 nets should just consolidate.. "
And if they did, collectively they would equal Rush's audience.
___________________________________
The challenge is to follow a consistent plan despite inconsistent prices - Sarah Palin, State of the State of Alaska speech
I used to thing the networks
May 20, 2009 - 13:38 ET by bigtimerI used to thing the networks just didn't get it, didn't have a clue and all that jazz, that was long ago when I thought that...
Ratings and turning a profit mean nothing to them, they have their 24/7 leftist agenda and they are going to stick to it...at all costs.
Besides that, with the O-Team in bail-outs are next, heck GE/NBC has already had some of that candy.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Exactly .....
May 20, 2009 - 15:12 ET by Tom Blumer..... see the update at the BizzyBlog cross-post for a sort-of succinct explanation.
The elitism of the left and rankings
May 20, 2009 - 13:47 ET by SeftonCouldn't help but notice the difference in commercial "slogans" and tag lines for certain news networks/cable outlets.
Fox News is - "We report, you decide."
From a commercial with Brian Williams - "It's our job to make sense of it all." (because the ignorant masses need our guidance).
From a commercial with Charles Gibson - "A good reporter makes people understand why a story is important to them." (we'll interpret it for you, give you our take, and you'll know why conservatives are spawns of Satan).
In the tank
May 20, 2009 - 14:17 ET by obageegeeI'm afraid (or not) that the big three (now small three) are going to have to adopt an hour long format similar Fox and MSNBC and CNBC in order to survive. Either that or farm out the evening news to India
That's 21 million viewers
May 20, 2009 - 14:29 ET by snaggletoothieThat's 21 million viewers out of almost 300 million Americns. I think monster trucks would sneer at that small an audience.
Who wants to watch?
May 20, 2009 - 16:35 ET by richb313I mean who wants to watch that stuff. When there was no real competion, only 3 networks and PBS if you were lucky, they had a captive audience. Somehow when they did not have to compete they actually did a better job. Remember all the long format specials that were really well done during the 50's and 60's? When competion came in the form of cable channels viewership started the slow decline, when CNN hit the air the start of the rapid decline. Now we have 24 hour news competion MSNBC, CNN, and the winner Fox news. Also the Internet is available for all news junkies. What has been the response of the Networks? They did not improve the product, they did not do more real in depth reporting, and they just assumed that people would continue to tune in out of habit. Network News (ABC, NBC, CBS) is dead and probably will not continue much longer. Revenues for all three networks are falling and as in all things stupid they are reducing the quality of the product giving less reason to tune in.
Stupid is as Stupid Does and the Big Three Networks are glaring examples of this. The executives of these institutions couldn't run a lemonade stand without Govt. Intervention.
exactly how much "taxpayer funded" can an outlet be
May 20, 2009 - 18:07 ET by UndercoverConservativeand not be a "State" publication? They used to refer to these as "mouthpieces" for government propaganda-like Pravda. Everyone knew that if the Government paid the bills, then Government controlled what was reported and how it was spun-even without "edicts" and "orders", @ss kissers would report what their "masters" wanted to get ahead...much like they do now I suppose.
WWW.GS2AC.COM. 2nd Amendment Grass Roots Action in the Bay Area, CA. We're not all "Breakfast Cereal" folks here! :)
msm
May 20, 2009 - 20:33 ET by charlietexasserves em right. People know and watch what they want. They don't want to watch them. They are the most arrogant people on the planet. The worm always turns.
Whenever I start to feel
May 21, 2009 - 02:13 ET by RR GOPWhenever I start to feel sorry for these old news stations and all nostalgiac and stuff, I stop and think, "Hell no! They've never been beneficial to the American public. They screwed over our guys big time in Vietnam and have been supporting the stupid Liberal agenda that's only hurt our country since their inception. So screw them."
What's funny is that as their ratings slide, they just get nastier and nastier.
Truly amazing.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
RR GOP
May 21, 2009 - 11:00 ET by NorthCoasterYes, it is truly amazing. One of the reasons that I like NewsBusters, is that the editors, writers and participants on the site have access to original resources and provide links for the rest of us, so that we can be fully informed about the complete stories behind the news.
Well, hopefully, it is the
May 21, 2009 - 09:28 ET by b4m4wyWell, hopefully, it is the liberal America that is slowly starting to realize their mistake in watching biased "news".
Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
Ronald Reagan