CBS News // Current TV

Palin Effect on Ratings Only Modest for CBS

Katie Couric’s newsmaking interviews with the Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, last week had only a slight impact on the ratings for her CBS newscast. But if the network could have added up all the other viewers the interviews (and its spoof) racked up, on places like CNN, YouTube and “Saturday Night Live,” Ms. Couric would surely have been more seen and talked about than in any week since she began her tenure as anchor.

Ms. Couric received a rush of attention for the two interviews, in which Ms. Palin, governor of Alaska, spoke haltingly on, among other topics, her state’s “narrow maritime border” with Russia. Clips turned up across the spectrum of television and Web sites.

The first interview last Wednesday, for example, has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on YouTube, while the parody of the interview on “SNL” was streamed more than 4 million times on NBC.com, viewed in full more than 600,000 times on YouTube and in shorter clips many more hundreds of thousands of times.

Still, the “CBS Evening News” gained only about 10 percent in audience from the previous week — and it was actually down from the same week the year before. The newscast averaged just under 6 million viewers for the week, up from 5.44 million the previous week. A year ago Ms. Couric’s program drew about 6.2 million viewers. (CBS was also a distant third last week behind ABC, which won with 8.07 million viewers, and NBC, with 7.98 million.)

The CBS newscast didn’t even record its highest audience totals last Wednesday and Thursday, when the interviews were broadcast. Monday was the network’s best-rated night of the week.

But the week was still considered, by executives from both CBS and its rivals, to be among the best Ms. Couric has experienced since she joined the newscast two years ago. Jon Klein, the president of CNN’s domestic operations, said, “It was brand-building for a woman who is still one of the very best journalists out there.”
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Sail Boat to Crusie from Africa/Europe to the USA for Peace

On March 8th, 2008, The Beija Flor, a 54 foot sailing vessel with Skipper Detlef Kowalewski and his crew/band will set sail from off the coast of Africa and Europe for a two month trip as the EUROROCK PEACE FULL SAIL that will again begin in Florida.

EuroRock, founded by LouRicca, a peace activist is a tour for Peace that has toured America with musicians from all over the world and has been going on three years as of now. EuroRock now goes to the oceans with Peace Full Sail and known Musicians from all over the world to help bring peace across the Atlantic Ocean to the rest of the world.

Ricca plans to film this voyage with an experienced cinematographer he has hired to document the voyage, the music and the history being made.

The trip will hopefully be broadcast and streamed on the Internet every other day live from the boat as it sails to its destination bringing Peace. "At the destination, Tampa Bay, and Jamaica,we will hold a concert from the ships deck and broadcast it live as well. Much Publicity will take place. We are also filming the whole trip for a documentary."

Some of the celebrities taking part in EuroRock Peace Full Sail for Peace on land and/or on sea:

• Swiss Chris: 5 time Grammy Winner John Legend’s Music Director and Drummer
• Charlie Souza: Tom Petty’s former Bass player/and now bass player for the New Rascals
• The Skipper, Detlef Kowalewski who was back-up for Iron Maiden
• The Gandhi Tour/1001 Ways with Dr. Arun Gandhi, M. Gandhi’s grandson giving talks
• And many others that have been contacted and we are awaiting confirmation.

Right now, Ricca says they are 99.9% ready to go. All that is needed is a piece of equipment that will enable them to broadcast their trip in real time on the Internet.
Ricca says "The dish costs 40,000€ and we couldn't afford this, so we thought about putting the word out for a sponsor to lend us the equipment and Internet connection for two months."

Ricca says they will have to do without if they cannot find the sponsor, but there will be pictures and film available for our documentary.

There is still room for a bass player and drums, so please contact Lou at his website given above. This is a trip of a lifetime and for the good of the world.
On March 8th, 2008, The Beija Flor, a 54 foot sailing vessel with Skipper Detlef... more