Posted on 09/16/2004 8:14:29 AM PDT by Rutles4Ever
Edited on 09/16/2004 8:57:41 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Just the title...
MORE INFO
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU SEPT 16, 2004 11:42:09 ET XXXXX
CBS EXECS 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 becoming 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...
Couple this with pressure on their sponsors... and I think we know how this will turn out.
Sir:
Because of your continuing support of Dan Rather and CBS news, I am writing to inform you I am cancelling my American Express account, cutting my gold card in half, and will attempt to dissuade anyone I know from obtaining a card from you in the future. This comes in response to CBS's presentation of forged documents in an attempt to influence the outcome of an election due to Rather's obvious agenda and their subsequent refusal to retract the story. Even CBS's pathetic attempt to respin some credibility on the story does not bother you. This is serious business. Fraud, if you will; something that should bother a credit card company.
You continue to advertise with them. I will continue to make you a product I do not use.
signature
Revenge of the "Pajama Army" :-)
I've been trying to call our local cBS affiliate all morning and there is no one home...hmmm.....
Sir:
Because of your continuing support of Dan Rather and CBS news, I am writing to inform you I am cancelling my American Express account, cutting my gold card in half, and will attempt to dissuade anyone I know from obtaining a card from you in the future. This comes in response to CBS's presentation of forged documents in an attempt to influence the outcome of an election due to Rather's obvious agenda and their subsequent refusal to retract the story. Even CBS's pathetic attempt to respin some credibility on the story does not bother you. This is serious business. Fraud, if you will; something that should bother a credit card company.
You continue to advertise with them. I will continue to make you a product I do not use.
signature
Wait until they see their ratings when the memo scandal's been resolved. There are a lot of people monitoring the show to see how the forgeries are handled. When that is over, there will be a further drop.
And this new guy (John Roberts?) is just as flaky as ole Danny.
Keep calling affiliates. My local Atlanta CBS affiliate is taking a real hard line stand with CBS. I have filed a complaint with the FCC for their relicensing file.
A fitting Sayonara.
The sponsors may not be willing to pay for much more than this in the future.
Bu-bye Dan!
oops
Also on Drudge:
White House McClellan on Rather: “It’s always best for journalists to stick to reporting the facts and not try to dispense campaign advice'...
Good! This weekend I'm writing a letter to the anchors of my local CBS affiliate, telling them I won't be watching their newscast until Rather is out.
Bye bye Dan-o. Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.
And that's the way it is.
Hmm... I don't buy it. I'd suspect Rather's ratings have been quite high this past week. Most people can't resist slowing down to stare at a trainwreck...
No, it's already gotten interesting. No conservatives watch CBS anyhow; right? O.K. So, if their viewship is falling off the some Indys and thinking Dims are turned off by this. Could it translate into votes for Bush? Whaddya think?
keep hammering...... relentless.... never give up.... hammering....
Interviewing the "Bush was Selected Lady" didn't help.
I introduced our local talk show host, Mark Davis on 820 WBAP, here in Dallas to the term this morning - He seemed to get a big kick out of it.
Call CBS in your area and also email or call sponsors of CBS news and 60 minutes.
Call CBS in your area and also email or call sponsors of CBS news and 60 minutes.
Not a big Savage fan, but I've also turned off Bill O. Bill does have contacts at See BS, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see Bill dump FNC to continue to bolster his ego over at See BS.
i'm inclined to believe rush ... dan will cling to his chair until he wants to leave... besides, why do i want him to leave anyway? if ratings are dropping because of dan then i want him to stay until cbsnews is no more... also it will be healthy for dan to cover W's electoral college romp on election night
White House is gently leaning towards implicating the DNC on this. Just enough bait on the hook for some media hounds to keep digging. I, for one, think this Burkett thing is a mis-direct. I'm not sure who Bill Burkett had to blow to become "an unimpeachable source".
The suicide vests at DNC are being donned as we speak...
Is it wrong for me to be gloating over this so much and enjoying it so thoroughly?
I hope not, because that's exactly what I've been doing.
bmp
That's rich! LOL
I did the same thing in 1991 when American Express supported Clinton.
They called and asked what the problem was. I advised them that the next four years were going to be very expensive, and that I simply could not afford their card any longer.
I never found a need to get Amex again.
Could this be a bigger problem for CBS? Can they become (without much more effort) the Arthur-Anderson of MSM? or will Dan walking the plank end the story?
Pray for W and Our Troops
Very good.
I would not be so sure.
Dan Rather is a "brand" product. He's more than just a name. Think Coke, Mickey Mouse, Maytag, GM, Ford.
When people think of SeeBS, they think of Dan Rather, at least the people who still watch the networks.
Don't you think Viacom would have tossed Dan out the door a long time ago if it was an easy "brand" to replace?
Rather won't be easy to replace.
The real question Viacom is asking thenmselves is: Do we lose more share by dumping Dan or riding out the storm?
CBS, Dan Rather fade??? They've been blown away by the people they thought were not watching or payng attention...UNITE America...keep up the pressure..Do NOT watch CBS and boycott all products that advertise with them...that is what causes change as obviously they don't have the morals to report FAIR!!and yes, I am in my pjs!
The entertainment value of watching Dan twist in the wind will necessarily pall, however. Against that, the hit on his and CBS's credibility will last for years.
If his ratings are bad now, what will they be in a month? In December?
LOL Do ya think that Dandy Dan would mind if his paycheck was forged ?
Good ONE!!! Maybe he could say that CBS meant to pay him...I wonder if he thinks that would make up for a forged check???
Be afraid Dan, be very afraid.
That would be the best move CBS has made yet. Fox could rid themselves of the O'Reilly pestilence and CBS could fire his lame a** as their ratings plunge even LOWER. This is a plan I can live with.
Glad I could help, Dan.
But look at the bright side. No one is "going to judge your entire career by that 7 minutes of 'dead air'"
Please don't write a book.
It's thADENFREUDE, baby!
(as you already know) < |:)~
Dan Blather is an altered toad with no upper lip.
I think the pressure needs to be on our local TV stations and radio affiliates who use CBS news on the half hour. If they start dropping him that will speak volumns. Some already have (dropped it)
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