Obama blitz a ratings winner -- for him and Jon Stewart
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's rising tide lifted several TV boats Wednesday night as it washed across the small screen from dinner time to the midnight hour setting ratings records.
Most impressive is the boost the Illinois senator gave Comedy Central and two of its most popular shows, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. As successful as both have been in attracting audiences in the past, Wednesday they reached all-time highs.
An audience of 3.6 million viewers tuned in Wednesday for The Daily Show to see Obama interviewed via satellite from Florida where he was campaigning. Not only was it Stewart's biggest audience ever, it was the first time he topped 3 million viewers.
Stewart's previous all-time high was on Oct. 8 when Michelle Obama visited the show, and 2.9 million viewers tuned in.
Overall, the election has been manna from heaven for the politically-savvy comedian who had his two best months ever in September and October in the ratings.
Riding Stewart's coattails, The Colbert Report drew a record 2.4 million viewers as host Stephen Colbert announced his endorsement of Obama Wednesday night.
By way of comparison, the best we have is Independent Party candidate H. Ross Perot's purchase of advertising time on three networks on the eve of the election in 1992. There is some apples and oranges involved because he bought longer blocks of time and they were staggered not roadblocked as Obama's were.
But the combined audience for all Perot's infomercials that night was 22.68 million viewers.
I'll tell you something, a lot of media outlets are going to hate to see this election come to an end with the ratings surge it has provided for many.
Comments
I'm sure David and the rest of the media are busy doing background research on the four families featured in Obama's infomercial, so they can replicate the character assassination done to Joe the Plumber. When can we look forward to reading the results?
"Character assassination" on Joe The Plumber? Please. A guy who says he wants to have a plumbing business, but wait, he doesn't have a plumbing license. Oh, and there is the problem about not paying taxes -- that must be what makes him an expert on Obama's tax plan. I don't think Joe was really laying awake worring about being in the $250,000 tax bracket, do you? This guy is such a made-for-TV GOP creation, it makes my head ache. Let me tell you something, I worked my way through high school and undergrad college as a plumber's helper, which meant I dug ditches and emptied septic tanks. This was in Wisconsin in the 1960s, but there were three classes of workers on the job: the lowest included workers and laborers like me. Next up the ladder were plumber apprectices. And then, you had plumbers. If Joe doesn't have a plumbing license and isn't an apprentice, he's a plumber's helper like I was, and believe me, I wasn't thinking of starting a plumbing business without a license. I would suggest that if Joe has such ambition and is such a great representative of the entrepreneur, he actually apply himself and get a license instead of blaming others for his problems. Thanks jmr for waking my inner conservative. Z
Posted by: jmr | October 31, 2008 7:44 AM
You left-wing liberals really crack me up. The so called "tax bill" that Joe The Plumber had was a measly $1,200 bill he wasn't even aware of, and he said he has since taken care of. You liberals are making it seem like he is in hock to the IRS for tens of thousands of dollars, which is far from the case. And who gives a damn if he has a plumbing license or not? I'm sure he is not the only wokring plumber in america operating without a plumbing license...it's not like he's a pilot flying planes without a pilot license.
I'm still beyond baffled that The Baltimore Sun continues to allow it's TV CRITIC to run a political blog on their website. Very few things that The Baltimore Sun does surprises me anymore, but this is a new low for them. Why don't we get Kevin Cowherd to start a blog on High Finance while we're at it?
Posted by: Steve | October 31, 2008 12:16 PM
Gee David, why don't you get a job at Pravda or Daily Worker. Your evaluation of Joe the Plumber deserves at least your in depth analysis of Senator Obama. No one seems to want to go there. Your writing is one of the reasons I do not subscribe to the Sunpapers. Since it is free electronically, I do scan it. Personally, I don't care about your incisive points on ordinary citizens. Spiro Agnew (even though disgraced) had it right - the press are nothing more than effete snobs.
Posted by: Norris | October 31, 2008 12:34 PM
http://hillbuzz.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/are-we-the-only-ones-noticing-what-a-complete-flop-obamas-tv-variety-special-was-last-night/
Posted by: Brian | October 31, 2008 2:55 PM
To those above. Why are you posting comments that have little or no relevance to the article at hand? The comments section is not a forum to badger each other, but to provide thoughtful insight on the journalism presented.
Hi John, Thanks for the wisdom. But what we have here are angry folks who don't like the way the election is going and want to lash out. Except everything they know about communication they learned from right-wing talk radio, and so, all they know is anger, insult, inventive, name-calling and, let's be frank...well, let's not. I have gone far enough on the matter of how pathetic these folks are...But what I have tried to explain very slowly and carefully to folks like Steve is that all TV is political. Sesame Street, Deperate Housewives, cop dramas -- it is all loaded with politics. I have always written about TV as a social and political force -- and I always will. That is what really excites me about TV -- the fact that it is the primary storyteller in American life. But I think talking about TV that way scares people like Steve. They want to think of TV as safe, escapist fare. I have urged folks who want that kind of TV criticism to find another blog -- because that is not me. There are lots and lots of blogs out there for those who can't handle the truth of TV as a political force -- who want lala land TV coverage. But thanks for your comments. Z
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