Why Anderson Cooper's Ratings Are Down; Why Katie Couric's Ratings Should Go Up

CNN's AC360... is more like AC180 these days.
Ratings for the the silber hair fox (to many women and gay men) are in a freefall lately. Has Anderson Cooper's popularity peaked? I decided to sample tonight's show to see what all the fuss is about. Why are Cooper's ratings falling faster than the Dow in February?

Here are XXX observations.
1. The first, and most obvious, reason is that CNN is getting zero benefits from the political landscape. It happens when you straddle the fence. Of course that may be where a "news" organization should be.
2. Tonight's show... was just boring. The opening piece was a question and answer with Dr. Gupta. So, the AC team worked all day on this show and the most they deliver for me at the top is a Q&A with Gupta? When the gate opens, the race starts. It was more like a stuttering engine t0night.
3. Cooper seemed lifeless. He almost seemed tired tonight. He smiled and chuckled a bit with Erica Hill in the final segment. But for the first 55 minutes, he was seemed uninterested.
4. The show and its production lacked creativity tonight. Cooper was one of the first cable prime anchors to get up from behind a desk. There was motion, energy and a completely different atmosphere to the show then. Tonight it was dry.
5. The content didn't break new "news". The topper was the final segment about a new world record for a Thriller dance performance from William and Mary students. Cool story and video. Unfortunately I saw the same video a few days ago... maybe even last week!
6. There could be 'Cooper-fatigue'. Been there and done that.

No doubt there are many other reasons we could talk about. But there are the top things that came to mind as I watched tonight's broadcast.

On the flip side, I checked out Katie Couric's CBS Evenign News tonight (on DVR).

Watch CBS Videos Online
She's getting a lot of positive press again, including her column in USA Today today. I have preached this for more than a year. The content in this show is pretty darn good. With few exceptions, it's focused. There is solid storytelling. There is content of depth and interest... not just quick passive voiceovers. While I have liked Couric, I still long for the days when she actually "talks" to me instead of reading that freaking prompter. It's an tool to help communicate... not a crutch to walk on.

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