Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

TV's Gimmickry Diminishes Election

News operations aim for ratings, shoot viewers instead

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 3, 2008 1:27 PM CST

(Newser) – Tomorrow night will be a high-water mark for TV news gadget gimmickry as the networks try to hook some of the millions of viewers who will tune in for election coverage, Rick Kushman writes in the Sacramento Bee. Some, like the technology that will allow... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

2 comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Cops Shoot Naked Guy Eating Man's Face on Highway

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

Sacramento Bee (Source Grid »)

Networks pull out all the stops for election night
Los Angeles Times

television • NBC • TV networks • CNN • TV ratings • Election 2008 • television news

More Newser Stories

New Shows Offer NBC Ray of Hope

Southland , Parks and Recreation lead upturn

(NEWSER) - After years of poor ratings, NBC may be on the rebound with the help of two new series: cop show Southland and Amy Poehler’s comedy Parks and Recreation. Parks scored only 6.9 million total viewers, but it maintained 88% of The Office’s coveted young-adult audience. Southland topped CBS’ Harper’s Island in the 18-to-49 demographic and beat expectations by almost equaling Harper’s Island's total viewership. More»

CNN Loses Ground in Primetime

Fox, MSNBC are pushing longtime rival into 3rd place

(NEWSER) - The oldest cable news network is starting to lag behind both of its main rivals in primetime, Variety reports. In the first quarter of this year, CNN saw a 23% drop in the key 25-54 demographic and a 10% drop overall from 8 to 11pm. In particular, Campbell Brown's show at 8pm (she's now on maternity leave) got socked by Bill O'Reilly on Fox and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. Fox leads the primetime race by a mile, and MSNBC actually overtook CNN for the first time. More»

NBC's Ratings Keep Sinking

Viewership down 9.3% from year before

(NEWSER) - NBC’s long-struggling ratings are only getting worse as the new television season gets under way. Some 3.3 million 18- to 49-year-olds have been tuning in to the network's primetime offerings over the past four weeks, a 9.3% drop from the year before, the Wall Street Journal reports. And if you leave out NFL games, viewership is down 16% from a year earlier, with just 2.2 million viewers. More»

For New Season, Networks Look to Go Big, Brash

Don't expect your average cop shows and sitcoms

(NEWSER) - As they ready their fall lineups for advertisers, the major networks are stepping off last season's beaten path of struggles and flops. “We were looking for fresh,” says NBC Entertainment’s new president. “I really want people to see the concept for a show and go: ‘Oh wow. What’s that?’” To that end, his network is planning shows like Smash, the big-budget story of a Broadway musical’s creation. The series will have original songs penned by Broadway legends—and it’s getting some help from Steven Spielberg. More»

Fox News, CNN, MSNBC Shed 13.7% of Viewers

Every cable news channel sees drop-off for first time in 12 years

(NEWSER) - CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News all lost viewers last year for the first time in at least 12 years, a study finds. A Pew journalism group found a combined 13.7% drop in viewership, the largest decline of any news sector, and all three networks fell for the first time since the group began keeping track. Broadcast news, meanwhile, continued its decline with a 3.4% drop in 2010, the Hollywood Reporter notes. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

TV's Gimmickry Diminishes Election

News operations aim for ratings, shoot viewers instead

television • NBC • TV networks • CNN • TV ratings • Election 2008 • television news

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

New Shows Offer NBC Ray of Hope

Southland , Parks and Recreation lead upturn

CNN Loses Ground in Primetime

Fox, MSNBC are pushing longtime rival into 3rd place

NBC's Ratings Keep Sinking

Viewership down 9.3% from year before

For New Season, Networks Look to Go Big, Brash

Don't expect your average cop shows and sitcoms

Fox News, CNN, MSNBC Shed 13.7% of Viewers

Every cable news channel sees drop-off for first time in 12 years

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?