Larry King’s ratings are falling even faster than his pants would without those suspenders. Sad to say, but the gravel-voiced old duffer scored his lowest monthly viewer numbers in twenty years in May.
The New York Times reports the details of the descent:
According to Nielsen data, the struggling CNN talk show had an average of 653,000 viewers each night in May, its lowest average since the data started being electronically stored in the early 1990s.
He had been averaging about 700,000 viewers each night this year, down markedly from last year.
Last week The New York Times detailed the low ratings of “Larry King Live,” a symbol of CNN’s struggle to compete in a partisan cable news environment.
CNN had no comment about Mr. King’s low ratings mark. In a news release it emphasized the eroding ratings of its higher-rated competitors, noting that both the reigning champ, the Fox News Channel, and the No. 2 cable news channel in prime time, MSNBC, had lost audience share compared with the same month in 2009. But CNN’s numbers have dropped more dramatically.
CNN also emphasized that its sister network, HLN, continued to post ratings gains. Mr. King’s competitor on HLN, Joy Behar, is beating him in the ratings with more regularity than ever.
One suggestion for the New York Times: Never again use the words “Larry King” and “regularity” in the same sentence.
We’re just sayin’.
Source: New York Times
