Interesting NBC/MSNBC news items on TV Newser

I don't know if I see a trend here or not, but it certainly is an interesting confluence of events, pulled from different times, etc.

Link: mediabistro.com: TVNewser: Viewers Tune In For NBC's Experiment.

Tuesday, Dec 05

Viewers Tune In For NBC's Experiment

Last night, for the first time in the program's 37-year history, NBC Nightly News had a sole sponsor: Philips Electronics. With less ads in between, 'Nightly' had longer-form pieces and expanded segments.

As noted below, the viewer response was big. And the ratings are reflecting that: According to 6:30 affiliate time period numbers (which represent about 75 percent of the country), Nightly News delivered 10,329,000 total viewers last night -- almost 1.2 million more than ABC's 9,156,000 and over 2.3 million more than CBS's 8 million...

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Link: mediabistro.com: TVNewser: Iraq: Williams Continues On MSNBC.

Wednesday, Dec 06

Iraq: Williams Continues On MSNBC

After signing off on NBC, Brian Williams continued anchoring on MSNBC. Tim Russert had this to say:

"I was so taken by the bluntness and how bleak this report was. When you hear someone, former Chief of Staff Leon Panetta say, 'we need one last chance.' When you hear Jim Baker, former Secretary of State, saying 'we have traded one nightmare for another.' Lee Hamilton saying 'we're not sure this is doable.' What they're doing is saying, 'this is our best effort. It may not be enough, but time is of the essence.'"

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Link: mediabistro.com: TVNewser: MSNBC #1 In 18-34 Demo Last Week.

Wednesday, Dec 06

MSNBC #1 In 18-34 Demo Last Week

"All the news networks do miserably" in the 18-34 demographic, Reese Schonfeld rightfully notes. But with that disclaimer out of the way, it's worth noting that MSNBC "led all four cable news networks in viewers 18-34 in both prime and total day" last week. Schonfeld says MSNBC's primetime lineup has brought in a younger audience.

MSNBC actually had the top nine programs on cable news in the 18-34 demo last week. They were all taped shows, like To Catch A Predator or Lockup, and most aired late at night.

The #1 18-34 program was Sunday's 8pm special "Beyond Conviction," which averaged 142,000 in that demo. The second highest ranked was a 3am repeat of Lockup on Friday morning, with 134,000 in the 18-34 demo...

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