No joke, I try to find a way to do the Gene Gene Dancing machine dance about once every couple of weeks, to celebrate a particularly good break or some good news.
We'll be right back, with more 'stuff!'
Posted on 09/28/2004 12:23:14 AM PDT by kattracks
September 28, 2004 -- Dan Rather's ratings in New York continue to tank in the wake of the fake-documents scandal.The "CBS Evening News" averaged 160,000 viewers last week on WCBS/Channel 2 — down from 231,000 viewers the week before.
Rather apologized for the National Guard documents debacle on the Sept. 20 newscast, and his numbers actually rose the next two days, reaching a high of 241,000 viewers Wednesday.
In the week before Rather's on-air mea culpa, viewership was off a staggering 49 percent.
The numbers spiraled downward since Wednesday, with Thursday's "Evening News" pulling only 140,000 viewers on Channel 2, and a measly 108,000 viewers Friday, according to Nielsen numbers.
Meanwhile, a fourth of American adults polled for USA Today and CNN by Gallup say Rather should be fired over the story charging President Bush got special treatment during his National Guard service — but 64 percent said the anchor should not be canned.
Also, 38 percent said the CBS report was a hit job aimed at making Bush look bad, while 56 percent said it was an "honest mistake."
[snip}
"Dan Rather desperately wanted to believe forged documents . . . It wasn't just sloppy journalism. It was political bias," says the ad.
"It's time for Dan Rather to go."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Great. Now Dan Rather will be like "I KNEW I shouldn't have apologized!"
There are 200 affiliates and 19 Viacom owned CBS stations in the US. The average station had just 493 viewers of the "CBS Evening News".
Good post Katt.
It blows me away...this 56% that believe it was and "honest mistake". Are they kidding? I want to meet these people. I have a few local bridges I would like to sell them.
These people are just plain ol' stupid!
Isn't that something like twice the size of McEnroe's audience?
"Honest mistake" Richard Speck coulda used that one.
Nobody that's been in the business as long as Rather, makes a mistake on this level of story. What has him flabberghasted, is that he's actually being held to account for this.
I will say this in Dan's defense. The level of skew in his nightly broadcasts has gotten so bad, over such a long period of time, without him being called on it, that he thought nothing of putting out another one.
He should have been canned years ago, and he's by no means the only one. The level of propaganda in the evening news shows is shocking.
If the stats are accurate, there is a lot more work to be done to get the story out there to the people who still believe Dan's been duped and his "mistake" was "honest."
38 percent to 56 percent may not seem bad, but look at it this way: if you're Burger King, and, 38 percent of your existing customers are suddenly led to believe that your burgers are made out of roadkill, you're in trouble.
I thought that 108,000 was just for Channel 2, and not for all the affiliates combined. I think if they went down that far everyone in the news department would be canned. It's still a dramatic drop for one station.
The viewers who continue to watch CBS are no doubt the same people who pick up the 'Weekly World News' from the supermarket aisle and think it's real.
For the first time in 30 years my unwilling body has been forced to perform the "Gene, Gene, The dancing machine" dance!
Anyone have a pic of Gene doing his thing?
Polls, polls, polls. What would we do without polls? Anybody on this board that believes these numbers mean anything hasn't been paying attention.
No. These are Rather's New York City ratings numbers. 108,000 people in the NYC TV market are watching his newscast, not nationwide. Considering there are 7.36 million television homes in the NYC DMA, that's not very good.
As of right now, more New Yorkers watch Letterman each night than Dan Rather on CBS2.
Chalk it up to morbid curiosity, after all train wrecks don't happen everyday.
No joke, I try to find a way to do the Gene Gene Dancing machine dance about once every couple of weeks, to celebrate a particularly good break or some good news.
We'll be right back, with more 'stuff!'
http://www.tvacres.com/images/gene_gene2.jpg
While actually working as a crew member on the show, he was known for his dancing appearances on the TV game show "The Gong Show", full name: Gene Patton
Date of Birth: 4/25/1932
Current Age: 72
: ) !!!!
Chuck Barris rules as far as I am concerned.
Though he was REALLY derided at the time, I find his big contributions (Dating Game, Newlywed Game, and Gong Show) were never really mean spirited or too racy.
Dating Game was a hammy contest to see which person could use the gift of gab to make themselves more desirable. Some sexual innuendo, double entendres, etc were part of the fun but I never considered them appaling. Everyone can relate to courtship - in the end, it was a silly way to do 'boy meets girl,' a basic story that even the most cynical people, I think, find charming.
Newlywed Game uses the same gimmick and presents the question "how well does this couple know each other." It always presented loving couples that had a good sense of humor, and again, everyone (married or not) could relate to the theme - 'just how well do me and my romantic interest know each other.' Yep, a little racy but again, charming and not appalling.
Gong Show was the most derided I think - a contest to see who would humilate themselves the most on national tv. I always resented the fact that some folks consider it to be the 'grandfather' of the brutality seen on programs like 'American Idol,' where ostensibly most Americans tune in to see who gets ripped up most savagely and have their dream dashed (go America, you lowlifes!)
The Gong Show was funny but it was NOT HURTFUL (none of the shows I have mentioned were hurtful, unlike a lot of modern era tv). Programs like AI are hurtful (which is one reason why people watch). On Gong Show, everyone was in on the joke - the 'talent' knew they had oddball acts and stunk, they just wanted to be on tv and get a laugh. "It's all good."
While I concede that Barris & co did represent an early part of a real movement on tv to appeal to some of people's more base instincts, their corrupting influence is overstated. If there was a show like Dating Game now, in the same style with the same wink & nod, but not over-the-top 2004 raciness, I would watch.
I just don't know how many other Americans would...
PS - I haven't seen Gong Show in ages (I was a young kid at the time and saw it as broadcast) but my version of the Gene Gene dance is to kind of strut and shuffle around and then wiggle my arms and hips in strange spastic motions. Is that your version of the dance? I wish I had a video of it so I can train myself to do it justice!
Gene by the way appears in the movie adaption of Barris's fantasy autobio "Confessions of A Dangerous Mind." It seems he has lost both his legs to disease or an accident, but seems in good spirits. Gene lives! ;-)
When it firmly hits CBS in the pocketbook, Rather will be "reassigned", or retire early.
Yeah, but if 56 percent of your customers think it's not only less filling, but tastes great, then the whole population is in trouble...
There is one thing that is certain: ALL MSN is watching and LEARNING the repercussions of being supporters of the left.
You mean Batboy doesn't exist?
It was for just one station...now multiply that out to all of them...and you will get the bigger picture. They normally have a little over a million viewers per night nationwide.
But these numbers are terrible...in NYC, the nation's largest media market, Rather is dead last in the ratings, with only a fraction of the audience for "NBC Nightly News" (airing on WNBC), or "World News Tonight" on WABC. And Gunga Dan's ratings free-fall couldn't have come at a worse time; CBS is trying to rebuild its local news operation at key owned-and-operated stations (WCBS, WBBM in Chicago, KCBS in Los Angeles), but it's an uphill battle. Rather delivers virtually no lead-in for the local newscasts on those stations, costing Viacom millions of dollars a year. Ironically, the lead anchor at WCBS (Ernie Anatos) just jumped ship for a job at WNYW, the Fox affiliate in NYC, with additional appearences on FNC. I think Ernie realized that there's little hope for WCBS in the early evening news ratings, with the Rather albatross hanging around their necks....
Here's how I figure it. Estimate the WCBS reach as 20 million. That's metro NY, eastern Connecticut and half of NJ. Even some parts of Pennsylvania. Well the US popluation is slightly under 300 million, and 20 million is 1/15 of that. So multiply 108K by 15 -- 2.3 million. AT MOST.
The mid-nation Bush States are less likely than the NYC metro to tolerate Rather's constant haughty agti-prop.
I estimate his audience as 1 million, tops.
I'm sending my resume to CBS. Just about anyone would have more credibility than Dan.
We have noted your comments regarding American Express' advertisements on CBS.
American Express advertises its products on a wide variety of programs and in a number of different newspapers and magazines. This advertising is part of our effort to reach the greatest number of current as well as prospective customers. Our decision about whether to advertise with a particular program or publication does not constitute an endorsement of its content or editorial policy.
Please know that we appreciate you taking time to share your views. I hope this clarifies the situation and addresses your concerns.
Sincerely,
Martha Ardila
Executive Assistant
Regards . . . Penny
"while 56 percent said it was an "honest mistake" ---
The very real danger of ignorance!
Just think, if CBS's ratings were that poor in a liberal bastion like NYC, how woeful they must be out here in "flyover" country.
I emailed the general manager at my local CBS affiliate three days after the wheels came off of the story and told him that I would never watch his channel again as long as Dan Rather was appearing on CBS. Many others have done the same.
I'd prefer that they keep him on and let their credibility decline even further.
What does CeeBS expect? What they should do right now is fire Rather. The "journalists" next in line would probably be just as bad, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt before they go down Rather's long, lonesome road.
Anybody on this board who thinks politicians and other organizations spend thousands of dollars on something that doesn't mean anything hasn't been paying attention.
Dan Rather is a lying sack of shit.
Oh yes, it's obvious after a few hours of sleep.
Dan Rather is toast...
The article is from the NY Post and the numbers are only those from the NY market, not national market.
Great! More good news!
No, they're referring to viewership on that one NY channel.
I realize that now. I went to be just after making that comment.
I prefer to think of this as a sleeper story. Remember, Watergate did not become “big” until after the election. This is similar, Watergate was “a third rate burglary” and would have NOT been news except for the political aspect. Memogate I say Memogate, because I think this is bigger than Dan Rather) will not take off until after the election either. What made Watergate big was the attempt to affect an election. Since Memogate has the same attempt, bloggers and conservative media will chase down the story. The liberals will have to go along, or look like they are part of “it”. Look at what we already have. Mary Mapes was so predictable in her bias she was all but taking ads out looking for incriminating documents. Burkett, I don’t think he is all there, but he does have a history of attacking President Bush. The documents, we don’t even know where the “original” Burkett documents are. But we already have Mary possessing Joe Lockhart’s personal cell phone number, and being able to ask him for a personal favor (Call Burkett). Joe says he and Burkett only talked about the swift vets. Burkett says they talked about the documents. Burkett says he acquired the documents in what can only be called a bizarre way, a way that could easily have been a plant. On top of that you have the “cover-up” at CBS. What did Dan Rather know, and when did he know it, and why didn’t he either know before he went on air, or wait until the facts were in.
Now for the “Legs” of this story:
1. Who forged the documents?
2. Where are the “Burkett Documents”?
3. Why was CBS producer Mary Mapes calling Joe Lockhart on his personal cell phone, ever?
4. Why weren’t the people who were alive, yet referenced in the memos consulted?
5. How did this get on the air without being discovered?
6. How did the Kerry campaign have the “Fortunate Son” ads ready to roll just in time to coincide with this story? (I am told these ads took too long to prepare to have been dine after the documents were given to Burkett.)
7. Why are there rumors of a memo that talks of these documents being at the DNC than the Kerry Campaign months before Burkett had them?
IMHO This is the biggest story of my lifetime, and we ain’t seen nothing yet, wait till after the election. Once the election stops using up all the oxygen in the room this will burst into flame!
to have been dine = to have been done
Note to self: Spell check is nice, proofread is better.
D'oh! Thanks for the correction. I guess it was too good to be true. :-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.