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For Obama,
a chilly State of the Union

The president's approval ratings are well off

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Jan 27, 2010

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What a difference a year makes.

When President Barack Obama addressed the nation around this time last year, his popularity was at a peak. He'd just won a landmark election with a landslide advantage, and his approval rating sat at a fat 67 percent just after the speech.

One year later, with Obama slated to deliver his first official State of the Union tonight at 9 p.m. on all the major broadcast and cable news networks, he's sitting in quite a different place.

His approval rating has plunged below 50 percent, including less than 25 percent among Republicans, despite campaign promises to help end the partisan rancor in Washington. And many regard Republican Scott Brown's surprise win in the special Senate election in Massachusetts last week as a rejection of Obama's healthcare overhaul bill, now in Congress.

Still, viewership for the SOTU should be decent, if below that for last February, when Obama fever was at its height. Viewership has risen for Obama's last two speeches, and people want to know what he has to say about healthcare, whether they agree with him or not.

Plus there's the "American Idol" factor. Fox will run a one-hour "Idol" leading into the SOTU, which always brings a few extra viewers, at least in the first half hour.

Obama's February speech last year was not actually a SOTU, though many called it one. The president does not deliver his first SOTU until he's been in office for a year.

But as a point of comparison, last year's February speech to Congress averaged 52.9 million viewers. His September address to Congress delivered 32.1 million.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	This time it’s auditions in Dallas, with guests Joe Jonas and Neil Patrick Harris.
9 p.m.	Broadcast, cable news networks	“State of the Union Address” (N)	President Obama gives his first State of the Union address.
9 p.m.	TLC	“I’m Pregnant And…” (R)	A homeless couple tries to find jobs before their baby is born.
9 p.m.	Syfy	“Ghost Hunters International” (R)	Exploring a 19th century prison in Tasmania.
10 p.m.	A&E	“Steven Seagal: Lawman” (R)	Seagal and his crew take part in a drug sting operation.
10 p.m.	FX	“Nip/Tuck” (D)	Melanie Griffith guests as Kimber’s mother.
10 p.m.	USA	“Psych” (D)	The suicide of a soldier may have actually been murder.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Good Big Ten matchup between Wisconsin and Purdue.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Bones” (D)	A dentist’s remains are found in a trench at a Civil War battle site.
8 p.m.	CW	“The Vampire Diaries” (D)	A new vampire comes to town, and Stefan and Damon try to figure out his story.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“Winter X Games” (S)	The 14th annual event begins in Aspen, Colo.
10 p.m.	Bravo	“Real Housewives of Orange County” (R)	Lynne asks her mother for advice about her daughters.
10 p.m.	Lifetime	“Project Runway” (R)	Personalities clash as the designers work in pairs.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CW	“Smallville” (D)	Archer battles his former mentor.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Kitchen Nightmares” (R)	Season premiere. Ramsay starts the season by visiting a restaurant in Philadelphia.
9 p.m.	Syfy	“Caprica” (D)	Zoe’s avatar tries to get used to living in the body of a robot.
10 p.m.	Food Network	“The Best Thing I Ever Ate” (N)	Food Network personalities dish about their favorite meat dishes.
10 p.m.	TLC	“Miss America: Behind the Curtain” (R)	A look at preparations for the 2010 Miss America pageant.
10 p.m.	Travel Channel	“Most Haunted” (R)	A house in Liverpool, England, may be haunted by a former resident.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	Interesting nonconference game between Duke and Georgetown.
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Should be a good game between in-state rivals Kansas and Kansas State.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	A park ranger in Tulsa can’t get a man to stop.
9 p.m.	Lifetime	“Lying to be Perfect” (M)	A magazine editor moonlights as an online advice columnist.
9 p.m.	Syfy	“Meteor Storm” (M)	A rash of meteors begins hitting San Francisco.
10 p.m.	Spike TV	“UFC 107” (S)	Live event should draw a good amount of young male viewers.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	Either Florida-Tennessee or Minnesota-Ohio State.
7:20 p.m.	ESPN	“NFL Football” (S)	The annual Pro Bowl game, this year from Miami.
8 p.m.	Fox	“The Simpsons” (C)	Homer buys a lottery ticket that may be worth $1 million.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Grammy Awards” (A)	The 52nd annual event, this year from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
9 p.m.	HBO	“Big Love” (D)	Home Plus is audited and the results could affect Bill’s political aspirations. Of course so could that three wives thing.
10 p.m.	E!	“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (R)	The girls have a weekend from hell.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.