Dayparts update
Already, a new, harder edge to Couric
By Toni Fitzgerald
Mar 22, 2007, 01:10

It hasn’t even been two weeks since new executive producer Rick Kaplan joined “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric,” and already perceptions of the oft-criticized newscast are changing.

Bloggers are noting a greater focus on the hard news that Kaplan favors, sharpening the softer edge Couric brought to the newscast when she took over last September.

Couric herself is earning praise for last week’s interview with fired U.S. attorney David Iglesias, a get with loads more gravitas than her last much-hyped, pre-Kaplan sit-down with Mt. Hood widow Kelly James, a softball piece reminiscent of her years on "Today."

But whether a sharper-edged Couric and this new focus on hard news can make a difference in the ratings, or when, is another issue entirely.

In Kaplan’s first full week on the job Couric’s viewership dipped 3 percent from the previous week, from 7 million to 6.76 million total viewers, and she remains down 3 percent season to date compared with last year.

To be fair, it can take months or longer for viewers to even notice such changes, and months more before those changes bring a boost in ratings, if they are going to. And last week "Evening News'" average included only three days due to delays from the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

In any case, this new harder edge, led by Kaplan, affirms what many had long argued, that CBS's plan to reinvent the evening news with a softer, more stylized focus under Couric was going in the wrong direction.

Rather, the direction of the evening news has been toward straight-ahead anchoring and solid reporting, without agenda or cutesy off-beat features. Viewers are looking for the top news stories told smartly. That trend is evident in the rise of Charles Gibson, ABC's often bland but very capable anchor. Gibson's ratings have been rising, and apparently at the expense of the CBS newscast. In any given week, Gibson is No. 1 or a close No. 2 behind NBC's Brian Williams.

That straight news trend was evident on CBS's own broadcast, even before the network brought Couric over at a reported cost of $15 million a year. Then-anchor Bob Schieffer had been improving on the ratings of longtime anchor Dan Rather with the same sort of head-on approach to the news.

Kaplan isn't entirely chucking the Couric makeover. There's still the Couric voice and take on stories, and some of the bubble. She's still Katie Couric, and the network is busy promoting her as a personality. Tonight at 11:30 she's scheduled to joust with Stephen Colbert on “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central, and the network has been hyping a contest to become Couric’s summer intern.

The big difference is that “CBS Evening News" under Kaplan is more about the news and less about Couric.

“The gimmicks are gone. And without them, you get a much better Katie Couric,” proclaims New York Post critic Adam Buckman.

Meanwhile, in evening network news for the week ended March 18, the see-saw between NBC and ABC continued, with the latter’s “World News with Charles Gibson” regaining the top spot among total viewers with 8.64 million but finishing second for the week among viewers 25-54 with a 2.2 rating. NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was second in viewers, averaging 8.32million, and was first among 25-54s with a 2.3 rating, while CBS’s “Evening News” was third once again with 6.76 million total viewers and a 1.7 25-54 rating.

In other dayparts for the week ended March 11, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was yet again first among Sunday morning shows, averaging 3.6 million total viewers and a 1.0 adults 25-54 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with 2.82 million, and tied for second among 25-54s with a 0.8 rating, followed by ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” with 2.75 million and a 0.8, and Fox “News Sunday” in fourth place with 1.39 million and a 0.5 among adults 25-54.
 
In late night, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was first for the week, averaging 5.1 million total viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49. “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS had 3.9 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the demo, with ABC’s “Nightline” bringing in 3.4 million viewers and a 1.0 rating.

In late late night, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” had 2.2 million total viewers and a 0.9 in 18-49s, CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” had 2.1 million viewers and a 0.7, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” had 1.6 million viewers and a 0.5, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” had 1.4 million viewers and a 0.6 among 18-49s.
 
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 5.7 million total viewers and a 4.4 household rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 5.1 million viewers and a 4.0/14. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 2.9 million total viewers and a 2.3/8.
 
In daytime, CBS had the largest audience for both daytime dramas and full daytime, 3.69 million and 4.05 million respectively, but was second among women 18-49 at 1.4 and 1.3. ABC had the second-largest audience with 3.27 million watching its dramas and 3.36 million for full daytime, and was first among women 18-49 with a 1.7 rating for both dramas and full daytime. NBC had an audience of 2.31 million for both dramas and full daytime, and was third with a 1.2 rating in women 18-49 for both.