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Couric's CBS News Audience Hits 20 Year Low

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It surely wasn't what CBS dreamed about when Katie Couric was hired: the "CBS Evening News" last week recorded its smallest audience since 1987, and probably many years before that.

It also didn't help that the average of 6.05 million viewers came at the beginning of the important May ratings "sweeps."

Meanwhile, ABC's "World News" recorded its widest advantage in viewership over NBC's "Nightly News" since the week Peter Jennings died in August 2005. The victory, ABC's ninth in 13 weeks over NBC, adds to the sense that Charles Gibson is eclipsing Brian Williams as the nation's favorite network news anchor.

"World News" averaged 8.1 million viewers last week (5.7 rating, 12 share). NBC's "Nightly News" had 7.5 million viewers, its fourth-lowest figure since at least 1987 (5.3, 12), and CBS had a 4.3 rating and 9 share. The year 1987 is a benchmark because that's when Nielsen began using its "people meter" technology.

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Those are worrisome numbers for networks heading forward, since news viewership normally drops off in the summer. Major news events, of course, could dramatically change things.

© 2007 Associated Press.

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