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

[sheaintsayin]

NBC has squandered a real opportunity to bring real, intelligent scrutiny to government as the fourth estate during the most critical time of my life. To believe that David Gregory was the best they could muster, in a seat that was primed for a great service, is shameful and I resent that. I now turn to only Fareed Zakaria and Jason Linkins for Sunday political information and commentary, and I'm alright with that.

[Jonni Rae]

I like Fareed Zakaria. I also think Shuster is a good interviewer. He doesn't let the interviewee get away with anything.

[MyGuyO]

If anyone at all...how about Lawrence O'Donnell?

[MyGuyO]

On second thought IF there would be a replacement, MSNBC would go with someone who has been around for awhile..Schuster is good, but gets too exicitable over little things.

[sheaintsayin]

True, that! David gets in their face and doesn't mind laughing out loud at things he determines are ludicrous; he'd likely make a great father, especially to a teenager - they wouldn't get away with #hit!

[LiberalForever]

He is just not any good. It's really not mysterious.

[ChopChop]

I use to enjoy watching "Meet the Press", I do not watch it anymore. He may have been a good White House correspondent, but not a good host.

If MSNBC is looking for another person to host a new show. I think Thom Hartmann would be great.

[jimrs6]

Put him on at 11pm as an insomia cure.

[middleoftheroad]

Could it be that NBC has lost all street cred as an honest broker of political news?????

[Hermano28]

Its not that NBC has lost cred. Its that America is so use to watching Controversy or people that bring Contorversy to the table. Like the Republican Party. They are all Fighting with each other, or doing one thing, than kissing a certain Radio "Pill Popping" Hosts butt, after he says they arent Republicans, that brings Controversy to Americas attention. If some of the Republicans would DARE to come on NBC, things would be different.

Instead, those having less than a 20% approval rating, Outside the Republican Party, are afraid of showing up on a News outlet that will actually give them hard questions, instead of questions that are pre-arranged.

[realpolitic]

I believe Bob Schieffer is the best interviewer and the only one who can think on his feet. Wallace on Fox is, of course, just a conservative shill. None of the group is tough enough on conservative politicians.

[TchoupitoulasCanal]

This cannot possibly be a shock for NBC, can it?

[Unrepentantliberal]

Tim wasn't very good but 'Helmet Hair Gregory' is totally abysmal.

[jaling]

What I have noticed is that David Gregory doesn't listen to his guests. He seems to have a preexisting
agenda with pre-selected clips of guests and plays them whether or not they relate to the statements the
guest has just made. When one doesn't listen, or statements are not what were expected, discussion actually ceases. Gregory looks flustered when this happens and just plows along with a prepared
agenda.

[rockyb26]

agree 100%, especially about the pre-selected agenda

[indy girl]

You know, if David Gregory were a food, he would be a rice cake.

Not one with cheese flavor or cinnamon, or anything interesting. Just a completely bland, plain, dry rice cake. The kind where you try it once and it is so awful you never bother to try it again.

[rockyb26]

lmao. fanned

[medusa08]

JON STEWART PLEASE!!!!

[harrymellon]

YES!!!!!!! THAT WOULD BE REALLY AWESOME.

[Tonelook]

Lets just go ahead and admit that the public was right; practiciall 10:1 in general conversation ask anyone and Gregory was the reason we stopped watching MTP. He may be somebody's pet project; but, the public has spoken. His partisan history and inclinations struck a raw nerve on the American progessive and independent public. He is a marked spin miester, a talking point pusher, an opportunist who's day came and went and he foolishly spent his capital betting on the GOP and not on an honorable career. His only recourse is to join the plethora of helmet heads at Fox.
It would be ashame to cancel a show when the pendulum has so obviously swung.

[Shayrae]

David tries too hard to be a Tim Russett. No one will ever be as good as Tim was on MTP. MSNBC picked the wrong guy to fill Tim's shoes The few times I have watched, the show stunk. It just didn't impress me. David tries too many ''gotcha moments''. Tim did it with class.

[BabblingBrooks]

Is not Fox on cable, beating the major networks now in the morning? That's interesting.

[harrymellon]

THEY ALL SUCK.

[blimie]

It's true. There's no other wya to say it. They suck.

[MAH1952]

Could it just be that the American people are finally getting smart? These talking heads do not ask serious questions anymore than CNBC financial gurus asked anything important as the economy was collapsing. Politicians know they can go on these shows and be treated like gods. So why watch more propaganda?

[louddem]

I am in complete agreement with you. I feel insulted. Asking the contrary questions is no way to enlighten anyone on the subject. I always come away feel less aware of the issues. Just a lot of partisian bickering. I am a GPS guy now. Fareed Enrlightens and I come away with something.

[jeanrenoir]

After the Iran debacle, after the Wall St. debacle, after the bailout debacles, and after we're all sitting around waiting for Netanyahu to drive the world into Depression by bombing Iran for dessert, yeah, the public's finally starting to wise up a millimeter or so. Still pretty stupid, but a tiny bit better than a year ago.