Chuck Todd's highly successful premier on NBC "Meet the Press" with President Barack Obama as the featured guest garnered enviable ratings, but the show quickly sagged back to third place among the Sunday morning political talk shows.
"Critics who said Todd was an odd choice, with his goatee and his wonkish manner, were proved right in week 2, as ABC's 'This Week' reclaimed No. 1 and scored its largest lead in the crucial 25-54 demographic over 'Meet the Press'” in six months," the New York Post's
Richard Johnson said.
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Politico reports that Todd's first show on Sept. 7 drew 2.977 million total viewers and 804,000 viewers in the all-important 25-to-54-year-old demographic, putting it well ahead of its competition, CBS's "Face the Nation" with 2.864 million total and 768,000 demographic viewers and "ABC's "This Week" with 2.559 million total and 763,000 demographic viewers.
Fox's "Fox News Sunday," which drew just 1,522,000 total and 438,000 demographic viewers, trailed the pack then and, despite MTP's dismal second-week showing, still does.
After NBC unceremoniously dumped David Gregory, who had hosted the show since 2008, because of poor ratings, the network appeared to anticipate that Todd, the NBC news director and White House correspondent, would have a tough time turning things around.
"We couldn't be more proud of Chuck's first show and are so appreciative of the viewers that turned to 'Meet the Press' this Sunday," an NBC News spokesperson
told Politico.
"At the same time, we know that one week does not equal a trend, and expanding our regular audience will take a slow build week to week."
When the numbers were in, "Meet the Press' once again was trailing its competitors in both critical ratings areas, drawing 2,589,000 overall viewers and 668,000 viewers in the demographic, while "Face the Nation" led the pack with 3,054,000 total viewers and ABC took the demographic with 947,000.
Todd told Politico that NBC brass have "reminded me that it took Tim (Russert, host of the show from 1991 to 2008, when he died) six years to go from third place to first place, and that it took Tom Brokaw even longer on 'Nightly News.' If I put on a good show that I’m proud of, maybe viewers will reward that."
Gregory was denied a "farewell" show by NBC, but after receiving a $4 million payoff for signing a "non-disparagement clause,"
the New York Post reports, he tweeted, "I leave NBC as I came — humbled and grateful. I love journalism, and serving as moderator of MTP was the highest honor there is. I have great respect for my colleagues at NBC News and wish them all well.
"To the viewers, I say thank you."
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