It looks like former CBS News anchorman Dan Rather may have permanently damaged the credibility of his network, with ratings for the "Evening News" broadcast over which he used to preside continuing to slide under replacement anchorman Bob Schieffer.
The program saw its "lowest viewer tally on record last week," reports Variety.
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The 6.1 million average nightly viewers who tuned in to the broadcast last week was the lowest total since record-keeping started in 1987, the paper noted.
The ratings crash continues a trend that began after Rather's disastrous Sept. 8, 2004 "60 Minutes II" broadcast, where the former anchorman aired forged documents in a bid to show that President Bush's National Guard record had been "sugar-coated."
In the weeks after the broadcast, Rather's ratings tanked, with his New York City audience dropping by about 30 percent.
The New York Post described the embattled anchorman's numbers as being in "free fall." Rather finally abandoned the anchor chair six weeks ago.
CBS spokeswoman Donna Dees tried to put the best face possible on Schieffer's failure to revive the broadcast, telling Variety: "We realize it will take time for the audience to respond to the changes we're making. The journalism is strong, the spirit is fresh, and the initial reaction has been very positive."
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