Dead Viewers Watching

The Associated Press finds that NBC’s nightly news shed half a million viewers while CBS’ lost a quarter million viewers. NBC’s and CBS’ executives blame the viewer loss on (1) summer time viewing habits, and (2) viewer’s skewed perception of their respective anchors, Brian Williams and Katie Couric. Meanwhile, the good people at ABC are popping their corks over the rankings. If you are associated with either of these three programs, then you need to refresh your resume because your numbers tell a different story.

Network news loses another viewer

Let’s start with the first explanation: Summer time viewing habits. If true, why aren’t ABC’s numbers down as well? Do NBC’s viewers have more things to do in the summer than CBS’ viewers? If these argument holds, then beware. Once people change behaviors, it is difficult to alter those behaviors. Ask anyone who exercises.

Research shows that if people engage in exercise for at least three weeks, then they are less likely to alter their new behavior. If you go to the 5:30 p.m. step aerobics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next three weeks, you are more likely to return those classes.

Good luck getting the summer time viewers because they may maintain their new behavior past Labor Day.

Let’s move on to the second explanation: Deep down we are good people.

Bland…NBC trots out Williams’ appearances on the Daily Show as an example to soften his image. Have these executives watched any of these appearances? Williams is as stiff as an oak tree.

Read any of Williams’ contributions to Slate’s seventh season Sopranos summaries. He writes without communicating a single thought. Williams appears as a nice, genuine, and earnest person. And what of these qualities makes him interesting to look at while he reads the script? What exactly separates Williams from Tony Snow?

and Blander
As to Katie Couric, she comes across as the local PTA president or your resident Becky Home-ecky. The same description does not apply to Christiane Amanpour, ethically challenged Maria Bartiromo, Lesley Stahl, and the incomparable Jessica Savitch among others. Jane Pauley? You bet she baked brownies for the annual book buying drive for her kids’ elementary school. Pauley and Couric are two peas in the bland, uninteresting pod.

The possibility does exist that people find Williams and Couric completely and devoid of any kind of hook; a reason to watch. People tuned into Dan Rather for the same reason some people watch a NASCAR race: to see an explosion. Or at least darkness.

Let’s look at another, more reasonable explanation: Network news viewers are dying. James Fallow mined much of this territory in his 1994 book, Breaking the News. Network viewers continue to skew older. In other words, the codgers who maintained the network news behavior in 1994 are dying off.

Look at the advertisers on network news. Erectile dysfunction. Life insurance. Adult baby diapers.

The actors in these 30 second vignettes hold Screen Actors Guild cards along with Social Security cards.

As a product, network news stinks. The morning shows and the nightly gabfests long ago ceded any semblance of journalism. The nightly news shows tossed their journalism over board when they decided profit margins matter more than international bureaus.

The networks do not provide a reason for anyone under the age of 50 to watch their dreadful and dull 30-minute news. It is little wonder that the most popular show devoted to business remains PBS’ The Nightly Business Report. Countdown with Keith Olbermann combines previously aired NBC news footage with commentators who provide additional insights into the stories.

Instead of copying two shows with decent ratings, let’s blame the season of the year because it is cheaper. And does not make network decision makers look bad.