First came the respect from critics and the kudos from her peers. Now long-embattled “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric is finally seeing a bump in the ratings after her well-received coverage of the 2008 election.
Though the newscast remains in third place, well behind ABC and first-place NBC, Couric is on pace for her best season since taking over the anchor seat in September 2006.
Season to date, since Sept. 22, “Evening News” is averaging 6.53 million total viewers, up 6 percent from 6.16 million during the 2007-’08 season, according to Nielsen. And it seems likely that average will grow.
Four of the past five weeks, Couric has drawn more than 7 million viewers, including 7.28 million for the week ended Jan. 11.
True, all of the newscasts have seen some growth in this election/recession year. But Couric is up the most, and her gains in recent weeks have been the most dramatic and certainly the most notable, considering eight months ago rumors emerged that she would be exiting the anchor seat just after the election.
Compared to last April, when that speculation over her future dominated the headlines, Couric is up nearly 2 million viewers.
If she stays on this pace, she will outdraw her first year in the anchor seat, when she averaged 6.74 million viewers.
The newscast’s rise began early this fall, when Couric landed one of the first interviews with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. In a bit that became an online viral hit, Palin flubbed one question after another as a calm Couric continued to question her.
Couric’s momentum continued with a series of election pieces over the fall that showcased her considerable talent as an interviewer and reporter. Compared to the other anchors, ABC’s Charles Gibson and NBC’s Brian Williams, Couric aired far more taped packages during 2008, according to the nightly news tracker The Tyndall Report.
Critics, who had excoriated Couric’s more folksy and featurey approach in her debut, began to come around. She made numerous year-end media winner lists and talk of her exit from the anchor chair died down quickly.
In fact, she may owe Palin for her continued rise over recent weeks. The Alaska governor has been making the media rounds, and complaining about the disastrous Couric interview and thus reminding viewers again of her newscast.
***
Meanwhile, in evening network news for the week ended Jan. 11, NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was first among total viewers, averaging 9.9 million, and among 25-54s with a 2.5 average rating. ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” was second in viewers, averaging 9.06 million, and in 25-54s with a 2.3 rating, while CBS’s “Evening News” was third for the week with the aforementioned 7.28 million total viewers and a 1.7 25-54 rating.
In other daypart ratings for the week ended Jan. 4, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was first among the Sunday morning shows in total viewers with 4.72 million tuning in and among viewers 25-54 with a 1.3 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with 3.63 million, and among 25-54s with a 1.1, with ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” pulling 3.26 million viewers and a 0.8 among 25-54s. “Fox News Sunday” averaged 1.51 million viewers and a 0.5 rating among 25-54s.
In late night, it was another holiday-interrupted week. Wednesday through Friday broadcasts for the week weren’t counted toward the weekly averages due to the New Year’s holiday, and all shows except “Nightline” were in reruns.
Nonetheless, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was first for the week, averaging 4.7 million total viewers and a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’s “The Late Show with David Letterman” had 3.7 million viewers and a 1.0 rating in the demo, with ABC’s “Nightline” pulling 3.3 million viewers and a 0.8. In late-late night, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” had 1.9 million total viewers and a 0.7 in 18-49s, with CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” averaging 1.8 million viewers and a 0.6 in 18-49s. ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” averaged 1.4 million viewers and a 0.4, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” brought in 1.0 million viewers and a 0.4 among 18-49s.
CBS had the largest full daytime audience during the week, averaging 3.91 million viewers, but was third among women 18-49 with a 1.2 rating. NBC had the second-largest audience, averaging 3.28 million viewers, and was first among women 18-49 with a 1.4 rating. ABC had a full daytime audience of 3.01 million and was second among women 18-49 with a 1.3 rating.
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 5.0 million total viewers and a 3.8 household rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 4.0 million viewers and a 3.0/11. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 2.8 million total viewers and a 2.1/8.
|
SUNDAY MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week ending January 4, 2009
Sunday averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
|
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Adults 25-54 |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Meet the Press |
NBC |
3.4 |
9 |
1.3 |
4.715 |
|
Face the Nation |
CBS |
2.5 |
7 |
1.1 |
3.633 |
|
This Week With George Stephanopoulos |
ABC |
2.3 |
6 |
0.8
|
3.255 |
|
News Sunday |
Fox |
1.1 |
3 |
0.5 |
1.514 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
LATE-NIGHT RATINGS
Week Ending January 4, 2009
Five-day averages* |
|
Program |
Network |
People 2+ |
Adults 18-49 |
|
Total viewers (millions) |
Rtg% |
|
Tonight Show with Jay Leno** |
NBC |
4.7 |
1.2 |
|
Late Show with David Letterman** |
CBS |
3.7 |
1.0 |
|
Nightline |
ABC |
3.3 |
0.8 |
|
Late Night with Conan O’Brien** |
NBC |
1.9 |
0.7 |
|
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson** |
CBS |
1.8 |
0.6 |
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live** |
ABC |
1.4 |
0.4 |
|
Last Call with
Carson Daly** |
NBC |
1.0 |
0.4 |
|
* Wednesday-Friday results are excluded due to the New Year’s holiday.
** Encore telecasts.
Source: NTI
|
|
MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week Ending January 4, 2009
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Today |
NBC |
3.8 |
15 |
4.967 |
|
Good Morning
America |
ABC |
3.0 |
11 |
3.986 |
|
Early Show |
CBS |
2.1 |
8 |
2.780 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
MORNING SHOW RATINGS
Week Ending January 4, 2009
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
Households |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
Today |
NBC |
3.8 |
15 |
4.967 |
|
Good Morning
America |
ABC |
3.0 |
11 |
3.986 |
|
Early Show |
CBS |
2.1 |
8 |
2.780 |
|
Source: NTI |
|
EVENING NETWORK NEWS RATINGS
Week Ending January 11, 2009
Five-day averages |
|
Program |
Network |
25-54s |
People 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Total viewers (millions) |
|
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams |
NBC |
2.5 |
9.903 |
|
ABC World News with Charles Gibson |
ABC |
2.3 |
9.059 |
|
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric |
CBS |
1.7 |
7.283 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending December 28, 2008
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Syndicator |
Households |
|
US
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN NFL REGULAR SEASON
|
ESP
|
9.1
|
10444
|
|
2
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
|
CTD
|
6.7
|
7664
|
|
3
|
JEOPARDY
|
CTD
|
5.4
|
6229
|
|
4
|
TWO-HALF MEN-SYN (AT)
|
WB
|
4.3
|
4891
|
|
5
|
JUDGE JUDY (AT)
|
CTD
|
4.1
|
4711
|
|
6
|
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW
|
CTD
|
3.9
|
4507
|
|
7
|
FAMILY GUY-MF-SYN (AT)
|
2/T
|
3.7
|
4274
|
|
8
|
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND
|
CTD
|
3.5
|
3997
|
|
9
|
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.2
|
3669
|
|
9
|
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY
|
DAD
|
3.2
|
3611
|
|
11
|
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.1
|
3588
|
|
11
|
CSI NEW YORK-SYN(AT)
|
CTD
|
3.1
|
3554
|
|
13
|
SEINFELD-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
3.0
|
3448
|
|
14
|
DR. PHIL SHOW (AT)
|
CTD
|
2.9
|
3343
|
|
15
|
GEORGE LOPEZ (AT)
|
WB
|
2.7
|
3085
|
|
16
|
INSIDE EDITION (AT)
|
CTD
|
2.6
|
2999
|
|
16
|
TWO-HALF MEN WKND A (AT)
|
WB
|
2.6
|
2965
|
|
16
|
IMAGINATION VI
|
DAD
|
2.6
|
2955
|
|
19
|
TWO-HALF MEN WKND B (AT)
|
WB
|
2.4
|
2797
|
|
19
|
MILLIONAIRE (AT)
|
DAD
|
2.4
|
2770
|
|
19
|
LAW & ORDER:SVU-SYN (AT)
|
NBU
|
2.4
|
2742
|
|
19
|
FRIENDS (AT)
|
WB
|
2.4
|
2699
|
|
23
|
KING OF QUEENS-SYN (AT)
|
SPT
|
2.3
|
2685
|
|
23
|
HOUSE-SYN (AT)
|
NBU
|
2.3
|
2623
|
|
25
|
KING OF QUEENS-WKND (AT)
|
SPT
|
2.2
|
2544
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
