David Gregory's "Meet The Press" Ratings Hit New Low — The Sunday Morning Horse Race Is On

If the Sunday morning TV throne is empty, then the race for the crown is on.

NBC's "Meet the Press" suffered its lowest ratings since David Gregory became moderator last week, dipping below the 3 million viewer mark for the first time since August 19, 2007*.

"Meet" averaged 2.97 million total viewers for the May 10 broadcast, which featured Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, Steve Coll and Andrea Mitchell.

Meanwhile, CBS' "Face the Nation," which featured an interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney, averaged 2.74 million total viewers, and ABC's "This Week," which featured interviews with National Security Adviser Jim Jones and Senator John McCain, averaged 2.62 million total viewers (its lowest delivery since August 17, 2008). "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace averaged 1.32 million total viewers.

Compared to this same week last year, "Meet the Press" is down 28% in total viewers, while "Face the Nation" is up 17%, "This Week" is up 4%, and "Fox News Sunday" is up 14%. And compared to the May 3 show, "Face the Nation" has slashed its viewing gap with "Meet" by 69% (230,000 viewers compared to 740,000 viewers), while "This Week" has cut its viewing gap with "Meet" by 38% (350,000 viewers compared to 560,000 viewers)

In the Adults 25-54 demographic, all four shows were down compared to the same week last year, with "Meet the Press" averaging 1 million viewers (-35%), "This Week" averaging 800,000 viewers (-16%), "Face the Nation" averaging 760,000 viewers (-6%), and "Fox News Sunday" averaging 454,000 viewers (-4%).

Last month, Wallace told the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz that "the throne is empty" (in regards to Tim Russert's successor as the Sunday morning TV king). The LA Times that same day focused on Stephanopoulos as the main threat to NBC's ratings dominance. Last week, the LA Times wrote that "Meet the Press" may soon lose the top spot in the Sunday morning ratings.

*"Meet the Press" did average 2.17 million total viewers on June 8, 2008, but it was only at 86% coverage then and thus is not a fair comparison.

Comments

[Hope Lives]

David Gregory just isn't smart enough to do this show. He does no homework and just spews the talking points the republicans send him. Now so does Chuck Todd. Either they are evangelicals or idiots. Two bad choices.

[verizon]

NBC.and MSNBC, should consider a big change on mtp, and morning joe, I,first of all tune in for what the guess have to say about the stories of the day, and not for one moment to what the so called host, or moderator have to say. Please as a viewer of both channels to good reporting on the news do something in the name of the late Tim Russert whom we miss very much. thank you.

[disgusted48]

after watching most of the shows this morning with their inane over-coverage of what nancy pelosi knew about torture, it's a miracle anyone bothers to watch these shows at all, except of out of habit, which I am trying to kick.

[Okieborn]

This baby boomer recommends Dr. Maddow for Meet The Press !!!!

[NHBill]

Who the f cares who is number one on Sunday morning. Most of these shows are simply passing on spin. Russert talked tough but he bought the war hook, line and sinker.

[Derelict outlaw]

We have to have a new day in the MSM.

The electorate has rejected clearly with a strong mandate the prior administrations policies and personalities.

The personalities that represented those viewpoints and talking points to the public has to go too.

Isn't that clear? I remember when the networks (all of them including MS) were stubbornly defending the admin right up to the polls that said 70% of the voters disagreed with the networks and the administration. 70%!!!

How skewed does the bias have to get before producers respond? I agree that the "mouthers" brainless faces are almost immaterial, but the cult of personalities needs to shift much faster to capture the wind and come about smartly in order to maintain an even keel, don't you agree?

[ladyvoter]

I have liked George Stephanopolis until this morning. I was shocked to see Dick Cheney's daughter as an invited panelist to discuss, guess what? Her father. How dumb is that? Given the attention paid to Liz Cheney, the little McCain girl, and poor Bristol Palin, I think the networks should just go ahead a create a new show. They can title it the "Kiddie Roundtable." They can hire all the children of politicos to come and spout off the family spin. Maybe it could evolve into a game show.

[disgusted48]

that was pretty bad.

[rabiddog6708]

Make Gilbert Gottfried the host. He can do no worse than David Gregory.

[KarateKid]

He should join Tucker and Dana at Fox, where he belongs. Weak, David, weak. Thanks to you, I have my Sunday mornings back again.

[JerryLevy]

This is easy to fix.

1. Gregory must ask guests to defend their positions. The president of Pakistan made outlandish charges against the CIA and the US and he did not even question the assertions.
2. Unload the NBC panelists. They are all inside the beltway out of touch journalists from the NY Times and NBC News. And Dorris Kearns Goodwin the so called presidential historian most recently was caught plagerizing someone else's work for her book.
3. Get an end of the show 15 min. panel that consists of thinking conservatives and liberals---not wako left (like Catrina Van Van Denhouval) or wako right (like Bob Barr). Invite Dan Henninger of the Wall Street Journal or Mona Charren formerly of Fox News to talk with articulate liberals like Robert Reich or the former black congressman from Tennessee (I cant recall his name).

[KarateKid]

Dream on, Gregory is not going to do any of that, and even if he did, I still would not watch MTP.

[cyoohoos]

His name is Harold Ford and he is a talking head for Morning Joe and the DNC. He's not very good at explaining positions and like most pundits 'got the memo' and pretty much sticks to his parties talking points.

The problem with Gregory is he doesn't have a conversation he has an interrogation. He's got an agenda/script and doesn't deviate from it. I tried watching him. It's a series of 'yes/no' questions and he doesn't have any interest whatsoever in asking a follow up or getting an explanation.

He's typical of the journalists out there now. People don't go to journalism school because they believe in Freedom of the Press anymore. They go because they think they are pretty and want to be on TV. All the networks fuel this, especially Faux News. He only wants to back someone in a corner so he can get it on film and hopefully play it back one day. He's taken a thoughful morning show and turned it into a game of 'gotcha'. It is truly sad. I've said before, my father and I watched MTP every Sunday morning all through my childhood and I continued watching as an adult. But those days are over.

[RealistDem]

Harold Ford is a DINO much like Evan Bayh.

[smokescreen]

I gave Gregory a multi week trial run, and he isn't doing the job. For some reason he thinks he has to be adversarial to whomever he is interviewing - even interrupting in the Chris Matthews' style. MTP needs a major fix, and I suspect Gregory may be a short-lived host. Based on George Stephanopoulos horrendous performance co-moderating with Charlie Gibson the April '08 Presidential debate, I mistakenly dismissed him. I recently discovered that he is an excellent, fair interviewer, and his show eclipses MTP in terms of interest. Veteran Bob Schieffer continues to ask some of the toughest questions in the nicest, fairest manner. He has a way of disarming his guests with an easy manner and then going in for the kill. I loved all of MSNBC during the primaries and the election, but, as a die-hard liberal, I hate to say I now find it a mirror image of FOX but for us lefties. I want more diverse points of view such PBS The News Hour where all sides are explored with civility and smarts without minutes wasted decrying inconsequential O'Reilly and friends. Best Sunday show hands down is CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS, an hour-long program that examines foreign affairs.

[jk4]

I have enjoyed reading all the comments, but I don't know why people have to be so angry about David Gregory. He has always seemed like a good guy to me. I do think he is a little out of his element in this show, but maybe he needs to make it more fitting to his persona rather than a continuation of the show's format with the special guest and then the panel of usual characters. David is not a folksy kind of discussion leader. He is used to hitting his target with cogent questions like he did as White House correspondent. Once he gets an answer, he does not know how to continue a thread of discussion. I don't think Chuck Todd would be any better. Like others, I would like to see Rachel Maddow work this format. Contessa Brewer might deserve a chance also.

[1lalady]

Greogry has no personality, he can't hide the fact that it kills him that OBAMA [a blackman ] is president
and he has no personality. The show should have been given to Rachel Maddow, or Lawerence O'Donnell from the beginning. At least these are people with a brain and personality. I also think Luke Russett would have been better than Gregory. After the second show I knew Gregory would be a bust.

[truthglow]

His personality is that of a right wing shill, who is out of his element.

[trinidadgirl]

On second thoughts, what has NBC learned?
That even though you may be good at one thing does not necessarily make you good at another.
This is how I rate the names mentioned here.
Chuck Todd,numbers? ...great. Own show.....noooooooooooo!
David Gregory, 1600 penn? ....hmm!. MTP......... ...noooooooooooo!
David Shuster, potential Own show.....necessary!
Lawrence O'Donell,panellist, excellent Own show..YESssssssssssss!
Keith Olbermann ..........fantabulous
Rachel maddow............fantabulous
Also enjoy Ed Schulz!
Gwen Ifill.......good, but too stiff!
Andrea 'Greenspan'..........noooooooooooooooooo
Joe and Mika.......................noooooooooooooooooo way,no how, no time!
Chris Matthews............means well, just doesn't do so well at times.

[jk4]

Add Contessa Brewer to the "Yes!" list.

[truthglow]

I agree with everything, plus Contessa!

[trinidadgirl]

David Gregory just does not 'reach' the viewer as he ought!