Last week and Memorial Day week are the two least-watched CBS evening newscasts since at least 1987

[Flabbergasted]

Yahoo News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_en_tv/tv_couric_in_iraq

Iraq a ratings drag for Couric By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
Tue Sep 11, 3:35 PM ET

NEW YORK - If some people thought traveling to Iraq and Syria was a ratings stunt for Katie Couric, it didn't work out that way.

The "CBS Evening News" tied a record low with just under 5.5 million viewers last week, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday. Last week and Memorial Day week are the two least-watched CBS evening newscasts since at least 1987, and probably far earlier.

CBS said it wasn't surprising, and argued that last week's numbers were artificially deflated because of U.S. Open coverage.

The trip's journalism outweighed commercial considerations, said CBS News President Sean McManus.

"We never expected it to do well in the ratings and it didn't," McManus said. "We knew that this was a long-term commitment to Katie and the show and we really felt it was important to establish our reporting there."

Take Friday's broadcast out of the mix and the evening news would have averaged just under 5.9 million last week, which is about where it's been the past few months. U.S. Open coverage pre-empted local news on Friday and many viewers clearly assumed Couric's broadcast would be, too. The evening news had 4.26 million viewers on Friday, Nielsen said.

War coverage took between 80 and 90 percent of the "CBS Evening News" broadcasts while Couric was there. Harry Smith gave a brief rundown of other headlines from CBS' New York studio.

Couric tried to bite into big-picture stories about whether the surge was working and how Iraqis feel about the U.S. presence. She visited a Baghdad marketplace and treacherous roadway, contrasting how they are now with footage of bombs exploding in the same spots months earlier.

[Bitwit1234]

1. You know what, if she started telling the truth and reporting the real news

her damn numbers would go thru the roof. Look at CNN they put a piece of republican sucking crap like beck on, and he is constantly surfing the bottom of the pack. And look at Keith soaring to the top. THE MSM WILL NEVER EVER LEARN. PEOPLE WON'T WATCH CRAP. The ones who they want to buy the products the sorry ass sponsors pitch on these programs aren't watching.

[lpbk2713]

2. Couric ruined *60 Minutes* for me.

I have to change the channel whenever that Bozo makes an appearance. I'd much rather watch Meredith Viera any day.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. That's because Meredith is playing to her market

With Catie Couric they attempted to carry over her success in the morning fluff market to the evening news.

Huge mistake for CBS.

If they really believed she had the talent they should have recreated her, without the one on one interviews. Those interviews never passed the sniff test with viewers. She is not a skilled interviewer, not of the quality that evening news watchers demand. Sadly, after that the entire tone for her evening news anchor gig was set.

[TahitiNut]

3. She couples intellectual sloth with mediocre intellectual talents and demonstrates ...

... how someone can get ahead on 'cute' almost alone ... but with limits. I've never been much of a fan of Baba Wawa, but she's head and shoulders better than Couric. I wish they give someone like Christiane Amanpour a shot at such a stage.