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early and late shows
Viewerships rise from interviews with show boot-offs
By Elizabeth White
At last it appears CBS has figured out how to revive its long-lagging "Early Show" while giving "The Late Show with David Letterman" a ratings goose against rival Jay Leno.
It's the same handy trick that's given the network a huge edge on Thursday nights against NBC's must-see lineup.
Boosted by interviews with eliminated "Survivor" contestants, "The Early Show" increased its quarterly household rating by 11 percent and its total viewers by 9 percent versus the second quarter of last year.
"The Late Show’s" household rating improved by 3 percent, its adult 18-49 rating by 6 percent, and its total viewers by 4 percent.
Meanwhile, ABC’s "Good Morning America" dropped 15 percent in household rating and 12 percent in total viewers year to year.
NBC’s "Today" went down 11 percent in households and 8 percent in total viewers, and NBC’s "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" declined 4 percent in households, 8 percent in adults 18-49, and 3 percent in total viewers.
All that said, though, the "Survivor" effect has only dented these rival shows.
NBC’s "Today" still unquestionably ruled the morning program race during the second quarter. Despite the "Survivor" effect, the NBC show garnered more than twice the household rating and the number of total viewers for CBS’s "Early Show," which trailed as a distant third among morning programs.
"Today" earned a 4.7/20 household rating and share with 5.6 million viewers, while "The Early Show" garnered only a 2.1/9 household rating and share with 2.4 million viewers.
ABC’s "Good Morning America" was second among morning programs for the quarter, with a 3.3/14 household rating and share and 3.9 million viewers.
In late night, which had less dramatic audience shifts than the morning hours, David Letterman managed only to narrow the gap between himself and Jay Leno.
During the second quarter of 2001, NBC’s "The Tonight Show" averaged 1.5 million more viewers and three more household shares than CBS’s "The Late Show."
That’s slightly less than the 1.8 million viewers and four household shares that separated the two during the second quarter of 2000.
For the second quarter of this year, "The Tonight Show" had a 4.3/12 household rating and share, a 2.2 adult 18-49 rating, and 5.6 million viewers. "The Late Show" had a 3.1/9 household rating, a 1.7 adult 18-49 rating, and 4.1 million viewers.
In the graveyard shift, NBC’s "Late Night with Conan O’Brian" edged CBS’s "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn."
Conan had a 1.9/8 household rating and share, a 1.2 adult 18-49 rating and 2.4 million viewers, while "Late Late" had a 1.3/5 household rating and share, a 0.8 adult 18-49 rating, and 1.6 million viewers.
July 17, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Elizabeth White is a staff writer for Media Life.
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