CNN spent, like, tens of millions of dollars on Anderson Cooper, between his salary and marketing. They even got rid of Aaron Brown to give The Coop space on the dial. But not enough of you are watching! His 10pm 360 loses some 20 percent of his Larry King Live lead-in, according to Nielsen’s reliably unreliable numbers. He’s at just 933k viewers for the month, dropping below his 1 million viewership figure that he’s held on to since August and down one-third since the beginning of the year. If he keeps this up, Keith Olbermann’s repeat will start beating him.
Don’t you just hate it when you pay some handsome guy for a service and he doesn’t perform?
afrolito
He just needs another Katrina.
Oaklander
I am repulsed by closet cases. Especially if they have position and money, and COULD come out.
Zakakaka
He´llget m0re audience if he comes out live on his crappy show….hint, hint
Chitown Kev
@Zakakaka:
Exactly what I was thinking.
The Lesbian Mafia
Ture Story: Anderson Cooper goes home every night, puts on some Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, draws circles on his face in red lipstick and sings ~ The news gives me the blues ~ I wanna be in the Housewives of New Jersey ~ because I’m purty ~
tavdy79
@afrolito: He needs to grow some bollocks and admit he’s queer.
tom
Ratings are down in general because people are turning away from the news now that the long excitement of the primaries and the election are over.
FOX News will keep dominating in the ratings like they always do because they have the far right wing nut audience all to themselves. Unless some far right network competitor pops up and splits the wing nut audience they’re shows will stay at the top.
MSNBC, CNN and network news are scrabbling over the left, centrist and independent viewers. Shows hosts that aren’t willing to chase ratings by throwing themselves totally into tabloid style coverage like Nancy Grace, tabloidy flavor of the week bookings like Larry King, or theatrical political speeches and yelling like Olbermann attract a bit more viewers than traditional news when there is nothing the public finds all that significant happening in the news. The ratings shoot up on traditional style news show like 360 when something big does happen, however, because people trust them more to do a decent balanced job, stick to delivering facts, and not play things for drama.
scott
@Zakakaka: That could give the show a momentary ratings spike but only if they promoted it ahead of time, which wouldn’t really work. “Tune in this Friday to watch me announce I’m gay!”. Otherwise it would just increase viewers on youtube and watching other news/entertainment shows that were recapping what’d happened.
Bruno
Ellen came out in 1997 and got some huge ratings (albeit temporarily). Maybe her male equivalent (and his network) could get over their scared shitlessness in 2009.
Josh
Anderson Cooper needs to come out and then give some of his opinions on his show.
Lou Dobbs gives his opinions.
Topher
@Josh: I agree that Cooper is hard to watch because it is boring. He gives us all the details, but no sense of what those details mean. I think of myself as fairly well informed, but I am not always current on the minor machinations of foreign dictators. Cooper could definitely get some more audience if he added some of his own opinions about the news as he is reporting the details of the news.
Acoolerclimate
I’ll bet Anderson’s contract with CNN says he can’t come out. Wouldn’t doubt it for a minute. He seemed to be taking steps to come out until he got his show. I just have a feeling CNN was afraid it would hurt ratings at the time. We’ll see what happens when it’s time for him to sign a new contract.
afrolito
Why would he come out on air? His ratings would plummet even further with his deluded female fans.
Tony
I look for integrity in my journalists and Anderson being closeted and the former host of the reality show, THE MOLE can’t be taken seriously. I’ll stick with Charlie Gibson on ABC.
tom
@Josh: Lou Dobbs show is all about pushing Lou’s personal political agenda and spinning facts to fit that agenda even when it means being misleading. Just because he does that doesn’t mean it’s valid or 360 should do it. If 360 tried to do that they would alienate many of their present viewers.
Anderson has always made political neutrality and low drama a point of public personal pride and something central to his show and his appeal. If he switched because his ratings were low people would call that what it is – a sell out. I think he’d retire or go morning television or something before he did that. He’s not a yelling, foaming at the mouth, soapboxing type guy and it’s obvious he wouldn’t enjoy his work or respect himself if he transformed into O’Reilly or Olbermann in a ratings bid.
360 is news not commentary, but they do have analysis from contributors. It would be better sometimes if they spent more time exploring an issue like they used to, but the American public have ADD and keeping things brisk and easily digestible is necessary if a news show is to keep alive at all.
Austin
I like him. I watch him. I couldn’t care less if he stays in the closet. He’s delivering the news. I couldn’t care less for his opinion. Giving me his opinion would only tell me that the news is slanted. That’s why I don’t watch Lou Dobbs or Cambell Brown. I get so much of their opinion, you can’t tell what is opinion vs what is news.
The only problem I have with CNN is they don’t have a wide range of stories. They pick the 3 or 4 top stories and talk incessantly about only those topics. And then replay the segment again 24 hours later like it was still current.
adam
@Tony: Half the people in news are closeted, Anderson is just the only one who gets called on it. Edward R. Murrow hosted a celebrity call in show, Barbara Walters has done celebrity specials since forever, and Olbermann was a sportscaster.
Scott
I like him. I have watched him. But staying in the closet is reason enough for me to switch to a more deserving news “reporter” who is not afraid.
If he came out officially, I can guarantee you his viewership would increase 10-fold and CNN would be renegotiating his contract![img]http://static.technorati.com/asset/img/d/4/4/8/d4480f1229f12f3acb39e34836d7f9ee.jpg[/img]
TANK
His show with olbermann’s and Larry King (real chazzer re: miami days)…and that talking boiled potato chris matthews…unwatchable garbage. ANd that goes double for all of fox news programming. How can anyone with a pulse and sixth grade reading skills watch those shows? The lack of interesting substantive analysis and news in these shows makes the fact that’s he’s closeted insignificant.
Dabq
@Austin: I agree, if he is gay, and, other than gossip and innuendo and that’s about all that has been out there so far, and, he’s not gay bashing, let him do his thing and leave him alone. Gay bashing? That’s a whole different can of worms. Coming out is very personal and not every 44 year old unmarried man is gay anyway’s. The show? Its just boring, and, in out or around the closet, that won’t change and I don’t need to know his opinion on every issue, I can form my own based on the facts, there are too many blowhards on TV and radio now telling the world how they feel.
scott
@Tony: Charlie Gibson has integrity because he made the brave decision to be out about his straightness? If a man Gibson’s age were gay he would have been closeted for years to have gotten where Gibson is in news. Whether Gibson would choose to come out now that times are more accepting is unknowable. Gibson being out about his orientation is not a matter of integrity it’s a matter of chance, the chance that made him straight instead of gay.
mc
@Scott: I don’t see how his viewership could increase like you’re saying.
Who would all these new viewers be?
Only so many people are interested in watching news at all. Most people get their news from their regular news source because they like that source not because they are waiting to abandon it and watch 360 as soon as Anderson announces he’s gay.
InExile
I cannot stand him after watching him praise Bush for the last 8 years. Aaron Brown was much better, they should give Anderson the ax and bring Aaron back. Anyway, who cares if he is gay?
sparkle obama
@The Lesbian Mafia:
lesbian mafia,
if you are a chick
i am a cowboy!
whatever, you phonies!
i may have posted the interweb using more than one of my many names, but they were really my name and it was really me, for goodness sake!
if you post under a fake persona, pretending to be *someone else*
that means that even *you* can’t support your own arguments.
you don’t have the courage of your own convictions!
i’m not talking about anderson cooper.
you guys create identities under which to post because you are ashamed of your own ideas.
“conservative” gays are the meanest, most artiicial and dishonest people in the world.
i apologize for my negative tone, but i guess it’s that time of the month.
rsquared
@Acoolerclimate: A contract provision stating that he cannot come out would be unenforceable for being against public policy and (depending on the jurisdiction) discriminatory. It’s most likely his choice to stay closeted.
He’d be more interesting if he lead an honest life. I’d probably watch if came out.
Lee
So, he “respect[s] himself” now being the most famous, definitely gay [vs. all the “claims” about Tom Tom, et al.] celebrity coward outside of Congress???
It’s fucking 2009! “In his contract,” my flabby ass. CNN wouldn’t dare simply in terms of their image, let alone the legal jeopardy it would put them in. That’s the thing about the closet today, it’s SELF-imposing.
Two words: Rachel Maddow.
Though her numbers, like all cable news shows, have gone down, as of March the opinionated Lesby Ann STILL beat the “objective” closet coward Cooper AND Larry King!
sal(the original)
personally never was a fan of him or his show
Bitch, please!
I agree with many here. Who cares about another privileged, gold-spoon-fed, have-it-all? I could care less if he is gay or not, but I would be the last to shed a tear if he loses his position at CNN. I do not think he is as good a journalist and a reporter as he was hyped out to be. I have found him less than impartial in his reporting, on more occasions than one. We do not need “his take” on the news; we can decide for ourselves, thank you very much.
gurlene
I watch but it all depends upon the subject if I stay tuned. Personally I think he should drop to a half hour. Now that the summer is upon us (or almost) people don’t watch the news as much and that is going to work against him unfortunately.
Scott
He never belonged on CNN. He’s betrayed his roots. His early work was ground breaking, or at least, put him in personal danger. People felt that he was one of us. He shouldn’t be rubbing elbows with Nasty Grace. He’s lost viewer respect. Go back to 60 Minutes.
Nitesurf
I’m going to watch Anderson until they cancel his program, if they ever do, I’m one of those very few people who don’t have a problem with him. There are FAR more offensive people on television than him, IMO. As far as I know, reporters are supposed to keep their opinions to themselves which is what he makes a point of doing. If he comes out fine, if he doesn’t, so what? There are plenty of people here who’ll despise him either way, but I’m not one of them.
mikebuc
AC’s lower ratings (although I put zero trust in Nielsen) are more a commentary on the what it is that attracts the average cable news viewer than on the host. People who rely solely on television news want to be entertained and are bored stiff by real, informative journalism. Cooper is hugely talented and a brilliant journalist. It’s clear he insists on delving into the important news of the day and allows the viewer to hear the facts and decide for themselves rather than making his show about him. That is true professionalism. Olbermann’s show is like a circus as are most of the shows on MSNBC and in many ways I can understand why it attracts more of the American audiance. Not something to brag about though.
troy
Don’t like him. He’s a coward and only has this job because he is of the Dandy Vandy Klan. He’s dull to look at and he is dull to listen to. Its very strange to look to a person who lives a lie to deliver you the truth.
audiored
He’s a vile closet case. Who gives a fuck if no one is watching his boring ‘news’ show.
Chuck
His problem is that he is bland, boring, and looks scared to be in front of the camera. Rehashing the same news at 10 that has been on since 5, or 3, or all day is not enough to get viewers in todays media environment.
If he came out, he could be more comfortable in front of the camera and that would fix one problem. Being a hot, out newsguy with your own show ( a la Ellen ) would fix the other problem.
Richard
Anderson Cooper is a douche bag. He is a Republican, he also was a BIG Cheerleader for the war. I don’t care if he is gay – his show is DULL,DULL, DULL. He now has a series keeping them honest – why doesn’t he keep it honest and come out of the closet. I hope they cancel his lame show.
Alexa
I wish people would come out, but they need to do it when they’re ready, not when we’re ready for them to do it. Saying that, I can’t understand why he doesn’t come out, it would only be good for him at this point. If Clay Aiken with his uber religious fans can have the balls to finally come out, anyone can.
Anderson is a good field reporter, one of the best, but he’s not a good anchor and his show sucks. That’s why his ratings are down.
Matt
To all the posters saying that he is in the closet…:
I’m pretty sure, especially after the article in the Advocate, that Anderson Cooper is “out” of the closet. He fully admits that he is gay, and proud of it. He is not closeted. Last summer the Advocate did a cover story about how he is one of the first openly gay CNN hosts.
Alexa
He refuses to talk about his private life, that’s not openly gay. He may be out to his family and friends, but most people would be shocked to find out he’s gay.
Ian
I rather watch Olbermann repeats any day. He’s done more for the gay community in a couple shows that this silver-haired pansy has in his lifetime.
CNN = KKK
mc
@Richard: Anderson isn’t a republican. That myth arose because years ago he gave a donation of about $100 to a gay marriage supporting out gay republican candidate for congress who had been on his college crew team. He’s actually a registered democrat, as reflected on his tax documents that were leaked along with a load of other celebrity tax documents.
He wasn’t any bigger cheerleader for the war than the rest of the press. The Whitehouse fed them false information and post-9/11 was a weird period in America where things got very Mccarthy style.
Chris
I would like to think his ratings are down because he HASN’T come out, wouldn’t that be great. It would be even better if some talk celebrity who came out and then had even higher ratings than ever before, wait we have seen that already, Ellen. Why can’t these morons see and take her as an example? Oh well, maybe its because she’s a gal.
Heidi Berg
Ratings …I have never ever seen so much crizma in one person.
Dallas David
@Austin:Totally agree.
He’s a good news guy, does the news, doen’t get flamboyant like the heterosexuals at other news outlets, and is thorough.
I gave up watching TV entirely when they switched to digital broadcasts. Yes, I have a converter, but still haven’t bothered to hook it up.
If they had a way to hook up to watch him via PC, sure, I’d do that. Until they do, I keep an ear tuned to PBS radio.