Following Their Lead
That's because, in order to build an audience, nightly newscasts rely on their "lead-in" – the local newscast that runs at 6:00 and draws viewers in. And as Jacques Steinberg points out in today's New York Times, the ratings around the country for CBS' local newscasts aren't as strong as they are on the other networks, which puts the "Evening News" at a competitive disadvantage before the show airs each night.
"Even in an age where viewers can, with the mere touch of a remote control, choose from among hundreds of channels, most continue to get their network news from the same station that provides their local news," notes Steinberg. And since "[i]n many major markets, local newscasts on CBS stations have languished in third place for well over a decade," the "Evening News" has had to fight something of an uphill battle.
Don't think the networks aren't paying attention. NBC recently shook up its local newscast in New York City "with at least an eye toward helping" ratings for anchor Brian Williams and the NBC "Nightly News." Steinberg suggests that NBC's recent ratings slip may even have something to do with Ellen DeGeneres. (Stay with me here.) "The DeGeneres Show" replaced "Judge Judy" on WNBC in New York, and it didn't do as well as its predecessor in the ratings. That hurt the ratings for the local newscast that followed "The DeGeneres Show," and in turn, according to the theory, the national newscast as well.
Of course, the lead-in is only so important. The nightly newscasts still have to put out a broadcast that holds onto the local news audience and brings in new viewers. And on that front, the "Evening News" has struggled.
"The fact that Katie is not holding 100 percent of the lead-in we're giving her — she's not," Tom Kane, president and chief executive of the CBS division that oversees its 17 owned-and-operated stations, told the Times. "But she will."