CBS News’ “This Morning” has hurdled past ABC’s “Good Morning America” for the first time in 22 years.
The last time “This Morning” beat “GMA” was in 1977, when it was called “CBS Morning News” and Jimmy Carter was in the White House.
News of the CBS morning show’s second-place finish comes two days after nose-diving “GMA” axed co-hosts Lisa McRee and Kevin Newman, replacing them for the time being with Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson, who start Jan. 18.
“This Morning” beat “GMA” by roughly 100,000 households for the week of Dec. 28. Ratings for both shows were based on a three-day average (Monday-Wednesday) because of the New Year’s holiday.
“This Morning” notched 2.8 million households to “GMA’s” 105 . 0008.042.7 million households – still far behind NBC’s top-rated “Today,” which cruised to another victory with a four-day average of 5.1 million households.
“We have made slow, steady, 105 . 0006.03predictable progress over the past couple of years,” said “This Morning” executive producer Al Berman. “Two years ago there was a 1.9 ratings difference between us [and ‘GMA’]. I think it’s a combination of us doing things right and some problems 105 . 0000.00over at ‘GMA.'”
Berman said he wasn’t at all concerned that “This Morning’s” win, historic as it was, occurred over a three-day ratings period as opposed to an entire five-day week.
“This week counts and is just as important as any other week in the season,” he said. “Last Thursday and Friday, even though it wasn’t reported by [ratings company] Nielsen, we tied ‘GMA’ on Thursday and beat them on Friday.”
“This Morning,” co-hosted by Mark McEwen and Jane Robelot, is a perennial third-place finisher behind “GMA” and “Today,” but has been nipping at troubled “GMA’s” heels since last spring.
McEwen has been co-hosting “This Morning” with Thalia Assuras, Martha Stewart and Hattie Kauffman since mid-October, with Robelot set to return from maternity leave on Jan. 18.
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