Posted on 10/13/2004 6:17:02 AM PDT by OESY
The peacock's feathers are fraying. After more than a decade as the dominant broadcast network, General Electric Co.'s NBC is having a rocky fall.
So far this season, the network has endured double-digit ratings declines in both total viewers and viewers aged 18 to 49, the demographic that advertisers pay a premium to reach.
Particularly troubling: For the first time since 1987, NBC is losing the ratings race on Thursdays, the night that by far draws the most advertising dollars and has been the bulwark of NBC's "Must See TV" franchise.
NBC Universal Chairman Bob Wright, publicly putting a brave face on things at a Goldman Sachs conference last week, said the network is "performing very well." Still, executives are trying to stop the bleeding. NBC last week yanked the poorly performing "Last Comic Standing" from its schedule. Still, some analysts say the network is limited in the amount of immediate triage it can perform....
Other new series just aren't performing: "LAX" has fallen 43% in viewers 18 to 49 since its preseason premiere Sept. 13, "Hawaii" is down 38% and the expensive animated comedy "Father of the Pride" is off 34%.
While audience falloff from a show's premiere is expected, these declines are steeper than the industry considers acceptable. Overall, NBC is down 12% in total viewers and 16% in the 18-to-49 age category.
NBC is facing powerful competition from Viacom Inc.'s CBS, which has improved its ratings on six nights and is winning Thursdays, largely because of its hot "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" franchise....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Average TV viewership of people 18 to 49 years old, between Sept. 20 and Oct. 10:
TOTAL VIEWERS, IN MILLIONS / CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR
ABC 5.1 / 3%
CBS 5.4 / 11%
NBC 4.97 / -16%
Sources: Nielsen Media Research, the networks
How sad. I didn't know ABCCBSNBC were still on the air. I haven't watched any of them since cable came along.
I wouldn't necessarily say the decline in network ratings is due to politics. I would be more inclined to think it is because network television programming is at it's worst in television history.
There are far better forms of viewing entertainment other than morally reprehensible "reality" TV.
Oh well, they're all losing - but now SeeBS is top maggot on the dung heap.
I agree that these enterprises have 'edsel'ed out. I know noone who watches networks anymore except for an occasional golf tournament which is recorded for later viewing without the Nanz 'touchy/feely' inanity and commercials. Better still is to watch with the tube muted!
All these bozo's have to do is put on some family friendly programing and tell the news straight instead of showing such biased stuff. Can't they look at Fox news and learn a lesson? Apparently not!
They are on their way out, but they just don't seem to get why or how.
I'm wanting to buy a 49 Hudson as soon as they come out!
I like the original CSI, but I watch the reruns on Spike so I won't give SeeBS the ratings.
What do you expect when you put a hack like Zucker in charge of the Entertainment Division!
Monk BTW is an NBC/Universal production.
My two teenage sons have never watched a minute of non-sports network programming in their lives and I think they're pretty typical of their generation. If you think the nets are in trouble now, wait ten years. Dinosaurs, every one, and the asteroid has already hit.
Watch the WB!!! SMALLVILLE, GILMORE GIRLS, 7th HEAVEN, JACK & BOBBY and EVERWOOD are all great family shows!
I don't watch ABCCBSNBC either they offer nothing.
Ditto!
I also, have not watch ABCNBCCBS in years! Seems that the trend is increasing!
I love SMALLVILLE. :)
I happened to channel surf across a moment of 'the Oval Office' last night. It may have been a repeat on cable. I don't even know what night it is on normally.
The scene showed one of the President's staff members facing down a general in the White House. I happened across the scene at the moment this general headed for the door stating that he'd air his greviences in the press. The staff member said, "Oh no you won't."
As the general turned to face the staff member, she took him to task for fronting for 'republican' contractors and attacked him for wearing a medal he wasn't qualified to wear.
Why the word 'republican' needed to be inserted, I don't know, but this is the typical scene I'd opted not to view by never watching the program.
When networks turn out this filth, they are sending 50% of their audience to the sidelines.
I must admit, I wouldn't watch a program that had Martin Scheen in it. There's been very few more anti-American communist sympatizing socialists in our nation than this piece of cow excrement.
I watched Father of Pride last night. It is NOT a kiddy show. The main (supposedly "good") character stole a tv from his neighbor and was never caught, then his father pinned the blame on another neighbor, (white trash clone), who "deserved it" for having a loud mouth. Stealing is okay as long as you don't get caught. This show is a moral vaccum. DO NOT LET THE RUGRATS WATCH.
Add me to the Chorus who (other than sports) hasn't watched the big three in years. Give me ESPN, Fox News, The History Channel and the NFL total package and that's all I would need. In fact, I got a new TV for my study at home in July and the only channels I've ever watched on it were ESPN, Fox News and History Channel.
Note to NBC's affiliates: CBS's affiliates aren't the only ones with a death wish apparently. Well, you can't say you weren't warned.
I was probably ERs biggest fan. I quit them for good last year when they just had to make little jabs at Bush or republicans anytime they could. If they truly wanted to be realistic, they'd know that most doctors are right-wing. I can't believe these writers are so determined to make their little political statements that they don't even care about offending a large part of their audience. Perhaps a good landslide on November 2nd will wake them up.
I used to work for GE under Jack Welch's reign. During that time, he had a policy - if you weren't number 1 or 2 in your world market, ya got dumped. ie consumer electronics. Wonder
if GE has the same policy on the books.
I agree totally.
Non existent.
If there are local weather warnings, I'll put one of them in the window.
WARNING: This post contains some descriptions that may be offensive. I only post it to show the depravity.
Last Comic Standing wasn't cancelled because of ratings. Dreamworks' Barry Katz muscled his way into the time slot.
I saw the first episode of Father of the Pride. It was the last one also. It is very adult-themed. I would consider never having children see another Dreamworks production because of this crap.
In the first show, the lion, voiced by Goodman, was talking to his wife about having alone time. He sprayed a smiley face on his chest with whipped cream. Before they could get going, a neighbor dropped by, carrying her cat, sobbing.
While the wife was distracted comforting her neighbor, you heard licking and rustling in the background. inally the camera panned to show the lion sitting on the couch with the cat between his legs, looking up at him, white cream on his face. THe dialogue was, Lion:"Would you stop that!?" Cat:"Well, it doesn't look like your wife is going to take care of you. Someone's gotta." It was an obvious inference to oral sex. The picture looked like they drew it from one of the spam sex email pictures that clog our inboxes every day.
I apologize for being so graphic. I wanted to inform those that had no idea.
CSI:NY is a fantastic show. I hope it stays that way.
The major networks should just drop their news organizations (i.e.,
their Democratic 527 operations), except for maybe FOX.
Looks like I'm not missing anything on the major networks. Haven't watched a regular network show in years.
Jay Leno outing himself as a liberal probably won't help his ratings either.
Networks are dinosaurs....in 50 years they won't exist.
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