# NBC is the Number 4 network HUH?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285 "2005-11-03T13:41:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/1 "2005-11-03T13:41:14Z")
A sister thread to my TODAY post, NBC is ranked number 4 currently among (I assume) CBS, FOX, ABC and NBC. CERTAINLY only “prime time” is meant by this, correct? 1.TODAY show… This is and has been Number 1 for ages right? 1. “NBC…your late night leader” I mean Leno and Conan do it for me nightly. Uhm. I like to watch them perform. … No wait… well you get what I mean! Seriously. How can the Domination of 2 other Schedule periods equate to number 4? I can only immagine it is in terms of viewership… for possible Advertisers. Nielsen and all of that. Why would Advertisers shy away from the times of day NBC is Number 1? Please tell me how Being 1st 1st and 4th equate to 4th. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/2 "2005-11-03T13:51:17Z")
Prime time ratings are much more important than morning or late night. Thus, they carry more weight. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/3 "2005-11-03T17:03:58Z")
It was all downhill after they lost _Seinfeld_. They built their entire lineup around it, and _Friends_ never could hold the schedule together like that. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/4 "2005-11-03T19:05:23Z")
All the morning shows on Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC have a combined audience of around 11 million people, according to the PR releases that fly around my office. Today has been number 1 week-to-week for about 10 years. Good Morning America is number 2, and this year has beat Today on some days, but not on a week-to-week basis. The Early Show and Fox and Friends are tied for last, with about 2 million total viewers each. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/5 "2005-11-03T22:15:12Z")
Because the total viewing audience is different during different times of the day. I don’t have any particular numbers so I’m just pulling these out of the air here but let’s say that in the mornings (when _Today_) is on there are 30 million TV viewers and NBC has 10 million of them. During prime time there are 150 million TV viewers and NBC has 10 million of them and at night (during Leno) there are 20 million TV viewers and NBC has 10 million of them. CBS, on the other hand, has, say, 5 million in the morning, 5 million at night and 80 million during prime time. So, using this, NBC “wins” the morning and late night time slots but loses the day by only having an average of 10 million viewers while CBS averages 30 million. Plus, advertisers are much more interested in prime time than other times. Per **Barbarian** ’s post there are only 11 million viewers during the early morning news hours. IIRC the average number of prime time viewers is around 150 million (no cite and I’m sure someone will be along to correct me shortly). So, would you rather have 90% of an audience of 11 million or 90% of an audience of 150 million? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/6 "2005-11-04T00:45:12Z")
Moved to CS. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/7 "2005-11-04T02:08:51Z")
UPN and the WB. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/8 "2005-11-04T07:22:02Z")
> [@lonesome loser](#): > > UPN and the WB. must resist urge to use posters user name with comment about said channels… must resist… ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/9 "2005-11-04T07:53:25Z")
Well, you see, the National Broadcasting Company doesn’t use the designated hitter rule like they do at ABC… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/10 "2005-11-04T08:25:48Z")
> [@lonesome loser](#): > > UPN and the WB. Are these networks broadcast anywhere, or are they cable-only? Come to think of it, I don’t think my Dish feed has these networks. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/12 "2005-11-04T09:34:21Z")
_“Come to think of it, I don’t think my Dish feed has these networks.”_ I’ve got DISH and I get all these networks. I also have the SuperDish thing that brings in the locals, so maybe that’s why, now that I think about it. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/13 "2005-11-04T15:48:34Z")
Not having any NFL games doesn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/14 "2005-11-04T16:45:26Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > It was all downhill after they lost _Seinfeld_. They built their entire lineup around it, and _Friends_ never could hold the schedule together like that. I’d disagree with this. Friends was America’s #1 show after Seinfeld left the air. When they were still on the air, NBC was still at or near the top of the charts. I think it was the loss of Friends, and the inability to develop a new show while Friends was on the air which could replace it as the MSTV anchor once Friends went black, that put NBC in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/15 "2005-11-04T17:47:35Z")
Also, while it wasn’t “Must See TV”, NBC lost Fraiser at around the same time. So NBC lost 3 of its highest rated shows in the span of a couple years. That’s gotta hurt. I’ve heard that NBC is considering moving “My Name is Earl” and perhaps “The Office” to Thursdays to try to reclaim that night (I hope so, because when its on against a new episode of “House”, those two shows get taped, even though I love them so). ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/16 "2005-11-04T17:48:29Z")
This is going to be about personal taste, but looking at their weekly prime-time [line up](http://www.nbc.com/nbc/header/TV_Schedule/) for the coming (sweeps) week, is underwhelming: Law&Order clones 4 out of 7 evenings. Martha Stewart, Medium, Joey, The Office, and old,old West Wing and ER. While the ABC schedule isn’t very exciting, they do have the hit shows du jour, Lost and Housewives, as opposed the the hit shows of the mid to late 90’s (E.R. '94 and West Wing '99). CBS has all the C.S.I. clones and I think the original is still the #1 scripted show in the U.S. I guess survivor is still cranking out ratings. If FOX really performs better than NBC, that’s a big surprise. The have the O.C. and Simpsons / Family Guy and maybe COPS pull in enough ratings on Saturdays, but the rest of the schedule is barren. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/17 "2005-11-04T18:06:59Z")
Fox had baseball, which is a big draw. Just fyi, here are the top 20 rankings from last week according to [Zap2It and Neilson](http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,272%7C%7C%7Cweekly,00.html) > [@](#): > > Rank Show Network Viewers > 1 CSI CBS 16,983,000 > 2 WITHOUT A TRACE CBS 15,668,000 > 3 FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4(S) FOX 14,281,000 > 4 CSI: MIAMI CBS 14,214,000 > 5 NCIS CBS 12,899,000 > 6 FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 3(S) FOX 12,134,000 > 6 GREY’S ANATOMY ABC 12,082,000 > 8 TWO AND A HALF MEN CBS 11,912,000 > 9 SURVIVOR: GUATEMALA CBS 11,661,000 > 10 COMMANDER IN CHIEF ABC 11,228,000 > 10 CSI: NY CBS 11,286,000 > 12 EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED. ABC 10,679,000 > 12 NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ABC 10,737,000 > 14 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 10,413,000 > 15 60 MINUTES CBS 9,944,000 > 15 LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT NBC 9,898,000 > 17 MEDIUM NBC 9,572,000 > 17 OUT OF PRACTICE CBS 9,596,000 > 19 COLD CASE CBS 9,426,000 > 20 CRIMINAL MINDS CBS 9,406,000 ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/18 "2005-11-04T18:15:30Z")
(Preview! Not submit! Preview! :smack: ) Anyway, this list is slightly skewed because of 1) repeats and 2) the World Series, but note that CBS has 11 of the top 20 shows (and 7 of the top 10). ABC has 5, Fox 2 and NBC 2 but NBC’s highest ranked show (one of the _Law and Order_s) was #15. The World Series obviously helped Fox, but NBC is clearly #4 according to this list. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/19 "2005-11-04T18:18:46Z")
And American Idol hasn’t even premierered yet this season! When it does, along with 24, it shoots Fox to #1 or #2. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/20 "2005-11-04T19:44:33Z")
People actually root for networks? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285/21 "2005-11-04T20:03:16Z")
> [@Subterraneanus](#): > > People actually root for networks? I kinda do. I root for UPN and the WB. Each carries one of my current favorites, but it’s more just an underdog thing for me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nbc-is-the-number-4-network-huh/329285.md?page=2)