It is now officially over. After decades of dominance, the network news broadcasts are statistically insignificant. Last week, both CBS and ABC reached the depths of insignificance by setting new records for low ratings. The CBS Evening News was watched by only 4.89 million viewers and the ABC World News with Charles Gibson was watched by only 6.42 million viewers. These are the worst numbers for both network news programs.
With the ratings for NBC are not much better, it is now apparent that the American public is getting its news from different types of media. The Internet and cable news continue to cripple the traditional network broadcasts. Fortunately, there are more choices today and people are not at the mercy of the network news programs to get informed on the major issues impacting their lives.
In addition, millions of conservatives, Independents, fair minded Democrats and Republicans are plain tired of the bias shown by the network news programs. Since the Obama administration, the bias has been more pronounced than ever. Recently, NBC News spent two nights covering “Inside the Obama White House.” Tomorrow night, ABC is airing a pro-Obama health care program from the White House and excluding opposing views.
Republicans have a right to be upset, but they should take comfort in the fact that most Americans will never see these programs. Today, Americans receive their news from a variety of sources and the Internet continues to grow in significance. On the Internet, there is a wide range of different sites for people to gather information about all sides of an issue, so they will not be subjected to the typical liberal propaganda of the network news broadcasts.
Unless they make drastic changes, these news programs will continue to suffer a loss of viewers, so that, eventually, the networks will drop the programs. A clear roadmap to recovery for the broadcast networks would be to follow the model set by Fox News, which prides itself on being “fair and balanced.” On Fox News, viewers see many conservative voices, but they also see many prominent liberals. On the major networks, liberal anchors talk to liberal reporters who talk to liberal guests about their favorite liberal politicians.
It gets old and the American people are not abiding such bias anymore. If the networks want to survive at all, they should listen to the unmistakable message being delivered by the American people, stop the liberal propaganda. If there is any confusion, they just have to look at the recent ratings, the pitiful numbers tell the whole story.
Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.
Right on Jeff. People are tired of being spoon fed news which the media wants us to hear and believe. They want to tell us what we should know and believe and not report news and let people decide. the major networks are going to be just like the newspapers. People are not going to read the liberal propaganda nor are they going to watch. Obama will bail them out because he is too indebted to them for his election. Written by
on 6/24/2009
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That's right Jeff. Obama had a 68% approval rating, then a 65% approval rating and now a 63% approval rating. HAH! Take that. Written by Mathematically challenged liberal
on 6/24/2009
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By the way Jeff, the latest CBS News poll gives President Obama a 63% approval rating. Don't forget to watch ABC News' Town Hall Meeting with President Obama at 9pm tonight. Written by David Quidd
on 6/24/2009
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I can see the text now - I'm not sure bias has anything to do with the declining ratings for the network news. There are so many other means for people to keep in touch with the news. Same for the newpapers - which I will always read - but younger folks seem to prefer newer media to newspapers. Written by kpf
on 6/24/2009
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I'm not seeing any text in this article (do I need a secret decoder ring?). The Post-ABC poll shows Obama's popularity trending downward (from 68%); his handling of the economy is trending downward; ditto on his health care proposal; an equal number disapprove of the deficit spending as approve (with those who "strongly disagree" = 35% to "strongly agree" = 26%) this too is trending against confidence in Obama; in fact the Post-ABC polls show less confidence in each poll taken - the one exception being in how he is handling the automakers which is trending upward but still has less than a 50% approval rating. I'm not sure that's exactly good news for Obama and the Democrats (no matter how this may be spun or ignored), however I am quite certain it is good news for working taxpayers and business people. Written by kpf
on 6/23/2009
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By the way Jeff, the Washington Post/ ABC News poll gives Obama a 65% approval rating. You seem to forget that you can get the networks' news online as well. Written by David Quidd
on 6/23/2009
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It's a shame that more people don't read the newspaper, rather than get it all in soundbites. Most of our local news outlets are awful. Only WWL is more or less professional, while WDSU is so biased for the mayor and his shenanigans and verges on racism. Even CNN has deteriorated into so many blonde bimbo talking heads with focus less on news and more on trash. Written by Noladude
on 6/23/2009
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I agree. The major networks have been bastions of left wing bias for years. Competition via Fox News will drive out some of those who have pushed a far left agenda and make those who wish to remain viable better. When asked in a recent credible poll, 40 percent of Americans identify themselves as conservative, 20 percent identify themselves as liberal and the others moderate or didn't know or care. Nearly one hundred percent of the media heretofore until Fox News has been liberal or far left while the country leans center-right by two to one. If CBS, NBC, ABC and NBC's far left proxy MSNBC are driven into oblivion, the public will be better informed. Written by Randall
on 6/23/2009
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I agree, Jeff, that the corporate media are, with a few notable exceptions, hardly trustworthy as a source of information, but it is interesting that I view the media as biased toward neo-conservative values, not toward what you view as liberal values. That is why I do not trust them. Written by Robert Desmarais Sullivan
on 6/23/2009
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