via press release:
“THE EARLY SHOW” POSTS BEST FOURTH QUARTER DELIVERY IN THREE YEARS AND CUTS THE GAP WITH “GMA” BY MORE THAN HALF A MILLION VIEWERS
“THE EARLY SHOW” ADDS VIEWERS DURING FOURTH QUARTER,
WHILE “TODAY” AND “GMA” LOSE VIEWERS COMPARED
TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR
For the fourth quarter of 2008 (9/22/08-12/28/08), THE EARLY SHOW (2.92m) posted its best delivery among total viewers in three years (since 2.93m in 2005) and cut the gap with “GMA” by 578,000 viewers. The CBS broadcast is also in its closest competitive position to both “GMA” and “Today” in a decade in total viewers and the key news demographic of adults 25-54. During the fourth quarter, THE EARLY SHOW grew its audience, while NBC and ABC lost viewers, compared to the same period last year.
FOURTH QUARTER OF 2008 (MOST CURRENT):
Total Viewers ‘08 Total Viewers ‘07 Change
CBS 2,920,000 2,780,000 +5%
NBC 5,459,000 5,499,000 -1%
ABC 4,508,000 4,946,000 -9%
Households ‘08 Households ‘07 Change
CBS 2.2/8 2.2/8 n.c.
NBC 4.1/14 4.3/15 -5%
ABC 3.4/12 3.8/13 -11%
Adults 25-54 ‘08 Adults 25-54 ‘07 Change
CBS 1.0/7 1.0/7 n.c.
NBC 2.0/14 2.1/15 -5%
ABC 1.6/11 1.7/12 -6%
Women 25-54 ‘08 Women 25-54 ‘07 Change
CBS 1.3/8 1.2/8 +8%
NBC 2.6/16 2.8/16 -7%
ABC 2.2/13 2.4/14 -8%
Women 18-49 ‘08 Women 18-49 ‘07 Change
CBS 0.9/6 0.9/6 n.c.
NBC 2.1/15 2.2/15 -5%
ABC 1.6/11 1.8/13 -11%
This is some truly artful spin.
Am I the only one, or could ABC and NBC’s down slides be because of poor talent? Meredith Viera is a train wreck, and Robin Roberts is painful to watch. She has no journalistic standards. She’ll make herself the center of ANY story. And regularly forgets to leave her personal opinions at the door. A “journalist” reports the news, and does not personally spin it, sharing her opinions freely. Roberts has no objectivity, doesn’t even try to hide it, and viewers can see it. Are we not surprised she’s losing viewers for ABC?