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| Dayparts update | |
was a morning story Network AM shows gave his death the most play Aug 21, 2009 The death of Michael Jackson was a classic tabloid story at its tawdriest, with all the tabloid elements: a kooky pop idol, a mysterious death, a pill-dispensing doctor, designer drugs, rock 'n' roll and behind it all, looming sex. That put NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS’s “Early Show” far ahead of the supposedly more sensationalistic cable news, where 19.5 percent of the news coverage was of the star’s death. The Big Three’s evening news broadcasts devoted 10.8 percent of their time to the story. And for all the complaints one heard about how the Jackson story dominated the news those five weeks between June 25, the date of his death, and Aug. 2, it actually ranked behind two other far less sensational stories with 11.1 percent of the total coverage. In any case, the morning shows’ Jackson coverage paid off in the ratings. In the week before the pop star’s death (June 15 to 19), total daily viewership of the three shows averaged 10.9 million. The week after (June 29 to July 3) it rose to 11.6 million. The three evening news broadcasts also experienced a lift from the earlier week (as it happened one of record lows for both ABC and CBS), rising in total viewers from 19.1 million to 21.1 million. What is it about Jackson’s death that made it so appealing to the morning shows, the most mainstream of the mainstream media? For one thing, it had actual news value. Once the fact of his death was announced, producers could fill time with purported experts who could expound on Jackson’s cultural and historical significance. That was not an option after death of Smith, a comparative nobody. Once that was out of the way, reporters could then talk about the holy trinity of tabloid journalism: sex, drugs and money. And what a broad field it was. There were the allegations that he had sexually molested boys, reports that his death had been caused by the abuse of prescription medication, and endless speculation on the worth of his estate and who would get it. Best of all, these questions could all be answered by two very traditional journalistic responses, both of which are ideal for producers trying to keep a topic on the front burner. Did Jackson actually abuse those children? We may never know. Will there be criminal charges relating to his death? And who is going to get the money? It’s too soon to tell. For the full Pew report: http://www.journalism.org/numbers_report/Michael_Jackson_Stays_in_the_News *** In dayparts for the week ended Aug. 9, ABC’s “Nightline” led the week with 3.3 million total viewers, followed by CBS’s “The Late Show with David Letterman” and NBC’s “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” with 2.9 million. In late late night, CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” each averaged 1.4 million viewers, with ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” bringing in 1.3 million and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” at 0.8 million. Among 18-49s, “Tonight” averaged a 1.1 rating, followed by “Nightline” at 0.8 and “Late Show” at 0.7. In late late night, “Late Night” averaged a 0.6, while “Late Late Show” and “Kimmel” averaged a 0.4 (with a Monday encore for “Kimmel”) and “Last Call” averaged a 0.3 (in encore episodes).
SUNDAY MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Program
Network
Households
Rtg%
Shr
Adults 25-54
Total viewers (millions)
Meet the Press
ABC
2.1
7
0.8
2.990
This Week With George Stephanopoulos
NBC
1.9
6
0.6
2.682
Face the Nation
CBS
1.6
5
0.6
2.389
News Sunday
Fox
0.8
2
0.3
1.159
Source: NTI
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